FEST has taken an innovative approach to generating actions to advance the three components. It has designed its approach with the following goals in mind:

1. Build on what people in the field of FST are already doing;
2. Enhance radical collaboration as a core FEST value;
3. Further develop FEST ownership by field participants; and,
4. Expand engagement in FEST to include new participants.

These design guidelines produced a all to FEST members to propose modest Concept Note actions within $25,000 - $50,000 to develop the three components. The Notes had to include at least two implementing organizations. This call resulted in 9 Concept Notes from 12 organizations (below, viewable by clicking on the name). These have been combined into a FEST community proposal. 

Funders are invited to become FEST participants by becoming a Financial Sponsor of one or more of the Concept Notes with a commitment of $25,000 to $75,000. The Notes are purposely brief, with the aspiration for further development through discussion between their writers and funders.  Funders are also expected to engage in the FEST community and the implement of the note they support, with the goal of shifting from traditional transactional relationships to collaborative ones. The upper limit reflects FEST's goal to bring into the community multiple funders, aiming to provide for them the benefits of:

1. Accessing the leading FST knowledge, tools, and processes;
2. Developing relationships with leading FST players;
3. Developing new capacity for systems transformation funding through a modest step; and
4. Advancing particular actions funders see as important to develop the field.    

The Notes include one for a community convening by TransCap Initiative, Meridian Institute and MIT Sustainability Initiative, at MIT at the end of January 2024. The work from all of the Concept Notes will feed into this event and contribute to one of its outputs being defined three-to-five year pathways for the FST field’s development.

Interested funders should contact FEST Lead Steve Waddell (swaddell@festfield.finance). Steve will initiative discussion with the proposing organizations to answer questions and further develop the proposal in response to collective discussion.  See more on the FEST funding strategy.