Recently, I had the honor of participating in the panel “Building Accountability: Meet the Community Leaders,” organized by Northern California Grantmakers (NCG). It was a profoundly human space, where community leaders and funders came together to explore how we can build relationships that are more just, honest, and liberating.
From the heart, I want to thank Viridiana Romero, who invited me to participate, and my fellow panelists who shared their experiences with such passion and wisdom.
From that conversation—and from many years walking alongside funders and communities—I’d like to share the reflections that have guided our work at Prospera.
Remembering Our Roots
At Prospera, we support Latina immigrant women to launch cooperative and sustainable businesses. But beyond entrepreneurship, our work is about remembering the power we already have.
We don’t empower women — women are already powerful.
Our role is to create the conditions for that power to flourish: safe spaces, networks of support, and practical tools to transform their lives and their communities.
As an immigrant and formerly undocumented woman, I know what it means to navigate systems that were not designed for us. That’s why every achievement of our entrepreneurs feels personal — it is the collective victory of a community that refuses to give up. Today, we face difficult times. Anti-immigrant policies, attacks on diversity, and the erosion of equity spaces are real. But our response is both clear and hopeful:
“They tore off our fruits,
Cut our branches,
Burned our trunk,
But they could not kill our roots.”
(Anonymous Nahua poem)
This poem reminds us that even when circumstances are harsh and attempt to stop us, our roots—our history and our community—continue to grow deeper and stronger. We keep blooming. Because when a community comes together, roots grow stronger, even in the storm.
COLLAB: A Living Practice of Collaboration and Humanity
At Prospera, the way we build relationships with funders is guided by the same values we teach our entrepreneurs: trust, cooperation, and humanity. That’s why I created the acronym COLLAB — not only as a practical tool but as a living philosophy to remind us how we want to show up in a relationship. Each letter represents a value we’ve learned to live by, one that transforms a transactional funding relationship into a partnership for change.
C – Connect (Connect from our shared humanity)
Before anything else, we are people. We connect through our stories, our emotions, and our purpose. When we truly see each other, hierarchies dissolve and trust begins. It’s not just a meeting — it’s a bond.
O – Observe & Trust
Mutual trust is essential. Funders who listen and observe without imposing create space for innovation to thrive. Trust doesn’t mean losing rigor; it means honoring the wisdom that lives in communities.
L – Listen & Collaborate
Active listening is revolutionary. Instead of dictating what “should” be done, we collaborate through dialogue, empathy, and flexibility. Real change happens when listening guides action.
L – Long-term Partnerships
Transformation doesn’t happen in a 12-month cycle. Deep change requires time, continuity, and accompaniment. Investing long-term is a political act of love toward the community.
A – Ally through Relationships (Not Roles)
More than “funders and grantees,” we are allies. At Prospera, we nurture relationships of reciprocity where each party contributes from its strengths. The relationship itself becomes a source of shared power.
B – Build Collective Impact
True impact isn’t measured only in numbers — it’s measured in collective transformation. When all voices are heard and resources are distributed with justice, we create a power that no single program can contain.
COLLAB is not an institutional strategy.
It’s a way of living philanthropy — reminding us that humanity is both the starting point and the destination.
The 5 Losses: What Breaks Relationships
Just as we’ve learned what strengthens relationships, we’ve also learned — sometimes painfully — what weakens them.
I call these the 5 Losses, because each one represents something precious we lose when we forget that philanthropy must be rooted in dignity and trust.
❌ 1. Lack of Humanity
When we forget that behind every report there are people, we fall into the trap of bureaucracy. Funders and organizations are communities of human beings, not just institutions.
❌ 2. Lack of Partnership
When relationships become one-sided, learning and innovation stagnate. We are not service providers — we are partners in a shared vision.
❌ 3. Lack of Awareness of Power
Ignoring structural imbalances perpetuates oppression. Recognizing our power — and how we use it — is the first step toward liberatory relationships.
❌ 4. Lack of Communication
Unexpected changes, unilateral decisions, or long silences erode trust. Clear, transparent communication is an act of respect.
❌ 5. Lack of Respect for Community Knowledge
Communities hold wisdom that no report can capture. Dismissing their voices is not only disrespectful — it’s a missed opportunity to learn what truly works.
When Relationships Are Tested
At Prospera, we’ve experienced firsthand how painful disconnection can be.
Without warning, we received the news that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was closing the program that funded Prospera — and that, like us, many other organizations would lose their grants.
It was one of the hardest blows we’ve faced, not only because of the financial impact, but because of what it revealed about how fragile relationships can become when COLLAB values are not upheld.
We share this not with resentment, but with the hope of shedding light on what a true partnership could look like.
Radical love is not about romanticizing charity — it’s about showing up for community, in the good times and the hard ones alike.
We are still recovering, but our vision is stronger than ever — one that goes beyond the loss of a grant and reaffirms our purpose to keep building collective power from the roots up.
From Philanthropy to “We”
In a world where divisions deepen, we must remember that we all share the same root.
Funders, community leaders, entrepreneurs, donors — we are all trying to hold on to hope in difficult times.
That’s why my invitation is simple but profound:
💬 Let’s stop being “us and them” and dare to be “we.”
Only then can philanthropy become a liberatory practice.
Because when we see each other, listen to each other, and accompany each other in our shared humanity, transformation becomes inevitable.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to NCG for creating this space for honest dialogue, to Viridiana Romero for the invitation, and to my fellow panelists for their passion and dedication.
This article is an invitation to keep weaving networks of truth, humility, and radical love for the common good.
If you’d like to share your reflections, please reach out: claudia@prosperacoops.org —
I’d love to hear from you.