Collaboration in Action: Pooling Power for a Stronger Future for Learners

In today’s rapidly changing world, siloed approaches to philanthropy fall short.  Moving the needle toward lasting impact requires rethinking how we work together. In education alone, silos have persisted across critical areas, from fragmented school-to-workforce pipelines to curriculum divorced from local context to isolated policy efforts. The result is a patchwork of solutions that fundamentally miss the interconnected nature of learning.

Funders have both an opportunity and a responsibility to break down these silos through genuine collaboration. This is not simply about funders pooling dollars. It’s also about pooling power, knowledge, and purpose, and shifting from top-down decision-making to shared learning and collective action. In this moment of shifting education funding landscapes, political turbulence, and lingering learning loss, funder collaboration isn't just helpful — it's a powerful tool we must all use to create lasting progress for learners.

Across our work in Kenya, Brazil, and the United States, we’ve seen that collaborative philanthropy can take many forms. A common thread in some of the most effective models is funders and those closest to the work coming together as co-creators. Whether the goal is shifting who produces and shapes education research, building networks that honor and elevate cultural knowledge, or amplifying advocacy power, these partnerships share a commitment to learning together, centering local leadership, and unlocking change that no single actor could achieve alone.

Real change often begins with a willingness to share decision-making power with those who know the challenges best. Truly effective partnerships demand a shared commitment to evolving together through curiosity, humility, and deep listening to communities. This means being accountable for how you show up, letting go of biases and your own timelines, and genuinely centering local voices and priorities. 

We've seen this principle in action through the African Education Research Consortium. Recognizing that more than 80% of local African education research remains underfunded and the majority of African-led research remains unacknowledged globally, we joined with the Gates Foundation, Echidna Giving, and Porticus in 2021 to shift this dynamic. The Consortium has since grown to 12 funders who have collectively mobilized to support locally-led research.

Rather than imposing external priorities, the Consortium has centered African leadership at every step. In 2022, we hosted the Forum for Education Research in/for/by Africa, where over 90 African education leaders co-created a vision for strengthening local research. This led to the Enhancing Education Research in Africa (EERA) initiative, which engaged more than 200 African stakeholders to develop eight high-impact interventions designed by and for African researchers. As a result of these interventions, a new Pan-African effort, co-created and driven by African institutions and led by African scholars, is taking shape. With a bold vision to transform how education research is produced, valued, and used across the continent, this initiative reflects the potential of funders and African leaders working in true partnership.

At its best, working together creates spaces that bridge perspectives. Engaging diverse perspectives opens new pathways to thriving while strengthening our collective ability to learn, adapt, and grow. Funders play a crucial role in catalyzing meaningful spaces for knowledge exchange, particularly by creating unprecedented opportunities for groups that don't normally collaborate. Through strategic funding and intentional facilitation that honors the communities present, funders can bring researchers, policymakers, and local community leaders into the same room.

We brought this commitment to life through the Saberes para o Bem Viver ("Knowledge for Good Living") seminar we convened in Brazil in 2024. Funded in partnership with Porticus and hosted by FLACSO, the seminar gathered dozens of Black, Quilombola, and Indigenous leaders, youth, educators, government officials and researchers — some of them brought together for the first time — to share experiences, identify common challenges, and co-create solutions that are more resilient, relevant, and equitable. 

While Brazilian law recognizes that education must respect the cultural, linguistic, and territorial specificities of traditional peoples, implementation faces significant barriers. The collaborative network that emerged from this work now aims to strengthen the technical and political presence of leaders and their worldviews in policymaking spaces. More recently, the network came together again for a collaborative process to prioritize and validate strategies of an advocacy plan. Serving as a guide for collective advocacy, the plan outlines concrete actions to support the implementation of existing public policies and strengthen political coordination among Indigenous, Black, Quilombola and other traditional communities.

Breaking down silos requires more than aligned funding; it calls for shared vision, trust, and a willingness to cede power. These three examples are just a glimpse into our work.

We invite fellow funders, organizations, and changemakers to join us in this collective journey toward a shared vision: a future where learning sparks opportunity and thriving belongs to everyone. Learn more about our approach to philanthropic collaboration in Brazil, Kenya, and the United States, or email us at partnerships@imaginablefutures.com.