PI TOOL 6 – Community-Rooted Diligence – Shift Health Accelerator

community-rooted Diligence

Toolkit: PI3-TAR

Participatory Investing toolkit

Community-Rooted Diligence

A community-rooted alternative investment diligence tool is a structured framework used to assess, compare, and make decisions about where capital is placed, replacing traditional ROI-driven screens with criteria defined by community priorities. It guides investors and decision-makers through a systematic review of purpose, governance, financial sustainability, risk, and impact by examining who holds power, how decisions are made, whose needs are met, and whether capital use strengthens long-term community capacity. Rather than optimizing for maximum financial return, the tool functions as a practical decision aid that helps allocate capital responsibly, transparently, and in alignment with community well-being

section One

Using the Diligence Tool

This tool provides an alternative framework for institutional diligence of investment opportunities. For each domain, evaluate the questions using a 1-5 scale:

1

Poor /
  Not Present

Community treated as
passive subjects

Institution controls funding & decisions to meet institutional goals; community has no real say

3

Somewhat
 Present

Tokenistic involvement

Community input is sought but not influential over funding decisions

5

Strong / Fully Present

Emerging collaborative practices

Some shared decision-making, but institutional control over resources remains dominant

section two

assessments

1. Community Alignment & Accountability

Who from the community was involved in shaping this project?

How are community priorities reflected in the design?

What mechanisms exist for the community to make decisions or course-correct?

2. Impact Returns

What benefits (economic, health, social, environmental) will the community experience?

How will community be involved in defining those benefits and related measures of success?

Does the business model and sustainability plan take into account both financial and social impact?

3. Repair, Redistribution & Justice

Does the project address or acknowledge past harm or extraction?

How are resources or power being redistributed to historically marginalized groups?

Is there shared ownership or long-term control in community hands?

4. Trust & Relational Risk

What is the quality of the relationship between the institution/investor and the community?

How long has the relationship existed, and what strengthens or threatens it?

Are capital terms designed to be supportive, not extractive?

5. Power Sharing & Governance

What decisions do community members have formal power over?

How are the most affected communities meaningfully represented?

Are there safeguards to ensure governance is equitable over time?

6. Resilience & Ecosystem Strengthening

How does the project strengthen local capacity, networks, or ecosystems?

Are local vendors, workers, or resources being prioritized?

Is long-term resilience prioritized over short-term scale?

Name

Phone No

Company

18-40 This investment opportunity has minimal consideration of community impacts and equitable outcomes.
41-70 This investment opportunity has incorporated some attention to community feedback, but shows additional places for intentionality.
71-90 This investment opportunity demonstrates significant commitment to centering community perspectives and is a strong potential example of participatory investment.
To learn how you can improve this score, visit our other tools in this PI toolkit and/or reach out to us

section three

interpreting your score

[add in your scores for each assessment… change this text]

34-68

Extractive relationship requiring fundamental transformation

69-102

Early developmental stage with significant room for improvement

103-136

Emerging partnership with positive elements but key gaps

137-170

Excelling {change this text}

Provide Your Details to Access Your Full 8-Step Assessment Summary

1. WILLINGNESS

We have a formal infrastructure to enable community leadership in decision-making around our funding and investments.

A defined percentage of our health equity budget, grants, endowment, and/or investment assets are under community governance with commitments to increase the percentage over time.

We take institutional risks to resource community-identified priorities, even when they challenge the status quo.

Our commitment extends beyond funding cycles and one-time project investments, ensuring sustained support and relationship-building.

Total

2. DISCOVERY

We design early interactions with community related to institutional assets/funding to maximize mutual learning, not extract input.

We provide clear, low-risk opportunities to safely test boundaries and expectations regarding institutional funding

We prioritize listening over presenting in initial engagements to help shape our funding approaches

We provide clear mechanisms for pausing or resetting interactions with community partners

We proactively share detailed information about our financial structures, investment strategies, and decision-making processes early in community relationships.

Total

3. FAMILIARITY

We aim to foster long-term, consistent funding relationships rather than changing priorities with each funding cycle.

We reduce administrative burden on community partners through simplified, consistent application and reporting processes.

Our funding processes are responsive, predictable and transparent, reducing uncertainty for community partners.

We preserve institutional memory of past community funding decisions and priorities to ensure continuity.

Total

4. HONESTY

We acknowledge when we fall short of commitments to community and seek to repair harm.

Our funding priorities and actions consistently align with our public statements on equity and partnership.

We have systems in place for community verification of our claims, including our community investment and funding practices.

We provide clear pathways for community accountability when we fail to uphold commitments.

We openly share information about our investment portfolio, including where endowment assets are invested and how these align with community values.

Total

5. COOPERATION

Community members hold decision-making power in health equity funding and investment governance structures.

We provide multiple forms of capital (grants, investments, loans, guarantees) based on community-determined needs.

Community partners are equal participants in problem-solving, priority-setting, and strategy development.

Institutional resources are treated as shared assets, not just institutional property.

We provide resources for communities to build their capacity for financial governance and investment decision-making.

Total

6. RELIABILITY

Our commitments to community governance are embedded in policy, not just individual goodwill.

We ensure continuity of trust-based commitments even when staff or leadership change or during times of financial constraints

We have established multi-year participatory funding mechanisms that provide stable, flexible resources to community partners.

We communicate proactively about potential changes in funding or commitments.

