INGOs prefer unrestricted funds, often for good reasons. For funders this can feel like: ‘Just give us the money and go away .’ Yet many funders like me want to be part of the process and to offer time and expertise too – based on our experience as strategic philanthropists. There is growing support today, even among funders in the Global North, for reducing restrictions on funding by shifting power to the front line – …

This article is part of a series of articles about Community-Led Philanthropy, co-hosted by GlobalGiving. The conversation explores the ways philanthropy can support community-led change.  Assumptions – making decisions without proof – can be dangerous in philanthropy. When funders assume what communities need rather than continually listening, revising processes and shifting support based on localised feedback, it reinforces a power dynamic that further inequity. To better respond to and meet the unique needs of partners, philanthropy …

One of the healthiest shifts we’ve seen from this pandemic has been the rise of more flexible trust-based forms of grant-making. But this shift carries risks. How do we know if the money is making a difference? Having made great progress on the first half of the grant-making cycle – the making and managing of grants – we need to give attention to the second half: impact measurement and learning. New approaches to one will require new approaches …

As Covid-19 and its variants continue to spread despite progress with vaccines, what felt like a brief period of optimism in some countries has given way to renewed uncertainty. Thankfully, many corporations and foundations in the United States are giving generously to support countries and communities impacted by the pandemic. It is more critical than ever that this support continues if we are to eradicate the virus for good and quell the social and economic …