Women’s funds came out of the Define phase triumphant about the visions they had created, but also exhausted by the demands of the process. They took a needed “break” from the Collaboration Labs to focus on other aspects of their day to day work.
Meanwhile, the Advisory Committee reviewed the 13 collaboration plans, identifying potential connections, risks, and learning opportunities from other funds. They offered their insights back to the groups, respecting each fund’s autonomy to engage with these suggestions on their terms.
Some groups refined their plans based on this feedback, while others saw alignment with ongoing work and incorporated the suggestions into their launch. A few maintained their original plans, while others opted for revisions.
The Collaboration Lab concluded nine months later with a joint meeting of the Steering and Advisory Committees. They discussed the balance between giving funds time to connect and the urgency of funding, contemplating a middle ground that might better meet participant needs.
Reflecting on the process, we celebrate the progress of the 13 collaboratives and look forward to the insights they’ll continue to provide.
“Knowing will be more valid—richer, deeper, more true to life and more useful if…our knowing is grounded in our experience, expressed through our art, understood through theories which make sense to us, and expressed in worthwhile action in our lives.”
— Peter Reason, “A Laypersons’ guide to cooperative inquiry,” University of Bath, 1998
Nine months after it began, the Collaboration Lab process ended with a joint meeting of the Steering Committee and the Advisory Committee to explore insights from the process, as well as highlights of the proposed collaborations. During the discussion the group debated whether it was more important to allow adequate time for women’s funds to connect or to get the money to women’s funds as quickly as possible. Both visions have merit. A middle ground, perhaps, would have been to resource women’s funds for their participation in the process, which responded to their needs.
We learned much from the process. We value those lessons and we celebrate the 13 amazing collaboratives that emerged. We are excited to see what wisdom emerges from the collaboratives over the next year!