Disruptive change and civil society organisations in the global South: innovating funder practice

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in middle- and low-income countries (sometimes referred to as ‘the South’) are confronting multiple disruptive forces, from natural disasters and migrations to turbulence in the funding environment and shifting regulatory requirements. The resulting organisational disruption has profound implications for realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Not only can it hamper the current effectiveness of these CSOs; it can also reduce their ability to address larger shifts in the development landscape through their own positive disruptive actions. Funders must do more to support CSOs experiencing disruptive change. Flexible funding and grant decisions informed by a deeper understanding of the on-the-ground operational realities of disruption are crucial to this.