This toolkit was developed with and for philanthropic funders who want to better understand how to support child and youth participation. It builds on an ECFG study published in 2021, Shifting the Field: Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening Child- and Youth-Led Community Rooted Groups, which maps current practices in philanthropic support for child- and youth-led work at the community level and provides strategic advice to donors on how to strengthen their funding modalities through participatory approaches. Following this study, a number of ECFG members came together to form a working group on child and youth participation to explore practical tools for realizing the goal of increased child and youth participation across the philanthropic life cycle. In 2022, ECFG commissioned this practical toolkit to support grantmakers in better understanding and implementing meaningful youth participation. It presents a new, adaptable model for participation tailored specifically for funders. This Funders’ Toolkit includes research findings, a new adaptable model, an overview of current known participatory mechanisms for children and young people, and practical activities to help funders as they embark on this journey or seek to deepen their existing initiatives.
To create this tool, we collected and analyzed the following data:
- Literature, reports, articles, research, and internal documents from funders including evaluations, practical tools, and program guidance.
- A survey with Elevate Children Funder’s Group members.
- Six interviews with funders of different sizes and types.
- A focus group discussion with children and young people.
All this was done with the guidance and leadership of an Advisory Group made up of eight ECFG members and external experts, the input and guidance of the ECFG Child and Youth Participation Working Group, and a Youth Co-Creation Group of ten members.
