Rethinking aid: how local initiatives are redefining power and partnerships 

By Catherine Russ

As the slow-moving machinery of localisation continues to churn, recent funding cuts have undoubtedly thrown a spanner into the works. For many organisations, these disruptions have been significant. And yet, amid the shifting landscape, local initiatives are rising quietly—but powerfully—demonstrating what’s possible through genuine partnership and innovation. 

Inspiration, increasingly, is coming not from traditional Western aid bureaucracies—often too cumbersome to move swiftly—but from smaller, more agile local actors. These groups are not only adapting; they’re leaping ahead, charting bold new paths that challenge long-standing models of aid delivery. 

Take, for example, the work of the NEAR Network, the Centre for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) in the Philippines, and the Reinventing NGOs (RINGO) initiative. These locally driven efforts are achieving what many considered impossible—securing direct funding, advocating for equitable partnerships, and reframing capacity development as capacity sharing. 

As localisation and collaboration take root, we’re witnessing some truly innovative practices emerge: 

• Reverse calls for proposals: RINGO’s Alternative Solidarity Model flips the traditional model on its head. Rather than waiting for donors to issue calls, local groups collaboratively identify their needs and issue a reverse call to INGOs and funders, inviting them to respond on terms set by local groups. 

• Reducing risk indicators: PCDP successfully negotiated USAID’s 52 risk management requirements down to just one, setting a precedent for simplifying access to funds without compromising accountability. 

• Bridging compliance gaps: RINGO facilitated what they called “a brave encounter” between finance, compliance, and programme officers from donors, INGOs, and local CSOs to collaboratively negotiate risk—a move toward trust-based partnership. 

• Localisation fund: NEAR established a $23 million fund (supported by the IKEA Foundation and UNICEF) in 2020, disbursed to 80 local organisations using simplified reporting and community-led needs assessments. 

These examples, alongside global efforts like the International Civil Society Centre’s Powershift Lab and the Partos Innovation Hub, are not just tinkering at the edges. They’re pushing for a systemic shift—one that centres civic power, local leadership, and more equitable ways of working. 

International NGOs (INGOs) still have a crucial role to play – but it requires a recalibration. Instead of driving the agenda, INGOs must increasingly act as enablers -supporting local organisations to access the resources, skills, and networks necessary to navigate the aid ecosystem. 

A powerful example of this shift comes from Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which has made significant progress through its STRIDE programme. I’ve had the privilege of working with IRW through the INTRAC-supported partnership programme, and the transformation I’ve seen has been impressive.

Here’s how IRW is walking the talk: 

• Partner-led assessments: The Capacity Self-Assessment (CSA) tool used in non-presence countries is conducted by partners themselves – empowering them to define their strengths and needs. 

• Increased direct funding: In 2024, 19% of IRW’s funding went directly to local partners, up from 9% in 2023. 

• Rapid local response: During the 2022 Nigerian floods, IRW quickly disbursed funds to local partners who implemented a community-identified response with unconditional cash assistance. 

• Collaborative research and dialogue: IRW has supported and published joint research efforts with partners, ensuring their voices lead – not just contribute to -important conversations. 

• Mutual capacity sharing: Moving away from one-way “capacity building,” IRW fosters reciprocal learning between itself and its partners. 

What all of this signals, is more than a set of programme adjustments—it’s a fundamental shift in mindset and one where we allow our hearts to enter the equation. Localisation isn’t an “all or nothing” decision. It’s a deliberate reorientation of power, priorities, and processes and it is the true building of relationships.  

This transformation asks us to step back from organisation-centric thinking and focus instead on the livelihoods, leadership, and long-term development of local actors. It calls for the unlearning of traditional hierarchies and the adoption of new, collaborative methods of decision-making and delivery. 

And perhaps most challenging of all, it asks those in positions of power to let go—to loosen their grip on the steering wheel and trust others to shape the road ahead. This isn’t about losing control; it’s about embracing the higher outcomes we can achieve together when we lead with heart, humility and partnership.