TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly|Global South Intermediaries & Governance Funding

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

WHAT'S NEW? 

Brazil’s Supreme Court has overturned many of the anti-corrption responses to Operation Car Wash, a massive bribery scheme that spanned 12 countries. Journalists Jack Nicas and Ana Ionova raise questions about the future of anti-corruption efforts in the country and the region.

The passage of HR 9495, or the “Kill Nonprofits Bill,” by the U.S. House of Representatives raises alarms. Rebecca Hanshaw and Barry Knight explore how this legislation, allowing the Treasury Secretary to strip a nonprofit’s status unilaterally, signals a significant threat to civil society in the U.S.

Court records reveal that Tether, a popular cryptocurrency, is being used extensively by Mexican drug cartels for money laundering, underscoring the dark underbelly of digital finance.

Indonesia is advancing transparency in its extractive industries by openly publishing data on government platforms. The EITI Board encourages continued progress in contract transparency and civil society participation.

This new report from the Open Knowledge Foundation explores threats and opportunities for the open movement, based on insights from the Common(s) Cause event held in Katowice, Poland.

The World Bank Governance and Institutions Umbrella Program, supported by several TAI members, has released its 2024 Annual Report, noting new funding partners and the launch of three major initiatives—Anticorruption for Development, Coalitions for Reforms, and Justice and Rule of Law—each making strides in research, knowledge sharing, and practical support.

From Colombian drug gangs seizing gold mines to South Africa’s crackdown on illegal mining, recent investigations highlight the intersection of criminality and weak governance in the mining sector.

James Savage calls on funders to support civil society with long-term strategies to counter foreign agent laws and address the shrinking of civic space globally.

The European Parliament has summoned TikTok’s CEO following the platform’s controversial role in Romania’s recent far-right electoral victory, raising broader concerns about its influence on democratic processes.

In the latest UN General Assembly vote toward a UN Tax Convention, only 9 countries voted against. There will now be three negotiating sessions a year in New York and Nairobi through mid-2027.  

FROM OUR MEMBERS 

LUMINATE: Have opened applications to their Migration and Technology Fellowship. The fellowship aims to empower individuals with lived migration experience to shape research, policy, storytelling, technology, and advocacy efforts from the ground up. Apply by December 31.

FORD FOUNDATION: Martín Abregú, Crystal Simeoni (Nawi–Afrifem Macroeconomics Collective), and Ndongo Samba Sylla (IDEAs) highlight how sovereign debt burdens hinder global development in this Foreign Affairs piece.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING!

Check out Season 7, Episode 2 of The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women podcast, exploring Kenya’s debt crisis and its impact on gender equality. The episode features insights from Diana Gichengo, Sharon Kiburi, Wanjira Wanjiru, and a TAI-moderated panel from the October IMF/World Bank meetings.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS 

How philanthropy can stand for democracy in challenging times? Foundations in the United States offer peers a three-pronged strategy: prioritizing approaches to protect vulnerable communities, defending democratic institutions, and building the power of grassroots, pro-democracy organizations in the face of growing authoritarian threats. (Funders can join our call on responses to elected authoritarianism on December 10)

The 2024 Africa Philanthropy Forum emphasized collaborative approaches and trust-based giving. Key themes included participatory grant-making, flexible and unrestricted funding, and multi-year support for sustainability. However, discussions also highlighted the trust deficit limiting the potential of trust-based giving. 

The Collective Imagination Practices Toolkit offers an accessible set of tools to build capacity in exploring and learning a spectrum of imagination practices. It also addresses the unlearning of habits that may block creative inquiry. 

A must-read from the Stanford Social Innovation Review: a compilation of practices to help social sector leaders prepare for transformative change. This long read is part of the Emerging Futures Program by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, offering systems change strategies for a new world.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING!

In the #Fem4PeoplesVaccine podcast, moderator Adija Adamu and experts Khoudia Sow and TAI’s very own Leah Eryenyu discuss how COVID-19 deepened inequalities in Africa and explore the concept of necropolitics in state health policies. Tune in to hear their insights on who has access to healthcare and who decides. 

FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Beyond Regranting: The Transformative Potential of Global South Intermediaries

TAI’s latest study, authored by Paula Castell Carrion, highlights the strategic role of Global South Intermediaries (GSIs) in advancing localization. While these organizations are not universal solutions, they can be essential in meeting localization targets, driving systemic change and shifting power dynamics in development work. TAI highlights those with a track record on supporting just and equitable governance at the grassroots through six new case studies of Acento, Africa No Filter, FASOL, ForumCiv, KCDF, and WRAPA.

The research introduces a nuanced typology of GSIs, categorizing them into four distinct models: from civil society-created regranting organizations to locally registered intermediaries supported by single donors, and pooled funds from multiple institutional donors.

Far more than traditional regranting mechanisms, GSIs often invest deeply in strengthening local ecosystems by supporting capacity building, facilitating collaboration, and enabling local actors to exercise genuine agency. Compared to Northern-based counterparts, many not only meet donor requirements, but can provide a more nuanced approach to localization, embedded in local challenges and dynamics. 

The study provides funders with clear considerations for strategic investment in GSIs and identifies critical areas for further exploration. We note that while these organizations offer mechanisms for channeling resources to local actors, they must complement rather than replace direct grassroots funding.

JOIN TAI AND KESEB CALL:

TAI and Keseb invite funders to a briefing on Preparing Philanthropy to Counter Elected Authoritarianism on December 10, 2024. Explore key strategies drawing on a new report and toolkit and discuss implications for funding globally and nationally.

JOBS

CALLS

  • The UNCAC Coalition's Gender, Inclusion & Corruption Working Group is collecting data on sexual corruption and its impact on women and girls. They invite experts to complete surveys on sexual corruption and gender-corruption intersections to help build public databases that will inform advocacy and policy efforts.

  • Submit your session proposals for the Financing for Feminist Futures (F4FF) conference and contribute to advancing gender equality on the global financing agenda. The call for sessions, Walking the Talk, is open until December 18, 2024

  • Pulitzer Center seeks Rainforest Investigations Fellows [Africa, Asia, South America]. Experienced investigative journalists based in the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia and the Amazon. Deadline: Dec 31, 2024.

  • OECD Anti-Corruption Research Challenge. Call for new evidence to strengthen anti-corruption and public integrity systems. Deadline 5 January 2025

  • The Amazonia+ call seeks a managing organization for local forest governance projects led by women and youth in the Amazon. Grants up to 400,000 Euros for 10 projects. Deadline 19 March 2025

  •  USAID Global Accountability Program. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 31 March 2025

  • Working on the political economy of aid and development? Join PEADS2025, April 23-24, 2025 in Pitlochry, Scotland. 

CALENDAR

We’d love to hear from you on how we can further improve TAI Weekly to better serve your needs in program management on the transparency, accountability, improved grantmaking and civic space. Please direct your feedback to [email protected] or

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