GRID Impact

Molly Alexander has been with GRID for several years now but we’re excited to introduce her to you, and share a little more about what role she plays in our collective.

“adaptiveleadership

GRID Impact facilitated a two-day retreat for one of the Inclusive Financial Systems (IFS) teams at the Gates Foundation.

Why? Offsite retreats give Program Officers the space to reflect on strategy and share, more deeply understand, and weigh-in on each other’s grant-making strategies and investments. Team building activities further allow colleagues to have fun and connect on a personal level, strengthening relationships and trust in service of shared goals. In-person retreats have become an annual tradition for the team we were working with — they came ready to connect, collaborate, and focus on their bold 2030 goals.

How? The focus of this retreat was to refine strategies for realizing the team’s bold and ambitious 2030 goals. We combined insights from pre-retreat interviews with a carefully designed agenda that balanced technical strategy sessions with activities to build trust and connection—devices down, minds engaged.

The Results? Four clear strategies to carry forward—and a more aligned, connected team to make them happen.

We have had a number of collective members join us this year. We are excited to introduce JT Quirk to you, and share a little more about what role he/they plays in our collective.

JT is a multidisciplinary designer with a background in education. With over ten years of experience across a diversity of design disciplines, he brings visual design expertise backed by human-centered methodologies to help develop projects that are meaningful, relevant, and have a social impact on lives in a real world manner. He is interested in design for social change and believes that practical, creative ideas can make the world a better place

JT holds a BA in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Art & Education from NYU. Outside of pushing pixels, JT spends time with his hands in the dirt, competitively swimming, and avoiding hot lava with his kids.

As a GRID Impact Consultant, JT is currently working on redesigning a microsite for our Women's Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion work, creating artifacts for the Open Society Foundation-sponsored Voices in Exile project,and co-designing materials for the upcoming partner convening for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor Indonesia portfolio.

🔎 Case Study: Co-designing an equity-centered investment model 🔎

The United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County (UWABC) is a locally-governed, nonprofit organization working towards a vision of “a united and resilient community where everyone belongs and everyone thrives.” One of their primary strategies of change is through community investment and grantmaking.

In 2022, their latest grantmaking cycle would come to an end, and a new cycle would begin the following year. It presented them with an opportunity to ask, “How might our community design an investment and grantmaking model that centers authentic and equitable community participation in all stages of decision making?”

Working together with UWABC and community Design Fellows, we co-designed a new investment model that centers the voices of community, and an equity-centered design toolkit to help the work continue.

Click the link in our bio to read more about the project.