[Imc-finance] [IMC-Process] beyond grants, possibilities - re: ford, indymedia & questions

[Doug Morris]

Hi all,

This note explores some implications for grass roots imc network processes, 
based in some points raised in the ford foundation grant debate.

This note suggests not focusing on grant seeking.
Let's focus on doing what can be done online now, ground up, to work out 
network issues.
Suggestions for this are summarized then discussed below...

Note: This is a shortened version of an earlier post (that I don't think 
made it to lists, so resending).

Summary:

Seeking grants for regional meetings is clearly for imc network planning.

The imc network is not finished in even its first round of self-creation as 
a flexible network of locals yet.

         Let's finish making the imc network - and deciding if and we can 
do that - from the ground up.
         Let's not fund the imc networks creation from the top down.

It is best to do our own thing in imc, from the bottom up...

         To do so is to decide, an option in process is to start creating:
         1. A list of priorities for the global network based on local 
lists.  This is doable. (see below)
         2. A decision process to choose which priorities to act on. (this 
can be hard!)
         3. A way of generating options/plans for action (and again 
deciding on those).
         4. Perhaps:  A revision of our principles of unity and further 
clarifications about the imc network as process of locals and working 
groups in relation.

An option to consider:
         While we think how to do regional gatherings...
         We can do online our priority setting, deciding, and planning... 
over time!

Working online together is a more grass roots way than regional gatherings 
(which are difficult to travel to) of including more people in discussions.

Discussion:

Here is a critique of looking for grants and some thoughts on possibilities 
for going forward with network discussions...

As a preliminary to discussing the above:
The index that toni put up offers an index to some positions on the FF grant:
http://docs.indymedia.org/twiki/bin/view/Global/ImcFinance

To complement this, I drafted a summary and longer index of the Ford 
Foundation grant debates yesterday.
Is anyone interested in looking at that to edit?

So...
I disagree with seeking funds from commercial foundations as a means to 
discussing imc network issues and solving such, whether at a regional level 
or otherwise.

Getting money from commercial foundations will not be good for IMC.  Such a 
course has been generally bad for other grass roots organizations, for 
reasons that others have argued.

Getting money from progressive foundations can be ok on a case by case 
basis, again as others have noted: as long as the continuation of our 
processes do not depend on such money.

It was a mistake that a network organizing issue of this magnitude (funding 
for regional gatherings with network wide implications for planning) was 
not announced widely on imc process lists.  It is not correct to identify 
this as a local funds issue or regional only organizing issue.

The idea for the F.F. proposal might have been shot down if sent to imc 
lists.  Then that would have been good process.  It's OK though. Let's move on.

At any rate, the effort in this debate can create much forward progress.

Rather than only focusing on seeking money and debating how to do that,
We can consider other alternatives about networking globally.

Can we facilitate network processes without a lot of money?
Probably yes.
And, probably by a rotation of effort for those volunteering the facilitating.

Ideally, it is great if we can do all our media work on a volunteer basis 
and our costs by donations.

In this way, responsibility for global network money issues can be rotated 
within the imc network, across various locals and persons, and not rely on 
outside ties through a few skilled folks.

It is good if we can raise our own funds.

Further, we may want to consider a decision as a new PRINCIPLE OF UNITY to 
NOT ACCEPT FUNDS as a network or as locals from corporate foundations.

Not only are there symbolic problems in working with groups like the Ford 
foundation, but also:
* the politics of making grants sets up some imc facilitators as power 
brokers with the outside.
* in grant making reports, the imc as a movement can get described in 
watered down ways that then becomes part of "official," external 
evaluations of the movement that worm their way into the press and history 
books and thoughts in other movements...

The imc network is not finished in its even first round of self-creation yet.
And, there do need to be some network wide processes...
We need a list of these things... and to debate which ones are crucial to 
act on.

So, I take the stance strongly:

Let's make imc network processes from the ground up.
Let's not seek to fund it from the top down.

There is a challenge here:
We have quite a few network wide projects and working groups.
We can figure out some of the relation of working groups and the locals...

It is best to do our own thing in imc I think...
To do what we can without money.
To raise our own money if needed.
To figure out how to dynamically balance our decentralized local work with 
communications amongst us.

What is next?

This is a simple approach:
We need to find out what we want to do together.

To decide about what to do:

We need a list of priorities.
This is easy to create:  Simply request a lists from imc locals about the 
relation of locals, regional stuff, and imc networking. Then, compile the 
lists.

There is one secret to making the listserves work.
It's just:  Invite the effort to make lots of summaries discussions and 
translate and compile the lists for from the locals.

The , we need a decision process through which to set priorities from a 
list of priorities.
This is hard to create!  We need to discuss alternatives for decision making.

If we manage to do these two things, set priorities and a decision process, 
if even only a provisional one for chosing priorities, at network level 
then we can move forward on many things.

This can be done online in listserves, while regional meetings get 
organized....

Working online together is a more grass roots and participatory way to go 
in terms of including more people in discussions... or at least in giving 
them access to that through regular summaries to locals.
Further, an online process probably will not need grass roots funds raising 
to fund discussions.

After (and actually during) creating a decision process, one thing to do is 
to generate options for action.
This is doable in working groups on specific priorities, which can be 
formed once priorities are chosen.

In the process of all this, probably we may need to create a revision or 
updates to our imc principles of unity and make further clarifications 
about network and local relations.

Sorry for length of this...

The purpose behind the regional meetings is very huge:
talking about continuing with the creation the creation of a flexible 
indymedia constitution from ground up.
We need more talk amongst many locals about this. Online is place to do that.

I look forward to discussing this further.

Love,
Doug
imc chicago

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