Total

7. BOUNDARIES

We collaboratively develop funding guidelines and decision-making to determine how institutional investments and assets align with community priorities and values

We have established processes for acknowledging past harms and taking corrective action.

We have established transparent criteria for who controls funding within our institution and regularly assess whether these governance structures reflect community priorities.

We regularly evaluate and adjust boundaries as relationships evolve.

Total

8. FEEDBACK LOOPS

We provide multiple, accessible channels for community feedback related to our funding and investment practices and commitments

Our response to feedback is transparent, with clear timelines and accountabilities.

We support community-led evaluation of how our financial resources have impacted community priorities and health equity.

We have established mechanisms where community feedback directly influences institutional priorities for funding allocation with trackable outcomes.

There are meaningful consequences when community feedback is not adequately addressed.

Total

1. WILLINGNESS

We have a formal infrastructure to enable community leadership in decision-making around our funding and investments.

A defined percentage of our health equity budget, grants, endowment, and/or investment assets are under community governance with commitments to increase the percentage over time.

We take institutional risks to resource community-identified priorities, even when they challenge the status quo.

Our commitment extends beyond funding cycles and one-time project investments, ensuring sustained support and relationship-building.

2. DISCOVERY

We design early interactions with community related to institutional assets/funding to maximize mutual learning, not extract input.

We provide clear, low-risk opportunities to safely test boundaries and expectations regarding institutional funding

We prioritize listening over presenting in initial engagements to help shape our funding approaches

We provide clear mechanisms for pausing or resetting interactions with community partners

We proactively share detailed information about our financial structures, investment strategies, and decision-making processes early in community relationships.

3. FAMILIARITY

We aim to foster long-term, consistent funding relationships rather than changing priorities with each funding cycle.

We reduce administrative burden on community partners through simplified, consistent application and reporting processes.

Our funding processes are responsive, predictable and transparent, reducing uncertainty for community partners.

We preserve institutional memory of past community funding decisions and priorities to ensure continuity.

4. HONESTY

We acknowledge when we fall short of commitments to community and seek to repair harm.

Our funding priorities and actions consistently align with our public statements on equity and partnership.

We have systems in place for community verification of our claims, including our community investment and funding practices.

We provide clear pathways for community accountability when we fail to uphold commitments.

We openly share information about our investment portfolio, including where endowment assets are invested and how these align with community values.

5. COOPERATION

Community members hold decision-making power in health equity funding and investment governance structures.

We provide multiple forms of capital (grants, investments, loans, guarantees) based on community-determined needs.

Community partners are equal participants in problem-solving, priority-setting, and strategy development.

Institutional resources are treated as shared assets, not just institutional property.

We provide resources for communities to build their capacity for financial governance and investment decision-making.

6. RELIABILITY

Our commitments to community governance are embedded in policy, not just individual goodwill.

We ensure continuity of trust-based commitments even when staff or leadership change or during times of financial constraints

We have established multi-year participatory funding mechanisms that provide stable, flexible resources to community partners.

We communicate proactively about potential changes in funding or commitments.

7. BOUNDARIES

We collaboratively develop funding guidelines and decision-making to determine how institutional investments and assets align with community priorities and values

We have established processes for acknowledging past harms and taking corrective action.

We have established transparent criteria for who controls funding within our institution and regularly assess whether these governance structures reflect community priorities.

We regularly evaluate and adjust boundaries as relationships evolve.

8. FEEDBACK LOOPS

We provide multiple, accessible channels for community feedback related to our funding and investment practices and commitments

Our response to feedback is transparent, with clear timelines and accountabilities.

We support community-led evaluation of how our financial resources have impacted community priorities and health equity.

We have established mechanisms where community feedback directly influences institutional priorities for funding allocation with trackable outcomes.

There are meaningful consequences when community feedback is not adequately addressed.

34-68 Extractive relationship requiring fundamental transformation
69-102 Early developmental stage with significant room for improvement
103-136 Emerging partnership with positive elements but key gaps
137-170 Strong foundation with opportunities to deepen authentic partnership

section four

Interpreting Your Score

18-40

This investment opportunity has minimal consideration of community impacts and equitable outcomes.

41-70

This investment opportunity has incorporated some attention to community feedback, but shows additional places for intentionality.

71-90

This investment opportunity demonstrates significant commitment to centering community perspectives and is a strong potential example of participatory investment.

Community-Rooted Diligence

section One

Using the Diligence Tool

1

Poor /
  Not Present

3

Somewhat
 Present

5

Strong / Fully Present

section two

assessments

section three

interpreting your score

34-68

69-102

103-136

137-170

section four

Interpreting Your Score

18-40

41-70

71-90

To learn how you can improve this score,
visit our other tools in this PI toolkit
and/or reach out to us.

Learn how Shift Health Accelerator Can Help

Community-Rooted Diligence

section One

Using the Diligence Tool

1

Poor / Not Present

3

Somewhat Present

5

Strong / Fully Present

section two

assessments

section three

interpreting your score

34-68

69-102

103-136

137-170

section four

Interpreting Your Score

18-40

41-70

71-90

To learn how you can improve this score, visit our other tools in this PI toolkit and/or reach out to us.

Learn how Shift Health Accelerator Can Help

Poor /
  Not Present

Somewhat
 Present

To learn how you can improve this score,
visit our other tools in this PI toolkit
and/or reach out to us.