Frequently asked Questions – FAQs

1. What will participants get out of this Lab?

Participants will have a chance to deepen reflection, exchange feedback across different power positions, and grow their institutional courage and coherence.They will have the accompaniment of colleagues from other parts of the philanthropic ecosystem on their learning journey.

2. May we forward the invitation to apply to participate in the lab to others in our network or to our partners?

For this round of the Lab, we request you not to share the invitation outside of your organisation. However, if there is a partner whom you would like to recommend, please do send us the contact details. We will discuss the recommendation within our team and send out an invitation based on agreement within our team.

3. Do I attend the lab or shall I have a team member attend?

Lab invitations are being made to specific participants who applied as the primary participant from their organisation. This participation is not transferable. Organisations have also been asked to nominate a colleague in the organisation as a sounding board for the lab participant. The person designated as the primary participant will take part in all lab activities. The sounding board supports this person in linking back into the organisation, furthering the experiment and supporting learning.

4. Is there a possibility of funding for my organisation if I participate in the Lab?

Currently the Lab is not an avenue for fundraising. There is no assurance of funding for your organisation by participating in the Lab.

5. What is the financial sponsorship mechanism available for participating in the Lab?

We have requested applicants to let us know if they need funding or if they are able to provide funding. Once all the applications are processed, we will be able to share the amount of funding available for participants who need sponsorship. 

6. How are participants supported to integrate their learning back into their organisations and ecosystems? How does the Lab support participants in translating learning into shifts in their organisations, particularly around behaviours and decision-making?

We have requested that each applicant identifies a sounding board in their own organisation who will support them in integrating their learning back. In addition, the participants can seek the support of their triad members, other Lab participants and if needed, from the Philanthropy Dialogues team. 

7. Is the Action Learning Lab different from the Wings Communities of Practice?

Philanthropy Dialogues and WINGS are creating a connected system that combines depth and breadth. The initiative is designed as three concentric and mutually reinforcing layers of change.  

At the core is the Action Learning Lab: a high-trust safe-to-fail space for a small cohort of actors to surface live dilemmas, test assumptions, and develop promising prototypes around resourcing, power, trust, and accountability. 

Surrounding this is a second layer of Communities of Practice, which broaden the circle of participation and help refine, challenge, and adapt emerging models through regional and cross-regional peer learning. 

The outer layer is an Action Deployment layer, through which selected experiments move from learning into implementation via time-bound pilots, collaborative processes, or institutional change efforts in real philanthropic settings. 

Together, these three layers create a pathway from insight, to shared practice, to tested application and field influence.

8. Can we contribute in kind to the Lab?

Thank you. However, we are currently only looking for financial contributions.

9. Given the different power positions within each triad, how does the Lab create conditions for honest exchange and accountability, especially when tensions or misalignments around power and resources emerge? How does the Lab create space for honest dialogue between actors with different levels of power (e.g., funders and grassroots organizations)?

This is an important question and there is no stock answer. The design and facilitation of every space in the Action Learning Lab recognises the importance of understanding and working with power and power differences. Through the sessions, facilitators try to hold a space that helps participants explore different kinds of power that draw from the innate potential and different kinds of knowledge and resources from every level. In lab spaces, some of the ways we do this are by:

• Engaging each participant, not only from their professional roles, but as individuals with attention to their core purpose and developmental journey

• Drawing attention to creating a safe space of psychological safety, honoring key norms and commitments to confidentiality

• Imagining together the qualities of a more balanced, trustful and resilient future philanthropic ecosystem 

• Creating a space to surface and hold different voices, perspectives and tensions with compassion, not reacting to or solving them immediately, but moving toward the collective flourishing of the system  

• Creating an environment that offers space to notice and cultivate relationships, listening and sharing generatively with each other

Ultimately, the effectiveness of the lab will depend on the authentic commitment of facilitators and participants to share deeply, build trust and be trustworthy.

10. Can we participate even if we do not make a financial commitment?

Yes. We only request for a financial commitment from organisations that are able to make it. 

11. Is there scope for these labs to be replicated at local levels to support co-creation and co-solutioning in specific regions? Will it be possible to have the same lab window at grassroot/ community level as an information feeder to our lab globally?

This Lab is the pilot for Philanthropy Dialogues. Going forward, there is the potential for it to be replicated in various ways. 

12. Are participants expected to test specific experiments or changes within their organisations during the Lab?

We request participants to bring questions, dilemmas or experiments to the Lab. You could be in the thinking stage where you face a question or dilemma and not yet actually experimenting. As you move along the Lab, you may feel the need to experiment or you may drop the entire idea. It depends on how you want to move in and with the Lab

13. What are the criteria for final selection of applications ?

In selecting participants for the lab, we assessed the suitability and fit of each application for this lab, as well as the make-up and diversity of the cohort as a whole and its potential to hold transformative space for learning. In reviewing each application we looked at criteria such as the relevance to the core inquiry of the lab, feasibility of the proposed experiment, the potential demonstrated for learning and contribution through the individual’s participation in the lab.

14. Will the triad learning sessions be self-facilitated?

Yes, the triad sessions will be facilitated by the 3 triad members. The Philanthropy Dialogues team member will be present throughout and step in only if needed.

15. What are the roles of the Primary Participant and Sounding Board from each organisation? Who attends meetings?

The Primary Participant from each organisation participates in Lab meetings and gatherings and participates actively. She/They/He is/are directly engaged in the experiment or dilemma to shift power in their organisation and bring/s this to the Action Learning Lab.

The colleague who serves as the Sounding Board within each organisation accompanies the Primary Participant in the learning journey related to their experiment, regularly reflecting and supporting the work in the organisation. She/They/He does not attend the lab meetings, unless there is an emergency and the Primary Participant cannot attend. These roles are not seen as interchangeable.