Support the
Understory.
In a forest, the understory is the in-between space: not the canopy and not the forest floor. It doesn't look impressive. But it's the forest's nursery and root network.
When the canopy fails – and right now, a lot of canopies are failing – renewal doesn't come from the top. It comes from the understory, from the roots up.
That's where ProSocial World works.
We work in the understory of social change. We help groups understand why cooperation breaks down and what conditions make it possible. We don't make headlines. We work in the slow, relational middle ground where real change takes root.
And we need your help.
We help groups cooperate.
While this sounds straightforward, it isn't always. Most groups struggle not because people don't care or aren't trying, but because the conditions they're operating in make cooperation harder than it needs to be.
ProSocial World translates decades of research in evolutionary science, behavioral science, and systems thinking into practical methods that help groups understand those conditions and begin to change them. Our work draws on the Nobel Prize-winning research of Elinor Ostrom and the science of what actually makes cooperation possible.
We run learning programs for individuals, groups, and facilitators. We develop open-access resources. We produce research that supports this and makes it all credible. And we work relationally in the understory - with the groups that need it most.
Why we need you
Understory work doesn't look impressive on a grant report.
It's slow. It's relational. It resists easy metrics. And right now, like a lot of organizations doing this kind of work, we're feeling the pressure of a funding landscape that rewards scale and speed over depth and care.
We need community support to keep going.
Not to grow dramatically. Not to launch something new. To continue doing the work we already do, with the rigour and care it requires.
Every contribution — large or small, one-time or monthly — goes directly into the work.
Not in a position to give right now? That's okay. The most useful thing you can do is tell someone about us. Share this page. Forward our newsletter.
The understory grows through connection.
