Addressing the Issue of Sustainable Funding for the Participatory Sciences
Recent funding sessions on participatory science from key CAPS 2026 sessions addressing funding including a May 26th strategic discussion on funding, a YLACES session on braided funding and May 29th’s have made one thing clear: the field cannot treat sustainability as a grant-seeking problem alone. Whether organizations are navigating fragmented partnerships, adjusting to funding cuts, or trying to keep programs free and equitable, they are hitting the same wall. Genuine partnerships take time, but funders often reward speed. Multiple institutional layers create silos, but projects need coordination. And operational costs, though oftentimes seen as mundane, absolutely matter, despite most grants…