GEL 6 is grounded in EDGE Funders Alliance’s broader mission to support movements working to dismantle extractive funding systems and align resources with their priorities.

This work is guided by a long-term vision of a future beyond philanthropy, where resources are no longer controlled by philanthropic institutions but are held and directed by movements themselves. While this vision is ambitious and long-term, GEL 6 focuses on what can be done within a shorter timeframe.

The program supports participants to take concrete steps within their institutions, including shifting grantmaking practices, redistributing resources, and challenging extractive norms. These changes may be incremental, but are understood as part of a broader process of transformation, where short-term reform contributes to longer-term systemic change.

GEL 6 serves as both an entry point and an organizing formation within EDGE. It supports participants to begin practicing organizing within philanthropy by developing and testing strategies to shift power, resources, and decision-making in their own contexts.

The program does not aim to produce a single collective outcome. Instead, it centers individual and institutional change, while the cohort provides a space for shared learning, support, and exchange.

In this way, GEL 6 connects immediate, practical action with a broader, long-term effort to transform philanthropy and ultimately move beyond it.

In GEL 6, personal transformation is not about self-improvement in isolation. It is about understanding how participants’ experiences, values, and positions within systems of power shape how they make decisions and act within their institutions.

Participants reflect on their relationship to power, what they are willing to risk or change, and the tensions they navigate in their work. This reflection is grounded in political context and directly connected to practice.

GEL 6 also recognizes the realities of burnout and pressure in the sector. Rather than separating care from the work, the program emphasizes practical forms of sustenance, including small, everyday practices of “micro-nourishment” that support continued engagement.

The goal is to strengthen clarity, alignment, and the ability to take action, making the personal a starting point for institutional and systemic change.

“I’ve gained confidence, camaraderie, frameworks, resources, and support, which have already shifted my approach to my work, and have helped me open up really important conversations within my institution.” – GEL Participant

The GEL’s curriculum places emphasis on three tiers of transformation: personal, organizational, and field-wide transformations that are needed to enact a philanthropy for systemic change.

GEL focuses both on theoretical frames and concrete examples of systemic alternatives from around the world, combining intellectual/academic, political/historical and cultural/personal education with practical skills building.

It facilitates “deep dives” into Movement on the ground while experimenting with funding methods that meet the challenges of supporting systemic change.

The program does not aim to produce a single collective outcome. Instead, it centers individual and institutional change, while the cohort provides a space for shared learning, support, and exchange.

In this way, GEL 6 connects immediate, practical action with a broader, long-term effort to transform philanthropy and ultimately move beyond it.

“I now have a new family — peers but also friends, who care about changing the system and understand how to support each other in doing it.” – GEL Participant

An opportunity to help inform EDGE’s strategies and programs, so we can better organize our wider philanthropic community.

 A community! GEL graduates considently share that the community aspect of this program is what helps them to push their own edges as funder organizations both within their organizations and in the field.

Participation in two in-person retreats and virtual group work with a cohort of deeply engaged funder organizers, social movement partners and facilitators from around the world.

Opportunities to shape the future of systemic change philanthropy by curating content that will be widely disseminated to the field of philanthropy.

An invaluable inside exploration of organizing tactics, mentored by movement leaders and a community of like-minded colleagues to help you put your learnings into practice.

Two In-person Retreats

• Opening Retreat
• Closing Retreat

Virtual gatherings

• Monthly Check-ins
• Deep-dives with GEL advisor(s) and EDGE team
• Readings and resources
• Peer-to-peer support

Times for virtual meetings are usually at 2 pm UTC.

Outside of the retreats, cohort participants can expect to spend between 2-4 hours a month engaging with GEL programming.

Fees are discounted for EDGE members. If you would like to explore membership, reach out! 

MEMBERS Solidarity Discounted Rate: $3,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget of under US$1 million 

MEMBERS Full Cost: $5,000 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$1-2 million. 

MEMBERS Redistribution Rate: $6,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$2 million

NON-MEMBERS Solidarity Discounted Rate: $4,000 – This is for organizations with an annual budget of under US$1 million 

NON-MEMBERS Full Cost: $5,500 – This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$1-2 million. NON-MEMBERS Redistribution Rate: $7,000– This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$2 million

Fees cover all expenses excluding flights.

Participants enter GEL6 with a concrete challenge or tension within their institution. Early in the program, they are supported in naming and situating this challenge within broader systems of power.

As the program progresses, they develop strategies to address it, drawing on organizing frameworks, peer learning, and movement insights.

Over time, participants begin to test and refine these approaches within their institutions.

By the end of the program, participants leave with greater clarity, a stronger sense of their role, and concrete shifts underway in their context.