Future of PGM

A poem by Coco Jervis

’Twas the night before 2100, when all through our zooms
Not a creature was stirring, not even sounds from our incoming email notification tunes;

Our out of office emails were set with auto reply by care.
In hopes that in the New Year, our work would no longer be there;

Feminist advocates were nestled all snug in their beds,
With visions of long term, core, unrestricted funding dancing in their heads;

And program officers in their PJs, and I in my Black Lives Matters nightcap,
We’re just settling down for a long awaited and much needed nap;

When out on the streets there arose such an excited chatter,
We sprang from our beds to see what was the matter;

Away to the window we raced like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash;

The moonlight cast a bright glow
Illuminating the community protestors below;

They whistled, and shouted, and called to us by name
“now philanthropists, advocates, activists — all you privileged, paid professionals — it’s time to give up this oppressive game”;

“We want autonomy, agency and trustful partnerships moving forward…Stand with the community as we dismantle these colonist structures that make us all so tortured’;

They said participatory grantmaking must become the norm, not just with decision-making but in every opportunity and form.

From prioritisation, to budgeting and deciding who and what to fund; but also with the time consuming and extractive paperworking and reporting requirements that always needs to get done;

This is an evolution, not a revolution, of sharing power co-designing and co-creating our new world this very hour.
A fairer, more equitable and compassionate environment controlled by those in the global majority is our entitlement;

We must break down language and accessibility hurdles, that keep some of our community members on the external;

They said, “core, unrestricted long term funding should flow where the community demands.
Supplied by taxes paid from a global wealth tax dividend”;

We will change philanthropy, they said, into a culture of partnership and trust,
One in which you — funders — must prove to us that you are fair and just;

To be stewards of our resources and to distribute it with care
With transparency, oversight and OUR determinations of what is fair;

We — funders — spoke not a word and listened with great care
then went straight to work and called all our friendly pseudo-astronaut billionaires;

They sprang into action and gave us the green light
To give away ALL of their money via participatory grantmaking approaches that very night;

And with that, the protestors disappeared into the night
Satisfied that they, of course, were morally and ethically right;

But I heard them exclaim, as they walked away in the moonlight
We will be back and hold you accountable until the end of capitalism is in sight.

Originally published on November 9, 2021.