Our new strategy: A future where everyone has power to shape society

At Luminate, we believe the participation of everyone in civic life is critical. Online and offline spaces that enable participation and dissent need to be protected. We also believe that the information that fuels and informs discussion and debate must be accurate and trustworthy.

Luminate’s 2022-2027 strategy

As I previewed earlier this year, we’ve been focusing our efforts toward our vision of a future where everyone has power to shape society. Our recently published five-year strategy will help us move in this direction, and I’m especially proud that we’re placing a greater emphasis on ensuring that everyone – especially those who are underrepresented – has the information, rights, and power to influence the decisions that affect us all. 

Under this new strategy, which runs from 2022 to 2027, we’re working globally, with a regional focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our Global Programmes team supports transregional work and initiatives that complement, enable, and strengthen our partners’ work in these three regions. Our work to address digital threats to democracy – which is undertaken by Luminate Strategic Initiatives – is primarily focused on Europe and the US.

To advance our mission, we're focused on two themes: Participation & Dissent and Information Ecosystems. We’ve already had the opportunity to provide funding to some incredible organisations working on these issues. For instance, we’ve supported digital media outlets like Cuestión Pública in Colombia, Namati’s efforts to help Kenyans acquire legal identification documents, SAFEnet’s projects to tackle mis- and dis-information in Indonesia, Human Dignity Trust’s fight for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people around the world, and People v. Big Tech's work to bring together civil society and citizens to challenge Big Tech abuse.

How we work: Our Model of Philanthropy

Providing grant funding to organisations like those above is just one method to pursue change as part of how we work. We put impact first, meaning that our teams have the flexibility to work in a range of ways depending on what is most appropriate for the organisation or initiative we are supporting and the places where we are working, as well as the agility to take advantage of opportunities to quickly pursue change.

Beyond funding and supporting the work of existing projects and organisations – including through non-financial Partner Support – Luminate has additional ways of working. We support and collaborate with others on their new ideas and initiatives, for example we worked with and funded legal and data rights experts to set up AWO, a data rights agency. We can also seed new solutions where none currently exist, such as our partnership with BBC Media Action to co-create the International Fund for Public Interest Media to rapidly increase funding for independent media in low and middle-income countries. In addition, we undertake our own projects and initiatives, which our Luminate Strategic Initiatives team often does through its advocacy, campaigns, and strategic litigation to address digital threats to democracy. We also use tools such as narrative change, legal strategies, and policy and advocacy to pursue impact. 

This strategy kick-starts an important new phase for Luminate, and we’re excited about the opportunities for impact it presents. I hope you'll download Luminate’s 2022-2027 Strategy to read further about how we’re putting our mission into action.