Power to Communities: What Gets in the Way? From Service-Based to Community-Led

Abstract

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are increasingly turning to social innovation as a transformative approach to complex social challenges such as inequality, social exclusion, and poverty. However, there is increasing evidence of external constraints that restrict the ability of NPOs to implement transformative approaches within their current processes. Work remains to be done in identifying the specific interventions, challenges, and impacts of turning to social innovation within current structures. This thesis critically examines the tensions of moving from a service-based NPO model to a community-led structure using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) case study grounded in the transformative paradigm. Focusing on a pilot program within a Community Social Innovation Lab (CSIL), the study investigates how a NPO fostered community engagement. This thesis argues that the CSIL's participatory methods were shaped by a complex interplay between grassroots engagement and institutional motives. While the lab created spaces for collaboration among diverse stakeholders, pressures related to funding, legitimacy, and discursive framing influenced how "community" was defined and whose priorities were centered, resulting in both opportunities for inclusion and constraints on deeper transformation. Drawing on critical literature, this study contributes to an evolving conversation on how community-driven initiatives can move from symbolic inclusion to structural transformation through shared visioning, equitable planning, and deep accountability.