A collective reflection from Alianza funds on evolving approaches to mobilising resources for community-led action.
In early 2025, we reflected on the changing global funding landscape in the article A Shifting Global Landscape: Rethinking Philanthropy from the Global South. Last month, a year later, members of the network came together again for a collective exchange on resource mobilisation.
Drawing from the day-to-day realities of their work, navigating shifting donor priorities, evolving cooperation frameworks, and growing demands from frontline communities, funds reflected on how the landscape has continued to evolve and what strategies are emerging from practice to sustain support for the territories they accompany.
What stood out in the conversation was not only the scale of the changes affecting philanthropy and international cooperation, but the ways local funds are responding to them. Across regions, funds are experimenting with new partnerships, funding architectures, and institutional strategies to continue channeling resources to the territories they accompany.
This involves closely monitoring how donor priorities evolve, adapting narratives without losing connection to the realities of communities, and demonstrating the unique value of locally rooted institutions that accompany social movements over the long term.
Engaging domestic philanthropy while safeguarding legitimacy
To respond to shifts in international funding flows, several funds are exploring relationships with domestic corporate and family philanthropy. In many contexts, these actors historically implemented projects directly rather than making grants, but new conversations are emerging around supporting locally led initiatives.
These engagements are approached with careful criteria in mind. Funds emphasise the importance of maintaining ethical boundaries and avoiding conflicts of interest, particularly in territories affected by extractive industries or environmental conflicts.
At the same time, new entry points are emerging. In some cases, relationships with family philanthropies begin through unexpected channels – cultural, educational, or artistic networks within philanthropic families that demonstrate openness to socio-environmental causes. These relational pathways are becoming important avenues for building long-term partnerships.
Building collaborative funding architectures
Instead of relying on a small number of large donors, some funds are convening groups of smaller donors into pooled structures that support collective decision-making and long-term engagement.
These models help diversify financial support while creating spaces where donors engage more directly with territorial realities. Beyond financial diversification, pooled architectures can strengthen transparency, accountability, and shared learning between donors and funds.
They also reflect a broader shift: resource mobilisation is not only about attracting funding, but about designing governance structures that align with the principles of locally led philanthropy.
Expanding resource mobilisation beyond traditional grants
Funds are also broadening the ways resources are mobilised. In several contexts, in-kind contributions – equipment, medical supplies, services, training, and other forms of material support – are becoming part of sustainability strategies.
Operational structures that allow funds to receive, manage, and transparently allocate these contributions are proving essential, particularly during environmental emergencies, when solidarity mobilises rapidly from communities, local actors, and businesses.
Some experiences have shown that these collaborations can evolve into longer-term partnerships, as local institutions and companies become more aware of the role that funds play in supporting community responses to crises.
Adapting institutions while protecting purpose
Alongside external strategies, many funds also recognise the importance of continuously evolving their internal systems and practices. As funding mechanisms become more complex — particularly within public, multilateral, and institutional frameworks — funds are adapting their governance, monitoring, and accountability structures to engage with these opportunities while remaining rooted in their core mission.
These adjustments are not just about conforming to external expectations. They reflect a broader effort to ensure that locally led institutions remain both credible partners within global funding ecosystems and accountable allies to the communities they support.
A collective learning moment
Across these exchanges, what emerges most clearly is the capacity of locally rooted funds to adapt without losing their political grounding. Even in a rapidly shifting funding landscape, these institutions are not turning away from the communities they support.
Instead, they continue to learn, adapt, and innovate, building funding pathways that remain grounded in a few core principles:
Legitimacy
Resource mobilisation strategies are shaped by the responsibility funds hold toward the communities and movements they accompany.
Collaboration
Alliances, shared learning, and collective funding architectures strengthen both individual organisations and the broader ecosystem they are part of.
Flexibility
Long-term and adaptable support remains essential for communities navigating complex and evolving socio-environmental realities.
