Why is GlobalGiving so passionate about supporting community-led nonprofits? Honestly, we could write a book on this subject. But it’s really quite simple:

The world’s biggest problems aren’t being solved fast enough because the people with the best solutions are being shut out.
Here are 10 reasons why supporting community-led nonprofits is the key to a more accountable, effective, and decolonized philanthropic sector—and a brighter future for everyone.

1. Community-led nonprofits are chronically underfunded.

Every year, $20-30 billion is devoted to international humanitarian assistance. Yet only 2% of that humanitarian aid reaches local changemakers. The other 98% is channeled to a few large nonprofits with tight restrictions on how funds can be used.

2. Traditional models of aid are falling short.

An astounding 274 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2022. But only 183 million people are being targeted by current relief efforts. Globally, up to 811 million people are undernourished, and famine-like conditions remain a threat in 43 countries. The gender-poverty gap is widening, and 247 million women live on less than $1.90 a day. The climate crisis is already impacting millions of people’s ability to access stable sources of food, housing, and water.

Then why does so much money aimed at ending hunger, for example, go toward food packages filled with processed foods from the West? Instead, that money could go toward organic seeds and farming materials for communities to grow their own food, improve their land ecology, and generate revenue from the crops.

“Seventy-five percent of families in this village receive rations for food each month but are unable to pull themselves out of poverty,” an anonymous community member in Sri Lanka said during an interview with The Listening Project, a massive research initiative that encompasses the voices of more than 6,000 people who have received international aid, observed the effects of aid efforts, or been involved in providing aid.

Of course, food packages will always be part of humanitarian responses in disaster or crisis situations. But when it comes to long-term change, better ways to help exist. The people affected by these crises often have innovative ideas and the social capital they need to succeed but just need more funding.

Read the full article about investing in community-led nonprofits by Sami Adler at GlobalGiving.