Ben Wrobel

Washington, D.C., United States

Editor at Proximate

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Articles

The Gates Foundation is Spending Down. Will Others Follow?

1 month ago | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

May 2025May 2025Supported By : In Partnership With:This month, the Gates Foundation made headlines with a big announcement: the foundation will spend down its assets and close its doors by 2045. The news sent ripples across the philanthropy sector – and raised a number of questions. How will this work? What will the mechanics look like? Will this news reshape norms in philanthropy around perpetuity and legacy?
Como o Fundo Casa direciona recursos para as organizações de base no Brasil

Mar 31, 2025 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

April 2025April 2025April 2025Supported By : In Partnership With:No inverno passado, o Fundo Socioambiental Casa realizou uma das suas maiores ações de seus vinte anos de história. Juntamente com a CAIXA, lançou a Teia da Sociobiodiversidade, injetando R$ 53 milhões (US$ 9,6 milhões) em organizações de base voltadas para a economia da Sociobiodiversidade e Soluções baseadas na Natureza.
A New Book Shares Evidence on Participatory Grantmaking

Mar 25, 2025 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

In the basement of the Ford Foundation’s offices, there’s a framed print of an old New Yorker cartoon that I think about a lot. A man in a suit stands at the window of an office, tossing money into the street. Another man rushes in, saying, “Just a minute, young man. That’s not quite the way we do things here at the Ford Foundation.”Ford is such an interesting institution because it has spent decades thinking about the how of philanthropy.
Proximate Reflections: Looking Back at 2024, Looking Forward to 2025

Dec 1, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

[intro]That’s why we’re asking you for your financial support. What We’ve AccomplishedWe launched our first story in late October 2023, and it’s been a whirlwind since then. We’ve covered Ukraine, Palestine and Eastern Europe. We’ve produced videos on XYZ. If you want to see our most popular stories, check them out here.
Navigating Climate Week: A Guide to Events On Locally-Led Development

Sep 8, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

Climate Week NYC is coming. From September 22-29, tens of thousands of people – in business, government, civil society and grassroots activism – will gather in New York City for more than 600 events around the theme of climate action. One topic that won’t be far from everyone’s minds this year: localizing climate solutions. There’s no shortage of aid agencies, foundations and investors that have publicly committed to bridging the lived experience gap.
The Dalan Fund Has A Vision for Philanthropy in the Shadow of Authoritarianism

Jun 13, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

TBILISI, GEORGIA – “We are here tonight because funders have discovered this region – but only one part of it.”Angelika Arutyunova is standing on a table, leaning against a standing speaker, addressing a crowd of 70 people in the grungy Tbilisi nightclub Left Bank.
Baixada Institute’s Model of Localized Philanthropy

May 14, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

Diane Pereira Sousa has a strong perspective on where philanthropy and development in Brazil need to go. We caught up with Diane and spoke about her work and her vision for a more inclusive sector. What was the original inspiration for the Baixada Institute? When I was 13, I worked at an NGO called Instituto Formação that ran programs in Baixada Maranhense, including my city, São Bento.
The Young Donors Driving Participatory Philanthropy

Mar 20, 2024 | proximate.press | Abigail Higgins |Ben Wrobel

Growing up in her great-grandparents sprawling house in a Baltimore suburb and attending private school, Kate Poole always had a sense that her family had money. But it wasn’t until her parents told her not to bother with college financial aid applications that she started to sense how much. It didn’t take long for Poole to figure out that she wanted to give her money away. It took her a bit longer, however, to land on the philosophy of how she should do it.
The Youth Climate Justice Fund Is Building Power for Young Leaders in the Global South

Mar 19, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel

March 2024July 22, 2024“You are stealing our future.”It’s a common refrain from the leaders of the Youth Climate Justice Fund. The new, deeply participatory foundation, launched last year by a collective of young movement leaders from several continents, pulls few punches when talking about the problems facing the climate, or facing the climate justice space.
Beyond Letting Go: Recentering Grassroots Leaders

Mar 13, 2024 | proximate.press | Ben Wrobel |Meg Massey

July 2024March 2024July 22, 2024When we published our book colorLetting Go in 2021, we always wanted it to be the beginning of a conversation. The book's premise was simple: philanthropy and development are missing the mark. Those in power need to "let go" of control – to cede decision-making power to people with lived experience, closer to the problems on the ground.