TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly | When Purpose Guides Partnerships: The Future of Intermediaries

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

Dear readers,

Global institutions and governance norms are under strain and increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical strains. Amid this context, it is no surprise that Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s calls for a new Global Governance Initiative has not gone unnoticed. It is fascinating to read the concept paper for the initiative published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While there are no operational details as yet, note the emphasis on upholding principles of the UN Charter, on “shared benefit” and “staying committed.”

Lots of new research featured this week ranging from narratives to beneficial ownership transparency to several studies of people power. Plus, we have an invitation to join a participatory push on shaping participatory grantmaking, and a review of the latest on making regrating most effective. 

Happy reading!

TAI team

WHAT'S NEW?

A stark warning emerges from Yemen, where fiscal collapse threatens the internationally recognized government's very survival. Farea Al-Muslimi and Mahmoud Shehrah demonstrate how the country's reliance on external aid has created dangerous vulnerabilities, and call for urgent action to boost domestic resource mobilization and improve financial transparency.

New Carnegie Endowment research explores how anti-corruption messaging can counter authoritarian advances. Abigail Bellows argues that effective storytelling becomes a critical tool for protecting democratic institutions under threat.

The Forest and Finance coalition report that financing for transition mineral mining is driving extensive ecological damage and human rights violations. Weak governance frameworks leave communities vulnerable while clean energy technologies depend on these problematic supply chains.

Sri Lanka's remarkable democratic transformation gets a detailed analysis from David Timberman, whose research on the Aragalaya protest movement reveals how sustained citizen mobilization can topple entrenched political elites. The 2022 uprising's success in enabling new political leadership offers rare hope for peaceful democratic change in challenging contexts.

Libya's climate challenges illuminate broader governance failures across fragmented states. Malak Altaeb's research shows how political instability has crippled the country's ability to manage natural resources and adapt to climate change. Malak makes the case that empowering local actors, from municipal governments to civil society, offers the most promising path to climate resilience.

Understanding narrative power becomes increasingly urgent amid societal polarization. A new digital library from the Othering and Belonging Institute and American Immigration Council curates resources on narrative change. See also TAI’s compilation of Pro-Democracy and Civic Space Narrative Efforts and our collective interview with five remarkable narrative thinkers and practitioners working across different regions and contexts.

Open Ownership has published a new analysis on how artificial intelligence could transform beneficial ownership transparency. Meanwhile, Executive Director Thom Townsend outlines Open Ownership’s strategy through 2030, with a focus on enabling governments to raise more revenue, reduce illicit flows, and spend public funds more effectively.

Do Indonesia's street protests tell a story of economic desperation meeting democratic decay? Sana Jeffrey argues that economic precarity and a political hollowing-out have driven the country's most vulnerable to demand accountability from elites, drawing parallels to the violent upheaval that accompanied the 1998 financial crisis.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

The Accountability Lab continues its insightful 'Beyond the Frameworks' series, part of the AccountabiliTea Podcast, with Michele Crymes in conversation with Try Thy from Open Development Cambodia. Their discussion reveals how civil society organizations are becoming crucial watchdogs for private sector accountability, using everything from labor monitoring to open data advocacy to drive meaningful transparency reforms.

FROM OUR MEMBERS

OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: Launched a series of initiatives to promote social and economic well-being in Latin America by focusing on people’s real needs: access to services, care, a healthy environment, quality jobs, and security: “Buen vivir”.

 

HUMANITY UNITED: Is launching its brand new Racial Justice & Equity Strategy, a work grounded in prioritizing thriving communities, shared decision-making, and long-term sustainability. It is a call to action for philanthropy to shift resources and power directly to those most impacted. Read the blog and the full strategy here.

HILTON FOUNDATION: Celebrates 30 years of the Hilton Prize by reflecting on the powerful impact of their Laureates—organizations driving progress through bold ideas and creative solutions. From innovative financing and education to job training and wraparound support, Hilton Prize laureates are breaking the cycles of poverty and expanding opportunity worldwide. 

TAI SECRETARIAT: Has released a new interactive dashboard tracking five years of governance-related funding (2019–2023). The data show sharp fluctuations, with disbursements rising by 36% between 2019 and 2022 before declining in 2023, reflecting the impact of global crises such as the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The dashboard allows users to explore trends across regions, sectors, and funders, offering a clearer picture of how resources for transparency, participation, and accountability are being allocated.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS

Human rights funding faces unprecedented challenges as the Human Rights Funders Network documents the projected decline in support for global movements. The briefing traces how foreign aid cuts and philanthropic instability are creating dangerous funding gaps just as rights defenders face intensifying threats worldwide.

Kate Balding examines whether grantmakers are losing essential connections to grassroots realities. With foundation offices concentrated in global cities, Kate questions what crucial insights are being missed when funders avoid sustained ground-level engagement.

Frank Vogl and Vinay Bhargava fear setbacks in meaningful citizen and civil society participation at the World Bank. They recommend using a 60-second screen before you fund or engage: look for documented early consultations (and how feedback changed design); a functioning grievance redress mechanism with timelines; regular CSO briefings built into country strategies; clear safeguards and anti-reprisal protocols; and participation KPIs that are monitored and published. 

Scholars, funders, and practitioners are coming together to advance trust-based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, community philanthropy, and community-centric fundraising. Read the draft Position Paper.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

The Giving Done Right Podcast launches its fifth season with Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman discussing strategic approaches to urgent global challenges and the foundation's evolving priorities. The conversation offers insights into how one of the world's largest philanthropic institutions thinks about effective giving in an era of mounting crises.

FOCUS TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Reimagining Intermediary Funders: From Transactional Roles to Transformational Partnerships

Recent evidence suggests that when intermediary funding relationships (for want of a better term) operate from principles of shared power, cultural humility, and long-term commitment, they can accelerate localization while maintaining the benefits of connection and resource sharing. However, a scan of recent research suggests achieving this potential requires ongoing reflection, adaptation, and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom about how development and philanthropy should operate.

Last year, we published research that highlights the strategic potential of Global South Intermediary Organizations (GSIs) in advancing localization goals. These organizations possess cultural fluency, contextual understanding, and established community relationships that international funders often lack. However, as TAI's comprehensive analysis emphasizes, GSIs should complement rather than replace direct funding relationships with grassroots organizations, creating multiple pathways for resources while maintaining essential community connections.

A new practice note published in the Development in Practice Journal, co-authored by Global Giving and the Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation, demonstrates how intermediaries can shift from transactional roles to transformational partnerships. The research reveals three key insights: purpose matters, with shared values and critical thinking forming the foundation for partnerships that challenge old power dynamics; partnerships can liberate communities when international and local intermediaries share risk and relinquish control; and perspective is power, as embedding indigenous knowledge and cultural values makes philanthropy more equitable and contextually relevant.

Indigenous and territorial funds exemplify this transformation, offering vital lessons for philanthropy serious about addressing structural challenges of wealth inequality and privilege. These funds demonstrate what financial stewardship looks like when rooted in community knowledge, operating from principles of collective decision-making, long-term thinking, and deep accountability to place and people. Their approaches show how communities protecting the Earth possess sophisticated knowledge systems that can inform broader funding practices.

TAI's work on rethinking intermediary terminology and practice suggests that solidarity and trust are not buzzwords but concrete practices that can reshape systems. Intermediaries may embrace roles that may reduce their centrality while increasing their impact. The most effective intermediaries often work themselves out of traditional intermediary roles by building capacity, transferring knowledge, and creating direct relationships between communities and resources.

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