About

Context

We are in the midst of a meta-crisis. Ecological collapse, climate change, species extinction, increasing pandemics, spiking inequality, inhumane poverty, racialized hierarchies and spiritual ennui are the outcomes of systems of domination, exploitation and separation. This has culminated into our current operating system: neoliberal capitalism.

For every dollar of new economic growth, about 93 cents ends up in the hands of the top 1%. And only about 5 cents up in the hands of the world’s majority - 60% of humanity. Therefore, by definition, wealth creation actively creates inequality and poverty. Every dollar of wealth created also heats up our planet as we have an extractives-based, fossil fuel economy. Therefore, by definition, capitalism also creates climate change. Also, because capitalism started in Europe, descendents of Europeans had at least a two century head start on acquiring capital, largely through what historian and geographer David Harvey calls “accumulation by dispossession” - imperialism, slavery, genocide, land theft, etc. Therefore, white supremacy is embedded within the capitalist system. Within the context of the existing operating system, no amount of reform, whether it be green investment or otherwise, can change the structure and trajectory of this self-terminating, exponential function.

Rethinking Philanthropy

In recent years, two key levers for societal change and response to the meta-crisis have grown in size and visibility – civil society and the philanthropic sector. Most NGOs cannot, by design, affect deep systems change beyond ushering in incremental reforms as they are dependent upon and largely part of the neoliberal machinery through their sources of funding, job dependence, and often their ideology.

While the ever growing philanthropic sector has huge independence, considerable influence, and the possibility to fund new ecosystems of change, it too is not yet providing a timely, commensurate response to the meta-crisis.

Much of philanthropy is still deeply woven in the fabric of the old paradigm of growth-based capitalism. Rather than fundamentally changing the rules of the operating system, too often the aim is more “inclusion” into an unsustainable, exponential growth system. Many foundations are mired in beliefs, behaviors, and an institutional culture that hinders them and their partners to truly catalyze systemic change.

For example, philanthropy often promulgates (and fixates on) overly linear, two-dimensional metrics that belie the complex, non-linear reality of change. Too often the individuals and the organizations they work within cannot adequately deal with visible and invisible power structures and inherent biases, further exacerbating and perpetuating the inequities and crises the sector seeks to influence. In short, philanthropy and NGOs are caught in and reinforce a profound contradiction. They continue to hold promise and the potential to create new systems, yet they cannot do so while they benefit and perpetuate existing structures.

Vision / Prayer

Rather than a traditional mission or vision statement, we hold a shared prayer to enhance and assist the transition to life-centric economic models for the liberation of all beings by shifting the philanthropic sector in the ways it behaves/sees/relates to the world and its role within it.

Our longer-term vision is to create deep connective, relational tissue to support a decentralized network of funder activists who are initiated into other ways of knowing and being, embody the values of emerging cultures, and work in allyship to actively dismantle the neoliberal system and build post capitalist infrastructure.

We invite those who are inspired by the shared inquiry of what adjacent futures are possible, and what they demand of us now, both internally and externally.

History

The TRC was first conceptualized through The Rules (TR), a global network of activists, writers, researchers and others focused on addressing the root causes of inequality, poverty and climate change. TR was a time-bound project that existed for eight years, from 2012 to 2019. TR pioneered applied narrative intervention work by bringing together various disciplines including cognitive linguistics, memetics, evolutionary biology, ecological economics, neuroscience, animism, traditional Indigenous knowledge systems and post-anthropocentric / colonialist / patriarchal / hierarchical / capitalist approaches to systems change. In addition to bringing such perspectives to activists, The Rules was asked to work with funder activists to engage in similar inquiries and activities to begin transitioning away from exploitative systems often inherent in philanthropy.

The first TRC gathering was held in November 2017 at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Sebastopol, California. The second gathering took place in November 2019 at Tierra Valiente in the northwest jungle of Costa Rica. Those who attended wanted to continue beyond gatherings to deepen relations, evolve the inquiry, and see what lines of action and mutual support could emerge. Thus, the TRC was formed as a “temporary organizational zone” in 2020. Since then, it is a fiscally sponsored project of the New World Foundation in New York.

Alnoor Ladha is an activist, journalist, political strategist and community organiser. From 2012 to 2019 he was the co-founder and executive director of the global activist collective The Rules. He is currently the Council Chair for Culture Hack Labs. He holds an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics.

Ashima Bhardwaj is the Operations Director for Transition Resource Circle. She is the former Director of Operations at The Rules Foundation, and Associate Director of International Programs at UNESCO Center for Peace. Ashima holds an MBA in Human Resource Management from Uttarakhand Technical University, India, as well as a Masters in English Literature from H.N.B Garhwal University, India.

