Beyond Aid: Civil Society, Self-Reliance, and the Future of Development
Cuts to USAID and bilateral aid are sending shockwaves through the development sector. Civil society organizations face endings, closures, and difficult transformations — even as the need for humanitarian aid and poverty reduction grows more urgent. What does it mean to stay the course during disruptive times, and how can we use this moment to ask bigger questions: Who owns development? How can countries and communities set their own priorities, mobilize local funding, and build resilience beyond dependency?
This session will explore the shifting role of philanthropy, the opportunities of community-led models, and the hard choices ahead. Together, we’ll ask how to reimagine coordination, prioritization, and sustainability in a post–ODA world.
Speakers
Camille Acey — Founder of The Wind Down, helping organizations and projects navigate closure and transition with 25+ years’ cross-sector experience.
Benjamin Jenson — Partner & Global Health Lead at Camber Collective, with expertise in vaccines, MNCH, nutrition, infectious diseases, and reproductive health.
Heiner Baumann — Independent Senior Advisor on climate action, regenerative agriculture, and rural development in the Global South and USA.
Manushi Yadav — Director of Strategy & Partnerships at Pratham, one of India’s leading education nonprofits.
Maria Eugenia Paez — Independent strategist and advisor with 15+ years building cross-sector philanthropic and civil society infrastructure across Latin America.
Marc Schleifer — Independent Consultant with 25+ years’ experience in economic development, governance, women’s empowerment, and nonprofit leadership.
What to Expect
Put the moment in context – Explore historical lessons on resilience during past funding contractions.
Discuss endings and transformation – Surface honest conversations on closures, restructuring, and organizational change.
Examine new ownership models – Debate how countries and communities can drive their own priorities and resource mobilization.
Rethink philanthropy – Consider the opportunities and limits of philanthropy in filling bilateral aid gaps.
Envision systemic change – Explore how civil society can move beyond reliance on aid and philanthropy toward self-reliance and sustainability.
Why Join?
Understand the implications of shrinking aid for civil society, governments, and communities.
Learn strategies for coordination, prioritization, and resilience in times of scarcity.
Share experiences of navigating organizational endings and transformations.
Walk away with insights into building more equitable, community-led, and sustainable systems.
Who Should Attend?
Civil society and NGO leaders navigating the funding crisis.
Funders and philanthropists exploring new roles in a post–ODA landscape.
Policymakers and advocates shaping national and community-led development agendas.
Anyone committed to rethinking development beyond aid dependency.