Decolonizing Consulting Funding and Partnerships: A Seven Directions Framework for Human Health & Climate

Abstract Information: Panelists will share the story of a partnership between a major philanthropic foundation and several minority and/or women-owned evaluation firms on decolonizing funding, partnerships, and design/implementation of a project and related processes. This intergenerational and intersectional project brought together diverse perspectives from within evaluation, as well as amplified voices and perspectives across many cultures and backgrounds. We amplify voices of nationwide grantees, intersectional and Indigenous technical advisory group members, small businesses, and Indigenous voices – all of which critically and caringly influenced our work. The panel will be designed around the Seven Directions Lunaape Medicine Wheel, which was the foundation of our partnership (with the funder and amongst our small businesses) from the beginning. Starting in the Eastern Door of Being a Good Relative and Keeping Good Relations, we will share the cultural framing of our partnership and the ethics that informed it. Moving to the Southern Door of Keeping a Good Mind and Contributing to Good Thinking, we will share design of the work, the processes, structure and funding over the course of two contract phases, resulting in the development of a Seven Directions Healthy Journey Framework. Through the Western Door of Orienting our Actions to Good Work, we will share how we applied and refined the Seven Directions Healthy Journey Framework through a grantee case example and engagement of a Technical Advisory Council of Indigenous and non-Indigenous elders and scholars. Finally, through the Northern Door of Creating Wisdom that Sustains and Nurtures the Next Seven Generations, we will share lessons learned & best practices going forward for funders and evaluators/evaluation firms in decolonizing funding and partnerships. Attendees will come away with a more concrete understanding of the concept of decolonization and what it looks and feels like in practice through funding, structure, engagement, and creation/testing/refining of an evaluation framework. We will explore how partnerships between philanthropy and evaluation can be decolonized to allow more projects like this to emerge.