On August 20, the 36 participants of Learning to Listen completed phase one of the project and collectively devised a participatory grantmaking structure to award the last batch of funds available from FORWARD Fund Puerto Rico (created in 2017 after Hurricane María.) These groups made a call for proposals and received applications from organizations focused on the following three areas and specific objectives:

Transparency + Governance

Cross-sectional strengthening of communities’ civic engagement by:

1. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of grantees in designing and implementing initiatives to reduce inequities on the island.
2. Increase representation and promote citizen activism related to governance and inclusivity, while impacting everyone’s well being and encouraging commitment from a new generation of community leaders.
3. Create projects enabling citizen participation, transparency and accountability of municipal governments’ decisions.

Education

Support systemic changes to Puerto Rico’s education system via:

• Community Projects – Leverage and strengthen community-based organizations that have demonstrated a focus on transforming and empowering communities to impact the schools within. 
• Oversight bodies – Promote and support oversight bodies that, from a grassroots base, develop criteria, oversight skills and accountability, while promoting change in the Department of Education.

Environment

Advance resiliency and sustainability of nonprofit environmental organizations while reinforcing leadership, strengthening fiscal and programmatic health, increasing collective voice and influence, and facilitating collaboration within the sector to promote transformational systemic changes to achieve socio-environmental sustainability.

The selected organizations will be announced shortly.