Potencia: The power of beyond-the-grant support

By Lucía Abelenda and Tarick Gracida (Imaginarius¹) and Fernanda Zistecatl

At the start of 2024, we couldn’t have imagined the wave of transformative stories that Potencia, Luminate’s bilingual Partner Support programme in Latin America, would bring. 

Beyond the numbers, Potencia 2024 found that directly engaging with different areas of each organisation and fostering collaboration among them not only strengthens their sustainability, but also amplifies the impact of their work. Joint efforts with other philanthropic foundations have also built bridges that connect partner organisations to new collaborative networks and shared goals.

3 small adjustments for big results 

• We encouraged peer-to-peer exchanges, extending beyond individuals in management positions, to develop new strategies in areas such as resource mobilisation and communication.
• We prioritised building networks that connected organisations working in similar fields, which fostered collaborative problem-solving for both global challenges and everyday operational issues.
• We explored new processes through pilot projects by actively listening to the goals and needs of organisations.

5 areas of support

1. Residencies

This year we began holding residencies, where members of one partner organisation traveled to another country to connect and learn with other teams. These experiences became catalysts for deep connections and collective action, exceeding expectations and inspiring more organisations to collaborate with one another.

Some of the topics addressed:

• Narratives
• Women in politics
• Security

2. Consultancies

Potencia offered flexible consultancies focused on organisational resilience. 

A transformative decision this year was our collaborative approach to selecting consultants. Instead of requiring partners to choose from a predetermined list, we encouraged them to recommend consultants they trusted. This selection process allowed Potencia to function as an extension of each organisation’s team, helping them identify and prioritise opportunities for growth.

Common themes among organisations:

• Communication and narratives
• Financial sustainability
• People and culture
• Monitoring and evaluation

3. Thematic spaces

Potencia offered thematic spaces where partner organisations dove into topics that add value both to the organisations themselves and to the ecosystem as a whole. The initiative to strengthen learning among organisations based on their areas of work generated enthusiasm and encouraged more people from different teams within organisations to join the activities. These spaces made it possible to identify cross-cutting agendas that were relevant to all organisations, including:

• Electoral processes in the digital context
• Space for resilience: women’s leadership
• Communication, narratives, and algorithms
• Democracy and anti-racism in physical and digital spaces

4. New narratives to win hearts and minds in defence of human rights

49 people from five countries enrolled in the communication thematic space, leading to redoubled efforts from Potencia.

Many organisations agreed that in recent years, narratives that threaten human rights have become increasingly powerful and harmful to social causes in Latin America. At Potencia, we are committed to supporting organisations in exploring non-traditional communication strategies to break out of the niche of people already aligned with their agendas. This involves using tactics that incorporate new technologies and developing narrative approaches based on neuroscience.

“It means a lot that Luminate is committed to supporting communication within organisations because it’s something that is sorely lacking.”  – Julieta Pollo, CISCSA

"Having Luminate support this [communication] means everything: growth, professionalisation of the team, and of the organisation’s communication.” – Victoria Kennedy, RIL

“It’s a constant learning process. They come to teach us things seen in other organisations and countries, and that is extremely enriching for us.” – Agustina Rossi, ELA

5. Convening Black women directors in Brazil

Luminate and Instituto Ibirapitanga launched a leadership network with 17 Black women directors from Brazilian civil society organisations. 

The group gathered to discuss the significance of being a Black female director in Brazil, where racism is deeply entrenched. Through these meetings, they shared experiences, discussed workplace challenges and opportunities, and developed strategies to support and mentor other Black women leaders. The network aims to strengthen their collective influence while building sustainable leadership practices.

The political and social landscape of 2025 poses big challenges for civil society. Potencia will assess the progress made in 2024 to optimise its strategies and will continue its collective work with organisations, providing them with the necessary tools to face these challenges.

¹ Imaginarius is the organisation that, in partnership with Luminate, implements the Potencia 2024-2025 program.

During 2024, the design and implementation of the program was accompanied by Gabriela Hadid, Paula Chang, Juliana Câmara, Darren Arquero, Luana Reis (Imaginarius), and Paula Pissaco (Imaginarius).