Adam Oosthuizen is the Transition Resource Circle's Research Fellow. He assists with information gathering, copy editing and digital communication. He works in narrative analysis and immersive media and holds a B.A in Philosophy and Film & Media Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Chief Curator of The Emergence Network and host of the online  postactivist course, ‘We Will dance with Mountains’.

Colin Greer is President of the New World Foundation. He was formerly a professor at C.U.N.Y. His plays have been performed off Broadway and in regional productions. His poetry collection If But My Gaze Could Heal will be published by Lantern Books, Summer 2022.

Peter Lipman is the former (founding) chair of Transition Network and Common Cause Foundation and also chaired the UK government’s Department for Energy and Climate Change’s Community Energy Contact Group. He’s been a teacher, a co-operative worker, an intellectual property lawyer and worked at UK charity Sustrans, latterly as external affairs director, before setting up Anthropocene Actions, a community interest company which promotes experiments in enabling fair, loving and ecologically regenerative societies.

Preeta Bansal is a community volunteer, independent corporate director, investor, nonprofit leader, philanthropist, and lecturer at MIT. A constitutional lawyer by background, Preeta served for more than 25 years in some of the most senior posts in the governmental and corporate sectors. After a long career scaling the heights of institutional power, she has spent the last decade more deeply plumbing depths of being and consciousness. A dedicated meditator and practitioner of yoga and qigong, she has been a full-time volunteer anchor for the past decade for ServiceSpace. Preeta also returned to her own roots of grass and soil in the American heartland, experimenting with new community-based approaches powered by inside-out transformation. She is Chair of Civic Nebraska, one of the largest democracy-building organization in the heartland; global chair of the United Religions Initiative, the largest grassroots interfaith peacebuilding organization; and is on numerous local and global nonprofit, foundation, and university boards.

Accompaniment Circle

Andrea Panaritis is the Executive Director of the Christopher Reynolds Foundation which is currently focused on work relating to climate justice and ecosystem health and integrity in the face of unraveling global systems. This includes local and bioregional climate justice and ecosystem resilience efforts - especially as they look to systems change in fellowship with the natural world. 

Gustavo Esteva was a Mexican activist, "deprofessionalized intellectual" and founder of the Universidad de la Tierra in Oaxaca, Mexico. He was one of the best known advocates of post-development theory and was an ally and advisor to the EZLN, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional).

Kumi Naidoo is a South African human rights and climate justice activist. He is both the former executive director of Greenpeace International and the Secretary General of Amnesty International. He now serves as a Global Ambassador to Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity and is a Visiting Fellow at University of Oxford and an Honorary Fellow at Magdalen College. He is also the Senior Advisor for the Community Arts Network (CAN) and Special Advisor to the Green Economy Coalition.

Gathoni Blessol is a Kenyan born, South African based activist and systems change strategist. She works as a movement building specialist and supports organisations to address overlapping systems of violence and extraction. She currently conceptualising a global project (Alchemy Projecy) for Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Her work is grounded in intersectional feminist perspectives and applying interdisciplinary methods, like the use of political education, art and technology to advocate for change through people power. She has recently been exploring how her journeys into healing and spiritual justice can be brought more directly into her political work. 

Orland Bishop is the founder and director of ShadeTree Multicultural Foundation in Los Angeles, where he has pioneered approaches to urban truces and mentoring at-risk youth that combine new ideas with traditional ways of knowledge. ShadeTree serves as an intentional community of mentors, elders, teachers, artists, healers, and advocates for the healthy development of children and youth. Orland’s work is framed by an extensive study of medicine, naturopathy, psychology, and Indigenous cosmologies, primarily those of South and West Africa.

Emira Woods is a consultant, strategist, researcher, and advocate specializing in social impact and innovation. Emira is a Senior Adviser at Shine. The Shine Campaign is a growing community of foundations, faith-based groups and NGOs dedicated to catalyzing investment in access to safe, clean, reliable and affordable energy for all. She is a Trustee of the Wallace Global Fund, board member of Action Aid International, and Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. In addition, Emira is a founding board member of Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity- a network of African social movements. She also serves as a Mentor at the Fighters’ Table supporting Feminist leadership in Black and Brown communities.

Emira serves on the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, Africa Council and the Advisory Board of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars. Ms. Woods completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science at Columbia University and her graduate studies in Political Economy and Government at Harvard.

Tiokasin Ghosthorse, arriving as Ikcé Wicasa Akantu (common Earth being from the ancient future now), and consciously applying mystery to everything, where the center is everywhere. Belonging to Hé Sapa (the Black Hills) and from the geographical center of Turtle Island momentarily called North America. A lifetime cultural etymologist from Mnicoujou/Itazípchola Lakota observing how human beings devolve into human doings.