Power, Risk, and Civic Infrastructure: Building the Foundations for Change

​Across the social and climate ecosystem, there is a growing recognition that the biggest constraints are not ideas or capital, but how power, risk, and resources are structured. Too often, responsibility is pushed onto the organizations and movements closest to communities, while funding systems, intermediaries, and civic infrastructure remain underdeveloped or underfunded.

This discussion brings together multiple strands of this challenge. What would it take to build the infrastructure that enables action, from stronger civil society systems and locally governed institutions to new philanthropic vehicles, pooled funds, and solidarity-based models of resourcing?

We will explore how social entrepreneurs, intermediaries, and community-led initiatives are not just delivering programs, but building the systems that make participation, accountability, and long-term change possible. The session will also examine the importance of integrated approaches, moving beyond siloed interventions toward models that reflect how communities actually experience issues like climate, livelihoods, and wellbeing.

Finally, the conversation will look ahead to emerging questions around data, AI, and civic participation, and how these tools can either reinforce existing power imbalances or help create more inclusive, locally rooted systems.

This is a space to connect ideas, practices, and people working to reshape the underlying conditions for change, and to explore how we move from fragmented efforts to durable, community-centered infrastructure.

Speakers

• ​Chilande Kuloba is Founder & CEO of Warande Advisory, championing locally led solutions and equitable partnerships.

• ​Gunjan Veda is Global Secretary of Movement for Community-Led Development, advancing community-led systems change.

• ​Jac sm Kee is Co-Founder of Numun Fund, working at the intersection of feminist tech and movement infrastructure.

• ​Sydelle Willow Smith is Co-Founder of Sunshine Cinema, building solar-powered, youth-led storytelling networks.

• ​Anshul Tewari is Founder of Youth Ki Awaaz, enabling young people to engage in public issues through storytelling and participation.

• ​Jon Maiden is Partnerships Director at HOST - ally for action, building global partnerships that enable climate and social action at scale.

​Discussion Questions
How are power, risk, and resources currently distributed, and how does this shape what is possible?
What kinds of infrastructure, from funding vehicles to civic systems, are most needed to enable sustained action?
How can community-led and locally governed models be better supported and scaled in practice?
What role can data, AI, and new technologies play in strengthening participation and accountability?