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The Map of Possibility: Philanthropy

#inspirationiscontagious

For Funders Looking to Go to New Places

© 2025. The Map of Possibility is created by Ignited Word LLC and is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

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The Map of Possibility Expands the Horizon

The Map of Possibility: Philanthropy is a crowdsourced imagination and storytelling initiative being conducted by Ignited Word LLC, along with interested partners and sponsors. By aggregating examples of where change is already happening—and what future philanthropy could look like—its primary purpose will be to inspire a shift in U.S. philanthropy towards a daring and smartly-deployed largesse and a justice-centric partnership with civil society. 

 

An issue that we encounter frequently in our work is that while imagination is understood to be vital for seeding innovation and society-changing narratives, there is little hands-on support available for rigorous learning-and-imagination work. As such, the map will be brought to life through a series of facilitated dialogues for funders, philanthropy networks, philanthropy effectiveness organizations, and kindred organizations. It can be thought of as a sort of traveling interactive exhibit, though it also lives right here.  

The Journey Starts Here

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Make the Journey. Contact info@ignitedword.com for a facilitated journey through the map. This virtual conversation will allow up to 20 participants from one or more philanthropic organizations to reflect together on where on the map their own practices lie (what has been their journey and what have they done, learned), and to add their examples to the map. #inspirationiscontagious.

 

Chart Your Future. The journey will also involve a future stories exercise where the participants imagine and articulate their future philanthropy. These future stories too, can be added to the map as a shared record and to inspire others. #inspirationiscontagious.


Share Your Leadership. Through a share-out session, storytelling deck, and/or social media package, Ignited Word will help you share your organization’s journey as a testament to your leadership in this current moment. #inspirationiscontagious.

Pious Intentions and Dark Money in 2040

The Reviewer of Pious Money, Ignited Word's debut flash fiction series, was inspired by the Farside Isles on the Map of Possibility: Philanthropy. The story sets up a sprawling and well-funded financing network that has evolved from today's community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to contribute meaningfully to community-anchored economic growth, disaster mitigation, and social stability. However, as protagonist Nia soon finds, old patterns of power and bureaucracy are slow to erode and new dangers glint over the horizon.

Are We Inspired Yet? Yes, But, Our Research Suggests

In a sector frequently caught between rigid legacy grantmaking and frontline realities demanding more responsive and agile models, we set out to create the Map of Possibility: Philanthropy with the belief that there is also plenty of positive disruption in philanthropy and that more could transpire through the mechanisms of #inspirationiscontagious and rigorous imagination, alongside lessons from what's gone wrong.

With that in mind, "Are We Inspired Yet?" is our preliminary attempt at analyzing the data points that have been plotted so far, identifying trends that are emerging across the different regions on the map. Read the report below:

Your Stories On Our Socials—Or Yours

The Ignited Word team regularly features stories from the Map of Possibility: Philanthropy on our social media to spark discussion on the social sector's biggest stories and trends. Contact us to learn how you can do the same on your platforms. 

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“...the map to a new world is in the imagination.”

— Robin D.G. Kelley, Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination 

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(Almost) Free Trial Journeys

We designed the Map of Possibility: Philanthropy as a tool to aid creative problem-solving and storytelling in philanthropy and the social sector. Take it from us—it's tres inspiring to go through the map and imagine all the potential futures of social and development work! Select your Map of Possibility: Philanthropy (almost) free trial journey from this list. 

Nominate an Organization or Individual

If you know someone who is inspiring boldness and creativity in the land of philanthropy, nominate them by using this intake form:

*Trouble viewing on mobile? Try using gestures such as pinching and swiping to zoom and navigate the form.

Have questions? Send us a message!

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