Collaborative funds—entities that strategically channel resources from multiple donors to nonprofits and community-based organizations—deliver outsized impact across issue areas in the Global South. Yet they remain a largely underutilized segment of the global philanthropic landscape. Indeed, the donors for whom collaborative funds in the Global South could be the best fit—high-net-worth individuals without large philanthropic teams, deep topical or geographic expertise, and relationships with actors on the ground—lag in participation in these funds, save for a few exceptions.

Building on Bridgespan’s research regarding collaborative funds as giving vehicles in “Releasing the Potential of Philanthropic Collaborations,” this report focuses on the power and potential of these funds working specifically in the Global South. One key finding: collaborative funds working in the Global South are experts in channeling resources to “proximate” leaders—those with lived experience and local knowledge—and to local communities.

In fact, of a subset of nearly 40 collaborative funds we analyzed, the wide majority reported at least three-fourths of their grantees are led by an individual who is representative of the communities they serve. That’s particularly striking since, according to the Council on Foundations, only about “13 percent of US foundations’ global grant dollars go directly to organizations based in the country where programs are implemented.” Collaborative funds unlock the ability for funders to connect to organizations closest to the work, to get a pulse of what’s happening on the ground, and to achieve targeted, sustainable impact.

This report highlights the unique value proposition of collaborative funds working in the Global South, describes the larger landscape of these funds, and offers resources and practical next steps for funders to unlock the full philanthropic potential of collaboratives.

How Collaborative Funds Working in the Global South Stand Out

In our analysis of the value proposition of collaborative funds working in the Global South, we found three prominent and intertwined factors at play: efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement.

Read the full article about philanthropic collaboratives in the Global South by Sonali Patel, Alexandra Hughes Browne, Gayle Martin, Zach Slobig at The Bridgespan Group.