2019 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2019

I am reminded every day that fiscal sponsorship is difficult to explain. While I have become much better at emphasizing its importance, my work at Fusion had almost nothing to do with it. I was tasked with evaluating the impact of the much younger inFusion community grants program. In its fourth year of existence, inFusion’s small grants program is designed to be centered on residents of 3 neighborhoods in East Baltimore: McElderry Park, CARE and Middle East. Grants are given to community projects led by residents of these neigh- borhoods and approval of the grant is decided by a committee of nine residents. I found the program to be a particularly radical and yet obvious way of grantmaking which allows those affected by the funding decisions to make those decisions themselves. On my first day of work, I was told to read through a chunky folder detailing the work of the East Balti- more Development Initiative (EBDI). It served primarily as background information to pro- vide context about the neighborhoods but also cemented the importance of giving resi- dents the freedom to envision the future of their community rather than subjecting them to the vision of others. While extremely rewarding, evaluation of the grants program was not easy. I had to create meaningful metrics and grapple with how we should define success that centers the grant- ees. I had the opportunity to attend Baltimore Data Day to learn more about communi- ty-engaged data but I was left with a stronger taste of pessimism. The broken systems and gross inequities came to light as the increasingly fractured communities become an obsta- cle to effective neighborhood organizing. Faced with the reality of the city and plagued by an obsession with impact, I often struggled to see whether our work in the backseat really mattered. Luckily, Fusion fostered dynamic liveliness and taught me to embrace necessary hope. Community Partner: Fusion Partnerships Intern: Aim Wonghirundacha Site Supervisor: Allison Duggan What is Fusion Partnerships? Through collaborative action, in- cluding fiscal sponsorship, Fusion Partnerships works to be a cata- lyst for social justice and peace. • Created a report evaluating the inFusion community grants program by articulating potential metrics of success • Organized and updated grants log • Communicated with grantees to gather more information about the impact of their program • Assisted in planning the inFusion Film Festival 25

2019 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2019 | Page 26