about
The Systems Forum
Help Build the Field
The Forum is a common ground, multi-sector association focused on collaboratively changing our approaches to social change, advancing equitable systems initiatives, and building the field of equitable systems transformation.
The main focus is to (a) support systems initiatives through action platforms that provide funding and capacity support, and (b) create the enabling conditions for systems change efforts to flourish.
"Making systems work – whether in health care, education, climate change, making a pathway out of poverty – is the greatest task of our generation as a whole.”
Membership
The Forum is inclusive, co-created, and co-stewarded by multi-sector participants. Membership includes philanthropy, nonprofit, government, business, academic, and specific industries (e.g., education), with an emphasis on involving on-the-ground, community leaders, and forging collaboration.
Governance
The Forum embraces a distributed leadership model where participants are empowered to steward, coordinate, and drive initiatives through teams and workgroups based on a framework of shared purpose and goals.
Creating A New Space
The Forum fills a critical gap in the sector in several unique ways. Currently there is no common ground where systems practitioners and leaders can come together in one place to share, learn, advance systems practices that center racial equity, advocate for resources and build a conducive environment for systems initiatives. The Forum gives practitioners a space to collaboratively build the discipline, grapple with complex systems and inherent power structures, and develop fundamentally different ways of working together – technical and human centered – to create an equitable future.
Opportunity
A Common Ground Forum
Creates
Aligns
Enables
Connects
enabling
Engagement
Philanthropy and the social sector have struggled to bring about deep structural and mindset change that drive impact at a population level. The Forum provides a platform and shared resource that enables philanthropy and nonprofits to make collective progress on systemic goals in specific issues, learn from peers, find resources and partners, and develop new ideas together.
via
advocacy and communications
Via advocacy, communications, co-funding, and sharing lessons learned, there is an opportunity to change how we go about creating social change, i.e., broad adoption of systemic approaches and supporting multi-sector networks that center equity and the voices of those with lived experience.
the
Forum
The Forum helps maximize collective knowledge and enable a more coherent set of field building activities to emerge. It will amplify existing field work while also providing platforms for new innovations and relationships.
Activities
The Forum’s aim is to advance work in the field of systems change by providing a “big tent” for diverse stakeholders to accelerate systems change and capture synergies across complementary efforts
Action Platforms
Action Platforms provide funding and other resources to support systems change efforts in various issues and locations.
Practice Groups
To support practice improvement, the Forum will help members form Practice Groups comprised of thought leaders, practitioners, funders and community leaders.
Advocacy and Communications
Through advocacy, it is possible to shift mindsets and policies across sectors and society toward equity and systems approaches.
Knowledge Sharing and Learning
Building and sharing knowledge will help systems initiatives be more effective and inform funders’ support of equitable systems change.