Transforming funding landscapes to benefit communities
In the context of slow progress towards locally-led development, could we ourselves hold the power so more and better funds reach communities fighting poverty and injustice around the world? That’s what a radical new approach from One World Together hopes.
Members of One World Together during a summit (Photo: One World Together)
Current funding systems don’t work for communities
Many readers will have worked and walked alongside the people behind some incredible urban social movements that are transforming their communities and fighting for more inclusive urban development around the world.
For me, working at the University of Manchester, that includes Muungano wa Wanavijiji, SDI Kenya and Community Savers. The latter is a network of women-led savings groups across Manchester and North West England who were inspired by, modelled on, and adapted from Muungano’s successes after members visited Nairobi on an exchange in 2017.
Those who work closely with social movements – and indeed more professional charities working at the community level – know that current funding systems don’t work for them.
Funding is hard to come by, heavily restricted, and comes with onerous reporting requirements. Application processes that focus on how ‘poor’ and ‘disadvantaged’ communities are, end up breaking spirits, while prolonged review times offer no agility to respond to immediate needs.
These experiences fit firmly within my research on the challenges of seeing development NGOs as a vehicle of genuine transformation. In a highly unequal system that concentrates power and resources among Northern actors, and which privileges professionalism and managerialism as the only trustworthy currency, there is no way to ‘just’ get more money, on better terms, directly to where it’s needed – in communities.
The case is clear, but the system can’t adapt
The case for long-term, predictable and unrestricted funding has never been clearer. It would give movements and organisations space to think and strategise, to respond to changing circumstances and crises, to invest in people and staff, and to strengthen ‘value-for-money’ programmes with additional extras. Importantly, such funding would support and allow movements and organisations to thrive.
Localisation and locally-led development may be common parlance among donors and NGOs nowadays, but progress here is neither fast, nor deep enough. Genuine change seems unlikely.
So how can we build a new system?
After many years of researching these challenges, and more recently having participated in sector-wide efforts to transform existing systems, I joined forces with Chibwe Masabo Henry, a long-time development practitioner and teaching fellow at Queen Mary University of London, to go one step further.
We asked ourselves, if a system is not fit for purpose and unable to change, why don’t we build a new one? This led to a new form of citizen-powered philanthropy, powered by people committed to a fairer, more impactful and more community-centred future. One that recognises you don’t have to give the world, to change the world – not if we all come together.
Introducing One World Together
In 2023 we launched One World Together, thoughtfully designing a model based on the values of trust, solidarity and equity, and the operational principles of affordability and radical transparency. We believe that these ingredients will build the solidarity to underpin our long-term success.
What does this look like in practice? It’s quite simple, just vastly different to other opportunities we have as individuals to support communities directly.
Our members become 'global citizens' through an affordable annual subscription, starting at GBP£5. This is their support of our shared vision of a community-centred future and covers our operational costs. Can you believe that with 3,000 to 4,000 members we could be a financially-sustainable movement, free from the challenges and expenses of fundraising in a sector under increasing pressure? That would be a game-changer!
The community magic happens through our solidarity fund. Global citizens sign up to a regular monthly donation from as little as £1.25. We pool these funds and send them quarterly to our four partners with absolutely no strings attached.
Our solidarity fund is £360 per month and growing, driven by our more than 100 global citizens from 12 countries. This might sound small in comparison to the volumes channelled through conventional projects, but it is powerful because these funds are predictable and completely flexible.
Providing a more engaged form of support for global development
Alongside improved funding, another thing that sets One World Together apart is our investment in our community.
One World Together offers and aspires to have more than a transactional relationship between our partners and these gobal citizens. Our online community space links global citizens directly to partners to learn about them, hear about their challenges and successes, and see the ways in which our solidarity fund stands apart in a global funding system that is rigged against them.
At this early stage in our journey we represent hope on a massive scale. Hope for a future in which community-based movements and organisations can drive their own agendas, build strong organisations to support their strategies, and move from fire-fighting to thriving.
This hope was so clear as we enjoyed our first cbmmunity-Building summit in Nairobi earlier this year, in the smiles of us and our partners, who were so excited to dream with us, and to succeed with us.
As we celebrate our first birthday, these smiles have returned and we are one step closer to that future.
