Development systems are changing rapidly. Funding cuts, shifting priorities, and locally led reforms are reshaping how collaboration happens across the world. This page brings together data, analysis, and examples to help practitioners explore what a more inclusive, learning-oriented approach to development might look like.
The international development system is in a period of flux. Major donors have announced sharp reductions in official development assistance (ODA), with OECD reporting indicating significant cuts compared with 2023 levels. These shifts are already disrupting programmes, while sparking wider debate about what a future system should look like. Recent analyses describe this moment as a possible generational shift – one that could reshape funding flows, priorities, and partnerships for years to come.
Alongside this uncertainty, new approaches are being advanced. Community-led initiatives, participatory grantmaking, and movements to decolonise development are showing what it means to share power and resource local leadership. Futures work and scenario planning are also helping practitioners consider how global cooperation could be redesigned to better align with justice, resilience, and collaboration.
Together, they offer starting thoughts for practitioners seeking to navigate – and contribute to – the reimagining of collaboration and funding in development. The resources below reflect a range of perspectives and approaches. While I can’t speak to the value of each resource in every context, taken together they highlight different ways practitioners are rethinking development, funding, and collaboration.
A growing map of resources to reimagine philanthropy and global development
Curated by Vanessa Stevens, this interactive map brings together more than 100 initiatives working to reimagine and transform philanthropy and global development. Begun in 2019 to deepen understanding of the sector’s changing ecosystem, it has become a shared resource for changemakers worldwide. The map offers an accessible entry point to the diverse movements and networks shaping reform across the field.
Cuts in official development assistance: 2025 overview
OECD data show notable declines in official development assistance (ODA) compared with recent years, detailing where reductions are occurring across major donors and sectors. A related McKinsey analysis situates these shifts within a wider traisition in global aid, outlining strategies for adaptation – efficiency, resource mobilisation, reprioritisation, and system redesign – and cooperation.
A call for decolonisation and empowerment
This page by Nana Afadzinu calls for practical pathways for decolonising development funding, based on a pan-African consultation. The document details co-developed strategies for power-shifting, long-term local capacity, and trust-based funding models, aiming to dismantle colonial aid legacies and foster genuine community-led development.
Decolonizing futures practice: Opening up authentic alternatives
This article by Kevin Jae examines how foresight and scenario planning in international development can move beyond token inclusion to genuinely center diverse knowledge—especially Indigenous and Global South voices. The authors discuss both barriers and transformative approaches for creating equitable futures through dialog and participatory planning.
OECD Development Co-operation Report 2025
This annual review examines how donor countries are restructuring their aid portfolios, highlighting shifts toward blended finance, new accountability models, and greater emphasis on innovation and partnership. It provides insight into how major Northern institutions are seeking to remain relevant amid fiscal tightening and changing global expectations.
Shift the Power resources
The ShiftThePower movement, convened by the Global Fund for Community Foundations, gathers resources and case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It documents how community foundations and local actors are leading development and offers insights into funding systems that strengthen collaboration, accountability, and community voice.
Foresight and futures thinking in international development
UNDP’s Futures team explores how foresight and scenario planning can help development systems navigate uncertainty. Their reports and toolkits highlight ways to link future-oriented thinking with inclusive decision-making and long-term resilience.
Funding and development systems are being reshaped from both ends – through top-down changes as donors cut or redirect official aid, and through bottom-up efforts as communities and movements claim greater voice in shaping their futures. This tension creates uncertainty, but also opportunity. Together, these resources highlight both the risks of retrenchment and the possibilities for more equitable, participatory, and adaptive approaches. They encourage reflection on how practitioners, funders, and policy-makers might engage with these shifts, supporting learning and collaboration across the system as it evolves.
Reimagining development connects closely with other themes on this site that explore how people collaborate and learn across complex systems. You may also find value in the companion pages on cross-sector partnerships and collaborations, managing participation, working with care: ethics in research and evaluation, and complexity-aware monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL).
[* Image by Cao Hoang from Pixabay]