Mainstreaming Scaling in Funders Organizations: Findings, Lessons and Recommendations

Written by: Natalia Borrero - Learning and Adaptation Manager

The Scaling Community of Practice panel on Transformational Scaling in Practice offered a very valuable opportunity to reflect on the challenges inherent in scaling and the roles that different actors play in facilitating it.

Our discussion covered a wide range of topics, including innovation, the essential role of intermediaries, the importance of clearly defining the system we want to influence, MEAL practices that support learning and adaptation, how scalability outcomes and system-level transformations differ but also reinforce each other, leadership support, patience and long-term vision and commitment, changes in behavior and practice, and the ways we share and manage risk within stakeholder groups in complex environments.

As is often the case, there wasn't enough time to address all the relevant points. One theme that deserves emphasis is the central role of partnerships in achieving transformative scale. In addressing social challenges, capital takes many forms, and relational capital, expressed through strong collaborative networks, can be just as important as institutional change. Ultimately, capabilities are distributed among a wide range of actors within the system.

Another key reflection concerns how we understand sustainability. Too often, we associate it with preserving a specific outcome over time. However, in a rapidly changing world, the sustainability we aspire to is based on resilience. That's why, at Fundación Corona , we are committed to promoting shared and co-responsible leadership, not by imposing solutions or offering predetermined answers, but by understanding the real needs, listening to the challenges faced by stakeholders and young people, and moving forward collaboratively.

Ultimately, the work seeks to identify what unites us around a shared purpose: expanding opportunities for young people through collaboration, collective action, and a more adaptive and resilient approach to scalability.

Thanks to Larry Cooley and Johannes Linn for inviting and guiding Daniel Uribe and me in the development of the case study; and to all the other panelists for sharing your opinions and ideas: Karlee Silver , Jeff Bradach , Homi Kharas , Benjamin Kumpf , Richard Kohl (he, him, his) .