Funding the Future: How Philanthropy Can Drive Innovation and Social Change with Marvin Smith

As the family well-being movement continues to push toward prevention, experimentation, and community-led solutions, what does it look like for philanthropy to support that shift? How can philanthropy be a leader in driving innovation and social change?

In this episode of Community In-Site, host Valerie Frost speaks with Marvin Smith, founder and CEO of Funding Bravely. He is also the host of the Funding Bravely podcast. Marvin’s work focuses on how philanthropy can move beyond maintaining existing systems and instead support experimentation, proximity to communities, and community-led innovation. He discusses the balance foundations often navigate between sustainability, urgency, and how funding decisions influence which ideas move forward.

This conversation doesn’t offer a simple prescription for philanthropy. Instead, it invites listeners to think more deeply about how power, risk, and accountability shape funding decisions and what it might take for philanthropy to support lasting change.