Local Actor Voices on Funding, Partnerships & Capacity
Listening. Learning. Reimagining.

Ten years after Let Your Voice Be Heard helped shape global conversations on localization, Crescendo International is returning to a critical question:

How are local and national organizations experiencing funding, partnerships, and capacity today?

Local Actor Voices on Funding, Partnerships & Capacity is a global research initiative engaging leaders of local organizations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe. This study engages leaders of local organizations across more than 65 countries.

Why This Matters

The global aid system is undergoing significant change. Funding is tightening, expectations around localization are evolving, and local actors continue to lead frontline responses to crises.

Yet key questions remain:

• Are funding mechanisms truly accessible to local organizations?

• Are partnerships becoming more equitable in practice?

• What kinds of capacity investments are actually useful?

• How are financial shocks affecting sustainability?

OUR APPROACH

This study combines multiple sources of evidence:

Global Survey
Engaging hundreds of leaders of local and national organizations worldwide

Regional Convenings
Facilitated discussions across five regions to explore shared challenges and emerging trends

Key Informant Interviews
Deep dives with experienced practitioners and leaders

Action-Oriented Analysis
Designed to inform real funding and partnership decisions

WHAT MAKES THIS STUDY DIFFERENT

• Global reach across five regions

• Led in collaboration with regional experts

• Focused specifically on local and national organizations

• Combines quantitative data with rich qualitative insights

• Designed to influence real-world funding decisions

Meet the Team

This research is led by a global team of practitioners and researchers with deep experience across regions, sectors, and systems.

Mike Delaney
Project Lead, Crescendo International

Mike Delaney is the founder of Crescendo International and lead investigator for this study. With more than four decades of experience in humanitarian response, localization, and philanthropic advisory work, he works closely with local networks, foundations, and international actors to strengthen equitable partnerships and locally led systems. He previously co-led the original Let Your Voice Be Heard study, which helped inform major philanthropic investments in localization and capacity strengthening.

Isabella Jean is a senior advisor and learning partner with 25 years of experience supporting international and local organizations, bilateral donors, private foundations, and UN agencies. Her work focuses on improving the effectiveness and accountability of aid and philanthropy while strengthening equitable partnerships that advance locally led action.

She has facilitated collaborative learning and action research across multiple regions and co-authored Time to Listen, a widely cited critique of externally driven aid models.

Enrique García Hidalgo brings more than three decades of experience across national and international NGOs. He has worked on refugee support, post-conflict reconstruction, and regional humanitarian coordination, including serving as Humanitarian Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean with Oxfam. He currently serves as NEAR’s Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean while continuing his advisory work with Crescendo International.

Shalini Sharma Kanwar is a disaster risk management specialist with over 15 years of experience across the Asia-Pacific region. She has led multi-country initiatives strengthening partnerships among local NGOs, governments, and private sector actors, and has developed tools and methodologies supporting inclusive, locally led disaster preparedness and response.

Iyad Agha is a localization and coordination expert with over 20 years of experience across humanitarian action and civil society. He has held senior advisory roles with the United Nations and NGO platforms and most recently served as Director of the Sudan INGO Forum during active conflict, supporting coordination and donor engagement in highly complex environments.

Allwell Akhigbe is Co-Founder and CEO of Travaille Ensemble, an African fundraising consultancy focused on strengthening financial sustainability for local organizations. He has more than eight years of experience supporting nonprofits and social enterprises across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

He is widely recognized for democratizing access to fundraising knowledge through his #FundraiseWithAllwell series, which reaches thousands of practitioners. Since 2025, he has trained more than 1,500 NGO professionals across Africa on alternative funding models and diversification strategies.