Our Story
A Legacy of Trust-Based Giving and a Bioregional Approach to Flow Funding
Kinship Earth is built on decades of visionary work in trust-based philanthropy. In 1991 Marion Rockefeller Weber pioneered “Flow Funding.” Her vision was to empower trusted local leaders, visionaries, & healing artists to become philanthropists, giving them funds to flow directly to where THEY believed they could make the greatest positive impact. Today, we carry forward her legacy through a bioregional approach to Flow Funding.
Marion envisioned a future where philanthropy is rooted in trust, relationships, and intuition, rather than traditional bureaucratic processes.
Her goal was for everyone to have the opportunity to become a philanthropist, driving change from within their communities and fostering deeper connections between people and the earth.
Bioregionalism
is Blooming
At Kinship Earth, we believe bioregionalism is a catalyst for lasting transformation. By partnering with local leaders—those deeply rooted in their land and communities—we ensure resources flow where they can create the most meaningful impact.
Emerging in the 1970s, bioregionalism sparked a movement grounded in Indigenous wisdom, ecological systems thinking, and the understanding that true sustainability begins with place. It calls on communities to identify with natural boundaries—like watersheds, forests, and biomes—rather than political or economic lines, fostering a sense of belonging that transcends borders.
Today, bioregionalism is more than an ecological philosophy; it’s a pathway to regeneration. It illuminates the profound bond between people and planet, inspiring communities to reclaim their role as stewards—nurturing the land, waters, and relationships that sustain all life.
"My sense was that I needed to get money out there where it can serve life beyond the places where proposals are required.
In mammals, the nutrients go out through the capillaries to each cell in our body and after this exchange the blood returns to the heart. In flow funding, the people who are carrying the money are nurtured as well as the ones who are receiving it.
It’s a wonderful idea to think of philanthropy delivering nutrients to the most remote parts of society. So the flow funding idea is a sort of bio-mimicry; it works like a living organism."
— Marion French Rockefeller Weber (founder of The Flow Fund Circle)
Our History
It all started in Chicago, where Susan Davis Moora was an influential female leader in the male-dominated world of high finance. After noticing how women’s voices were excluded from the industry, she convened a group of female influencers across various fields to support one another through a strategy of generosity. Together, they co-created The Chicago Network, which continues to thrive today.
Our History
Late 1970s
It all started in Chicago, where Susan Davis Moora was an influential female leader in the male-dominated world of high finance. After noticing how women’s voices were excluded from the industry, she convened a group of female influencers across various fields to support one another through a strategy of generosity. Together, they co-created The Chicago Network, which continues to thrive today.
1988
Susan Davis Moora meets Dr. Stephen Gomes at a social venture investment session in Boston. Inspired by Susan’s work, Stephen leaves corporate life to focus on sustainability and regenerative economics.
Marion Rockefeller Weber pioneered Flow Funding
by entrusting $20,000 annually to each of 8
visionaries for 3 consecutive years, trusting them to deploy the resources to create positive changes in their communities.
1991
2009
Kinship Earth co-founder Susan Davis Moora receives a Flow Funding grant from Marion, which Susan used to clean up a toxic waste site in Ecuador as well as to support leaders taking part in her KINS Innovation Networks.
With support from Legacy International, Stephen co-founds the Global Transformation Corps (GTC) to develop training programs for young entrepreneurs in sustainable and regenerative economics. He also becomes Strategic Alliance Architect for HYPHA DAO and a delegate to SEEDS Commons, working to develop a regenerative cryptocurrency for global systems change.
2018
2021
Kinship Earth is created by Susan Davis Moora,
Walter Moora, and Stephen L. Gomes, PhD to reignite Susan’s KINS networks in an effort to cultivate collaboration around addressing the challenges the world is facing today.
Kinship Earth becomes a Flow Fund, making
Flow Funding (and increasing the adoption of
this approach to giving) its primary focus.
January 2024
August 2024
The organization's leadership adopts Bioregional Flow Funding as a distinctive strategy to expand and scale the innovative approach to giving.
Kinship Earth launches its first round of Flow Funding grants and inaugurates its Community of Practice—cultivating relationship-building and mutual support among all engaged in flowing resources with the organization.
October 2024
December 2024
Susan Davis Moora passes away, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, generosity, and impact. Her life’s work continues through Kinship Earth Flow Fund,
KINS Networks, and the next generation of regenerative leaders.
What's Happening Now & Our Future Plans
Over the next five years, our goals are focused on scaling the impact of Flow Funding, deepening community engagement, and strengthening our global ecosystem of practice:
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Expanding Resources: Raising over $10 million to deploy Flow Funding grants and support the growth of our educational programs and Communities of Practice.
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Seeding Bioregional Funds: Supporting the emergence of more than 20 bioregional Flow Funds, each uniquely tailored to the needs of their communities.
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Inspiring Widespread Adoption: Catalyzing the integration of Flow Funding within a diverse network of foundations and individual donors worldwide.
-
Harnessing Impact Technology: Utilizing innovative tools to track Flow Funding’s impact, blending data-driven metrics with compelling narrative stories.
-
Sharing Knowledge at Scale: Offering this technology to other Flow Funding organizations and collaboratively publishing impact reports that showcase the transformative power of this approach.
What's Happening Now & Our Future Plans
PRESENT
At Kinship Earth, we’re expanding the reach of Flow Funding through strategic partnerships, educational initiatives, and direct support for grassroots leaders and bioregional-based organizations:
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Strengthening Collaborations: We are partnered with 2 bioregional organizing groups, alongside BioFi Project and the Earth Regeneration Fund, to co-create educational materials that showcase the power of Flow Funding for bioregional resilience.
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Empowering Flow Funders: We are supporting 7 organizations and 10 individuals actively practicing Flow Funding through grants we’ve provided.
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Growing Our Impact: We have awarded 17 Flow Funding grants to date, with resources flowing directly into communities that need them most.
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Cultivating Learning Communities: We are hosting a Community of Practice to cultivate connection, shared learning, and growth among our first round of Flow Fund recipients.
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Creating Tools for Replication: We are developing a Flow Funding Starter Kit to help bioregional groups design and implement their own Flow Funding models.
FUTURE
Over the next five years, our goals are focused on scaling the impact of Flow Funding, deepening community engagement, and strengthening our global ecosystem of practice:
-
Expanding Resources: Raising over $10 million to deploy Flow Funding grants and support the growth of our educational programs and Communities of Practice.
-
Seeding Bioregional Funds: Supporting the emergence of more than 20 bioregional Flow Funds, each uniquely tailored to the needs of their communities.
-
Inspiring Widespread Adoption: Catalyzing the integration of Flow Funding within a diverse network of foundations and individual donors worldwide.
-
Harnessing Impact Technology: Utilizing innovative tools to track Flow Funding’s impact, blending data-driven metrics with compelling narrative stories.
-
Sharing Knowledge at Scale: Offering this technology to other Flow Funding organizations and collaboratively publishing impact reports that showcase the transformative power of this approach.
Our Vision:
Expanding Flow Funding Worldwide
We envision a future where bioregions are activated with Flow Funds—collaborating, sharing resources, and weaving knowledge to restore the planet’s vitality at scale.
At Kinship Earth, we’re driven by a vision of regeneration - for oneself / individuals, communities, bioregions, and across the globe.
Flow Funding is more than a funding model—it’s a movement toward community empowerment as well as environmental and cultural resilience. Our goal is to expand this approach worldwide and to support collaboration across bioregions.
As we scale, we’re committed to growing partnerships and educating leaders, foundations, and donors in an effort to increase the flow of funding to bioregional-based projects.