PMF Foundation: Backing Bold Ideas Through Trust-Based Philanthropy
At the PMF Foundation, we believe that meaningful, long-term change doesn’t happen through rigid structures or short-term fixes. It happens when passionate, capable people working in community-led organisations are given the trust, time, and resources to make a difference, on their terms.
That’s why we’re committed to being a trust-based philanthropy funder.
Shifting the Power: Trust at the Centre
Traditional philanthropy often comes with strings attached, detailed project plans, short timelines, and narrow reporting frameworks. But we believe that the people closest to the work are best placed to make decisions about how funding is used. They know their communities, their challenges, and their opportunities, and they deserve the flexibility to respond, adapt, and lead.
For us, trust-based philanthropy means backing organisations, not just projects. It’s about building strong relationships, listening more than we speak, and removing unnecessary barriers. We want to shift the power dynamic and stand alongside organisations as genuine partners.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Untied funding: Our Major Funding grants are not locked into specific line items or activities. Instead, we offer flexible funding that allows organisations to invest where they know it’s needed most, whether that’s strengthening their team, scaling what works, or trying something bold and new.
Multi-year commitments: Change takes time. That’s why we support organisations over multiple years. This stability allows them to plan, build resilience, and focus on impact, not just survival.
Fewer hoops: We aim to make our application and reporting processes as simple and meaningful as possible. We want our grantees to spend more time doing the work, and less time proving their worth.
A Partnership Built on Respect
We see ourselves not as gatekeepers, but as enablers. We value curiosity, honesty, and humility. We know we don’t have the answers, and we’re okay with that. What we do have is a deep belief in the organisations we fund and a commitment to walking alongside them.
Our vision is to help create a more equitable, inclusive, and thriving community sector and we know this can only happen if we’re willing to let go of control and invest in people, not just plans.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to evolve our approach, we’ll keep learning from our partners and the broader sector. Trust-based philanthropy is not just a funding model, it’s a mindset. One that calls on us to lead with empathy, act with integrity, and fund with courage.
Because when we trust people to lead, extraordinary things can happen.