Building and testing alternatives — and rethinking how resources flow
The Lab is where ideas become practice. We develop and test alternative models of ownership, governance, and resource allocation — and we challenge how capital is deployed and governed.
Moving from ideas to real, testable alternatives
This is our core practical and experimental stream. We research, map, and develop toolkits — and run real-world experiments alongside practitioners and communities to build and test alternative models of ownership, governance, and resource allocation.
- Research and mapping of existing models — cooperatives, community ownership, and more
- Development of toolkits, templates, and governance models
- Design of new models for community ownership and resource allocation
- Running real-world experiments — pooled funds, community finance mechanisms
- Documenting and sharing learnings from experiments
- A decentralized pooled community fund
- A "boring fund"-style model adapted to local contexts
- Alternative governance structures for civil society organizations
Exploring Alternative Funding & Ownership Models
A small-group lab bringing together practitioners to explore and test new ways of resourcing and organizing their work. Not a lecture. Not a conference. A structured experiment with peers.
- Engage with alternative models of funding and ownership
- Reflect critically on your own organizational context
- Co-design new approaches alongside peers
- Test ideas in practice between sessions
NGOs, social enterprises, and practitioners looking for alternatives to traditional funding models. No prior knowledge required — curiosity is the only prerequisite.
A cohort-based program running over several weeks, with a mix of sessions, peer exchanges, and independent experimentation. Small groups by design.
Apply to JoinChallenging and evolving how capital is deployed
This stream focuses specifically on the capital provider side — maintaining a critical and constructive lens. This is not only critique: it is about expanding possibilities and responsibility on the funder side.
- Critical analysis of philanthropy and funding systems
- Exploration of alternative funding models and mechanisms
- Case studies of innovative and equitable funding approaches
- Resource library — models, tools, case studies, links
- Writing and thought pieces from Global South perspectives
- How money currently moves — and the power dynamics involved
- Alternative ways of resourcing work and communities
- What responsibility looks like for funders in a changing system