Reimagining Intermediaries: What Role Should They Play?

​Reimagining Intermediaries: What Role Should They Play?

​Intermediaries are a longstanding part of the conservation funding system, connecting funders with organizations and communities doing conservation work on the ground. At their best, they can expand access to funding, strengthen local organizations, manage risk, coordinate learning, and help bring resources together. But they can also add administrative burden, concentrate decision-making, and create distance between funders and the people closest to conservation challenges.

​This session will explore the questions at the heart of the Reimagining Intermediaries issue paper: What functions are intermediaries best placed to perform? Who should hold those functions? And how can intermediary models strengthen—not undermine—local capacity, leadership, and accountability?

​The discussion will draw on examples from across the conservation sector and invite participants to consider what a better-designed system of intermediaries might look like. Expect a 20–30 minute overview by the paper’s authors, followed by a moderated discussion and conversation among participants.

​Read the issue paper: Reimagining: Intermediaries