In 2025, at the halfway point of our ten-year journey to reimagine how international development is funded and practised, we paused to take an honest look at where we stand and what is needed to sustain and build on our momentum.
This isn’t a traditional mid-term report; it’s an invitation into our work. It’s a look at the friction we’ve moved through and the hard-won insights we’ve gathered to date. All towards proving an alternative approach to funding that tries to centre the people on the ground.
This summary draws on a snapshot in time, informed by an independent mid-term review of our programme conducted by Expectation State in May 2025. It surfaces some of the key insights we have gained so far:
Our learnings from our journey to date: most critically, the need to recognise and support the power, knowledge, and action already present within communities.
Our reflections on navigating a resistant funding landscape, as well as the real costs and complexities of meaningful co-creation.
Our experience of confronting entrenched mindsets and scepticism, shaped by decades of harmful practices and language across the sector.
Our priorities and plans for the next five years in light of these reflections.
Practical steps towards more brave approaches to funding in the sector.
Background
Shifting the Power is a 10-year programme (2020-2030) that aims to strengthen and sustain locally-led civil society organisations (CSOs) in Ghana, Zambia, and Malawi, dedicated to building an environment for long-term investment and equitable partnerships where local civil societies lead their own change.
The programme is driven by Anchor Partners STAR Ghana Foundation, the West African Civil Society Initiative (WACSI), the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF), and Tilitonse Foundation, and co-funded by Comic Relief and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). Read more about the Shifting the Power programme here.