It started with what you told us

Over the past months we spoke with members across the network. Three things came up again and again: it is hard to keep track of who is funding what, hard to find the right organisations to apply alongside, and hard to be seen by the funders who would back this work if they only knew where to look.

We also noticed a pattern. A lot of these connections currently run through the PLEN team. That works, but it makes the team the bottleneck for every introduction, and a lot of what the network knows stays locked in one inbox.

What this is

So we are trying the simplest honest version of a fix. Two things, in one place:

• A living list of funding calls, tagged by region and theme and kept current, so you are not hunting across newsletters and websites.
• A directory of the network, so you can see who else works on your topic or in your region, and reach out to them directly.

This is a first version, not a finished platform. We have left out logins, matchmaking and a lot of polish on purpose, so we can learn what actually helps before building more.

Why we think it can work

The most useful knowledge in political leadership is not written down anywhere. It lives in the people doing the work. The network is full of organisations that have already solved the problem you are facing, or applied to the funder you are eyeing. Most of the time you simply cannot find them. This hub is a bet that if we make the network visible to itself, those connections start to happen on their own.

How your profile works

Every member organisation already has a profile here, built from information PLEN holds and what is publicly available. You do not have to do anything to appear. If a profile is yours, you can add to it or correct it, fill in what you do, and decide how you show up, to other members now and to funders later.

Nothing private is shown, and you can ask to be removed at any time. Member trust is the one thing this project will never spend carelessly.