Reflecting a Movement’s Principles in Grantmaking Structure - Evidence of the Benefits of Participation from the Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund - Acknowledgements

Aug 31, 2026

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Acknowledgements section recognizing the research team and the extensive advisory leadership behind a participatory grantmaking study by the Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRF/DRAF). The document credits members of the Research Board for guidance, thanks project participants—including grantees, staff, donors, and disability activists—for interviews and feedback, and highlights Diana Samarasan’s foundational role. It also notes support from the Ford Foundation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages36

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgements

Research Team and Leadership Recognition

Contributions From Project Participants

Special Thanks and Foundation Support

Photo Credit and Context

Reflecting a Movement’s Principles in Grantmaking Structure: Evidence of the Benefits of Participation from the Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund November 2021 Cover photo: Collage of DRF/DRAF Steering Committee, Global Advisory Panel, grantees, and staff during in-person meetings between 2008 to 2019. [BLE Solutions logo] [Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund logo] Acknowledgements The research team included Carlisle Levine, PhD, President & CEO, BLE Solutions; and Melanie Kawano-Chiu, Evaluation & Learning Manager, Disability Rights Fund/Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRF/DRAF). The researchers would like to acknowledge the significant contributions of the members of the project’s Research Board, who provided leadership and guidance on this project: Lisa Adams, consultant focused on disability and gender justice and former DRF/DRAF Program Director; Bhargavi Davar, founding DRF/DRAF Global Advisory Panel member and founder of Transforming Communities for Inclusion (global network of persons with psychosocial disabilities); Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellow (2019) on participatory grantmaking; Diana Samarasan, DRF/DRAF Founding Executive Director; and Alberto Vasquez, Senior Advisor at the Center for Inclusive Policy (CIP), President of SODIS (an organization of persons with disabilities in Peru and former DRF/DRAF grantee), former DRF/DRAF Global Advisory Panel member and Grantmaking Committee member, and DRF/DRAF Board member. The researchers would also like to thank the participants in this project, who contributed their time, insights, and experience through one-on-one interviews and feedback on drafts of this report. The interviewees in this project included grantees, past and present staff members of the DRF/DRAF team, donor representatives, and global advisors who are disability activists. They collectively represent the community of people who helped build and iterate on the approach of the first and only global grantmaker exclusively focused on disability rights. We are grateful for their many years of dedication—sometimes at great cost—to broader efforts to support the rights of persons with disabilities. A particular thanks to the DRF/DRAF Founding Executive Director, Diana Samarasan, for her steady feedback and grounding throughout this project. Diana trailblazed much of the approach outlined in this report as she advocated tirelessly with and for the most marginalized persons with disabilities and their communities. The researchers also appreciate Jen Bokoff, DRF/DRAF Director of Development, who provided insights into the report based on her own contributions to the participatory grantmaking literature. This research was made possible through the support of the Ford Foundation. Photo: DRF/DRAF staff interviewing a representative from Union des Femmes à Mobilité Réduite d’Haïti (Haitian grantee) during a Grantmaking Committee Meeting. Contents TOC \o "1-1" \h \z \u HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857572" Acknowledgements PAGEREF _Toc89857572 \h 2 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857573" Contents PAGEREF _Toc89857573 \h 3 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857574" Key Terms and Definitions PAGEREF _Toc89857574 \h 4 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857575" Acronyms PAGEREF _Toc89857575 \h 6 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857576" Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc89857576 \h 7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857577" Introduction PAGEREF _Toc89857577 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857578" Methodology PAGEREF _Toc89857578 \h 15 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857579" Findings PAGEREF _Toc89857579 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857580" Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc89857580 \h 29 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc89857581" Annex 1: Methodology PAGEREF _Toc89857581 \h 32 Photo: Women with disabilities attending the Association of Women’s Rights in Development Forum in Brazil. Key Terms and Definitions Participatory grantmaking – Ceding decision-making power about funding—including the strategy and

FAQs

Who is recognized as part of the research team?

The research team includes Carlisle Levine (President & CEO, BLE Solutions) and Melanie Kawano-Chiu (Evaluation & Learning Manager, DRF/DRAF).

What contributions are acknowledged from the project’s Research Board?

Members of the Research Board provided leadership and guidance, with named individuals spanning consulting, advisory, fellowship, and executive roles.

How was the research supported and who receives special thanks?

The research was made possible through support from the Ford Foundation, with special thanks to DRF/DRAF Founding Executive Director Diana Samarasan for steady feedback.

Aug 31, 2026

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