Why we all need to advocate for flexible funding

In an era of increasing global challenges and shifting political landscapes, the importance of flexible funding cannot be overstated. We must shift to models of funding that are open, adaptive and share power with our partners to ensure we are having contextualised solutions generated by people in their own contexts.

‘’People have their own solutions more often than we want to accept’’.

During recent visits to our partner organisations in Uganda and Kenya, the continuous standing agenda was the need for flexible funding. The rigid funding structures often fail to address rapidly changing needs and contexts. Most countries in the majority world are facing different changing needs such as: 

• Structural changes through policies and laws that are regressing gender equality. 

• Slowing down in transformational and relational change within communities due to heightened patriarchy norms and values being reenergized socially. 

• Increase in poverty levels and reduced access to basic needs which affects the whole communities and even more deeply women and girls. 

Topped off with the rise of far-right movements globally, this adds another layer of urgency to this conversation. The shifts present new challenges to civil society organizations and movements that risk heightening the vulnerability and stripping of dignity of rightsholders 

Our partners consistently emphasized how predetermined restrictions can limit their ability to respond to emerging challenges effectively. With a continuous conversation centred around localisation agenda, sharing and shifting of power, here are some considerations: 

• Local organisations require substantial autonomy and discretionary power to redirect and reallocate resources based on evolving local needs, community priorities, and ground realities. 

• Swift, adaptive responses and innovative problem-solving approaches become particularly essential during periods of political transition, social upheaval, or community and structural transformation. 

• Traditional grant structures and conventional funding frameworks often prove inadequate in addressing unexpected challenges or capitalizing on emerging opportunities in our rapidly evolving global landscape. 

• Organisations must maintain sufficient operational flexibility to effectively protect and continue serving populations, especially when political and social circumstances begin to deteriorate unexpectedly. 

• Unforeseen security concerns and emerging threats may necessitate immediate and strategic reallocation of resources to ensure both program continuity and staff safety. 

As responsible donors and funding organisations committed to maximizing impact, we should carefully consider implementing these essential recommendations. First, substantially increasing unrestricted funding allocations enables greater operational flexibility and responsive programming. 

Secondly, establishing robust and accessible rapid response mechanisms designed specifically is essential for addressing emergencies and supporting necessary programmatic adaptations. 

Thirdly, simplifying grant modification processes through the implementation of trust-based approval systems is an emerging approach in flexible funding.

Lastly, cultivating and maintaining long-term, trust-based relationships with implementing partners with a sustainability lens is the future of transformative grant making. 

”The evidence continuously demonstrates that flexible funding isn’t just beneficial – it’s essential for organizational survival and impact. This is a rallying call to all funder/philanthropists, donors and givers as we all go into a season of reflections, consultations and rethinking our models to test or partner with organizations such as Womankind Worldwide that has been implementing the trust-based model through flexible funds. As we navigate increasingly complex global challenges, our funding approaches must evolve to become more adaptable and responsive to real-world needs.”