Funding
This Funding Model Turns 3-Year Movements into 10-Year Market Winners
Joy Anderson's Criterion Institute podcast reveals how successful social movement funding requires the same patient, flexible core support that builds new markets rather than quick project wins.
January 18, 2026
3 Min Read
Capital built for the long haul.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Summary
Joy Anderson's latest Criterion Institute podcast explores surprising parallels between funding social movements and financing market formation companies, highlighting that both require patient, long-term investment and flexible core support instead of short-term project grants.
Audience Actions
Impact investors: Assess whether your portfolio approach mirrors short-term project funding or provides the flexible core support that enables long-term movement building
Impact founders: Evaluate if your funding strategy aligns with relationship-building and collective strategy rather than isolated project outcomes
The Big Picture
This conversation signals a maturation in impact capital thinking, moving from transactional project funding toward patient capital that builds infrastructure for systemic change. The parallels between movement funding and market formation suggest the impact economy is recognizing that both social change and new markets require similar capital patience and relationship-centered approaches.
Why it Matters
Anderson's discussion with Katharina Samara-Wickrama and Medina Haeri reveals that movement funding requires patient, long-term investment and flexible core support instead of short-term project grants, along with commitment to relationship-building and collective strategy. This mirrors successful market formation investing, suggesting impact investors may need to fundamentally rethink funding timelines and success metrics.
Between the Lines
The podcast positioning suggests institutional recognition that movement funding and market formation share structural similarities that traditional grant-making and venture models fail to address. Anderson's focus on relationship-building and collective strategy implies that successful impact capital must function more like patient infrastructure investment than project-based returns.
What's Next
Expect more impact investors to adopt longer investment horizons and flexible support structures that mirror movement funding approaches
Look for increased collaboration between social movement funders and market formation investors as they recognize shared strategic frameworks