How Philanthropists Can Support Social Movements — & Why It Matters

Why this matters

Protest movements have driven some of the most significant social and policy changes in recent history - from ending Covid lockdowns in China to the European Green Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. Yet philanthropic funding has not kept pace. Activist groups are consistently overlooked in favour of NGOs and inside-track approaches, leaving a critical gap in the social change ecosystem.

What we found

The evidence shows that protest movements can shift public opinion by 2-10%, change political discourse, and directly influence policy. A year after Black Lives Matter protests, sustained public discourse on the issues raised was ten times higher than before. XR protests were explicitly cited in the Labour Party’s declaration of a climate emergency. Yet for every pound Extinction Rebellion raised, Greenpeace International raised a hundred. Funders cite legal uncertainty, reputational risk, unfamiliarity with informal structures, and a preference for measurable short-term outcomes as reasons for not funding grassroots groups - even though the evidence points to activism as one of the most leveraged ways to achieve the systemic changes funders say they want.

What it means for funders

The report sets out five practical routes for philanthropists: being willing to support unregistered organisations; accepting that systemic change requires some risk; using appropriate frameworks to evaluate movement strength rather than just reach; funding through intermediary organisations such as the Climate Emergency Fund or the Social Change Agency; and supporting movement infrastructure - the training, stipends, and organisational capacity that make mobilisation possible. Crucially, the most needed funding often comes before a movement’s visible peak, not during it. Small investments in trained organisers can have a strong force-multiplying effect on volunteer engagement and long-term momentum.