In this episode, Joy explores the surprising parallels between funding social movements and financing market formation companies. Joy Anderson, along with guests Katharina Samara-Wickrama and Medina Haeri, dives into what movement funding really requires: patient, long‑term investment; flexible core support instead of short‑term project grants; and a commitment to relationship‑building and collective strategy. They highlight how change often emerges after decades of groundwork and emphasize that breaking out of siloed thinking is essential because justice issues are deeply interconnected.

Joy then connects these insights to the logic of market formation, where organizations must build demand for something that doesn’t yet exist—requiring long time horizons, experimentation, narrative shaping, and capital that tolerates uncertainty. The episode frames this moment as a turning point, with feminist movements beginning to engage more intentionally with innovative finance. Through the Helia Collaborative–Criterion partnership, activists and finance practitioners are learning to speak each other’s language and co-create more resilient, systems‑level approaches to financing long-term change.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Funding Movements and Market Formation

10:05 The Role of Patience in Funding Movements

19:54 Building Relationships Across Sectors

30:09 Innovative Finance and Movement Collaboration

Relevant Links

• Criterion Institute website and LinkedIn
• Joy’s LinkedIn
• Medina’s LinkedIn
• Katharina’s LinkedIn

Part of the ImpactAlpha Podcast Network

In this episode, Joy reflects on the past year and the importance of storytelling in shaping our future. She discusses the common practice of making New Year's resolutions and how they often fall short, advocating instead for a broader perspective that encompasses multiple narratives. Joy introduces the concept of viewing our experiences through a kaleidoscope, allowing for a richer understanding of the past and its impact on our future. She emphasizes the need for resilience and energy as we move into the new year, encouraging listeners to consider the stories they tell about their experiences and how these narratives can inform their goals and aspirations.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Reflecting on the Past Year

09:04 The Kaleidoscope of Stories

18:03 Energy and Resilience for the Future

Relevant Links

1. Criterion Institute website and LinkedIn
2. Joy’s LinkedIn

Part of the ImpactAlpha Podcast Network

https://impactalpha.com/podcasts

In this episode of the Criterion Institute podcast, Joy Anderson begins with a provocation about clarity, questioning how calls for “being clear” often place responsibility on the speaker, rather than asking listeners to stay with complexity and do the work of understanding. The episode then shifts into a conversation with systems change leader Rachel Sinha, where the two explore communication as a relational and systemic practice. Together, they reflect on the role of relationships in systems change, the responsibilities of leadership in complex contexts, and the importance of imagination in making alternative futures possible. Throughout, the conversation emphasizes that transformation depends not on simplifying what is hard, but on cultivating connection, attention, and shared sense-making.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Questioning clarity and staying with complexity

02:56 A conversation with Rachel Sinha: communication as a relational practice

06:06 Leadership in systems change

08:59 Imagination as a catalyst for alternative futures

11:47 Creating space for meaningful conversation

Relevant Links

• Criterion Institute website and LinkedIn
• Joy’s LinkedIn
• Rachel Sinha’s LinkedIn
• Leaders Shaping Systems Market Systems
• https://www.criterioninstitute.org/resources/leaders-shaping-markets
• Reflection: Leaders Shaping Market Systems – London Dialogues