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Many donors, over the last decade, have explored mechanisms for funding southern civil society more directly in country in addition to support provided through their domestic NGOs. INTRAC has researched direct funding and multi donor mechanisms for supporting civil society since 1998.

Following initial research, as part of the Evaluation of Danish Support to Civil Society (2013), in 2014, INTRAC carried out a study for the Humanitarian Action, Civil Society and Personnel (HCP) department at Danida to identify best practices and lessons learned to date from the operation of multi-donor civil society funds. The study involved:

  • bibliographic research on 35 multi-donor funds in Africa, Asia and Latin America;
  • interviews with stakeholders of 13 funds;
  • in-country visits to Tanzania and Bangladesh;
  • interviews with several key informants
  • a guidance note for Danida on how to engage effectively with multi donor fund

A copy of the study can be found here.


INTRAC’s book, Direct Funding from a Southern Perspective (INTRAC 1998), explored views of CSOs in Bangladesh, Peru and Kenya to increases in direct funding by donors in the South. In 2010, INTRAC’s study, Civil Society Policy and Practice in Donor Agencies (Giffen, Judge), included an initial analysis of multi donor funds as a particular channel for direct funding of civil society organisations