Philanthropy has a tendency to create, and then complain about, intermediaries. We need to shift the narrative on intermediation in philanthropy—because climate action in particular needs intermediaries to be successful.

Let us be upfront. Some authors hide behind a false veneer of objectivity. We do not. We believe that philanthropic intermediaries have been, and should remain, vital to the sector’s development. During a recent interview, one of us even remarked that in the realm of private giving, ‘we are all intermediaries, unless you are the principal.’

Precisely because we value intermediaries in all their many forms[1], and have both studied and worked for them, we are well-positioned to recognise what others may have missed: existing literature and public discourse have yet to fully capture their true significance within the global philanthropy ecosystem.

This is not to dismiss the valuable work already undertaken to better understand the role of intermediaries. In fact, there are several strong examples of the sector grappling thoughtfully with its blind spots in recent years[2]. Despite growing insight, the body of research remains thin and uneven: at times overly defensive and self-justifying, at others caught between abstract language that alienates non-specialist readers and sweeping generalisations that offer little in terms of practical guidance or real-world examples.

More troubling still is a persistent misconception at the very core of how philanthropic intermediation is understood outside the industry, perhaps nowhere more so than in climate. The notion that intermediaries are costly, peripheral, and administratively burdensome is not only wrong. It is, at this moment, when the headwinds of resurgent ‘passthrough’ criticism, nationalist fervor, and a global green backlash are forcing advocates of collaborative philanthropy on the back foot, dangerous.

Intermediaries, we argue, are the essential connective tissue of a world that will not cease to be deeply interconnected whatever its politics. The antecedents of globalisation and the track record of regional climate foundations in this century present that case with undeniable conviction.

Read the full article about why intermediaries matter by Tim Mueller and Ida Kenny at Alliance Magazine.