We returned grant funding. Outrageous? Quite the opposite.
In the non-profit sector, I often hear the phrase, “Now that the money for the project is here, we have to do it.” Recently, we actively decided against that approach – and for me and SUPERRR, it was the right decision. I am convinced that as a feminist organization, we should talk about funding more openly – money is power after all. So here is the story of how it happened.
At SUPERRR, we carefully consider whether to apply for or accept funding. In the process, we ask ourselves questions like:
- Does the project align with our strategy and mission? If not, it might provide funding, but it will steer us away from our actual goal.
- Is it a logical continuation of our work thus far? Otherwise it might open up a field we can't properly cover with our expertise and network.
- Do we have the necessary capacity within the team, or can we offer a new team member a longer-term perspective with the project? Otherwise, we risk pushing ourselves or new colleagues into precarious situations.
- And of course: Can we justify accepting support from a funder, or are our goals so misaligned that it could create ethical dilemmas or unwanted dependencies?
Sometimes things do not work out as planned
Despite our best efforts to act with foresight and intention, sometimes things don't work out. That's what happened in this case.
For almost a year, we have been exploring the topic of digital violence. It's an important issue for us because while many talk about it, there rarely is enough dialogue with each other: The voices of those affected and their supporters, groups with (state-)power-critical approaches, and the knowledge of people with technical expertise rarely come together in the same space.
We had the opportunity to bring these voices together in a study and to finally get to the heart of the issue of digital violence. But due to illness and team changes, we ultimately could not take on the project without constantly overextending ourselves.
Saying no is hard
As activists, we have internalized the mindset of always being ready – and needing to be. Saying no to something feels harder than pushing ourselves beyond our limits. But in this case, saying no was exactly the right decision. This too is feminist: Sometimes saying no, even when we would prefer to say yes.
The funder, the Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt, met our decision with open ears, understanding, and a lot of support. For that, we are truly grateful!