Guidance

Civil Society Partnership Review - FAQs

Updated 15 January 2016

1. Introduction

DFID wants to ensure that we make the best contribution towards ending extreme poverty in all its forms, through sustainable development and putting in place the building blocks of lasting prosperity. To this end, the department is undertaking a suite of strategic reviews, including the Civil Society Partnership Review (CSPR). The CSPR (taking place between July and November 2015) will consider how the changing international development landscape is shaping civil society and explore how DFID and the UK government can structure its civil society partnerships most effectively.

2. Timetable

Phase 1 (July-September 2015): The initial phase will involve digital stakeholder outreach, internal portfolio and contextual analysis.

Phase 2 (late September-October 2015 TBC): This phase will involve an intensive series of stakeholder meetings and discussions. These will include face-to-face engagement events.

Phase 3 (November): The final phase will be a consolidation of analysis and evidence taken throughout the review and the final recommendations.

Review updates will be issued via this page and email. It is important that you ensure your email filter will accept messages from DFID email addresses.

3. Contact

Email: CSPR@dfid.gov.uk

4. What’s the purpose of the review?

It’s about delivering more for the world’s poorest. To define DFID’s objectives, approach and instruments for a partnership with civil society in order to deliver more for the world’s poorest.

5. How will Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) benefit from the review?

We want to have a more thoughtful, innovative, strategic and fairer relationship with organisations that share our objectives. We also want to provide more opportunities and leverage the tremendous skills and expertise that we have here in the UK and in southern CSOs to make the biggest difference in a changing world.

6. Why do the review now?

The review will be one of several processes that will, together, ensure DFID is spending every pound as well as we can. This includes the Strategic Development Review that is underway, new Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews and of course we’ll play our part in the Government-wide Spending Review and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

7. How much does DFID currently spend through CSOs?

DFID spends about 1/5 (£1.2 billion) of its bilateral budget through CSOs annually, with approximately half of this spent in country offices and about the same through central departments.

8. Is DFID going to reduce funding to CSOs?

We can’t pre-empt the findings of the review. Our plan is to use the outcomes of the review to make our funding mechanisms and our partnerships with the sector more effective and strategic.

9. Is DFID going to stop strategic (unrestricted) funding?

We can’t pre-empt the findings of the review. The review will consider the value and future of strategic funding alongside other funding mechanisms and partnerships.

10. Why have we decided to extend PPA funding?

Recognising that this will be an uncertain period for those currently receiving strategic funding, the Secretary of State has decided to extend PPA funding and strategic grants to IDS, ODI, IIED, the Centre for Global Development, VSO, BOND and the DRF by nine months to end of 2016. This will give organisations time to consolidate gains and DFID time to carry out the review and to establish future mechanisms.

11. What about agencies that don’t currently receive PPA funding?

DFID provides funding to hundreds of CSOs in a range of different ways for a range of purposes. PPA financing is only 10% of our budget to CSOs. The £1.2 billion we spent through CSOs in the last financial year is a significant slice of our budget. So there are many funding opportunities available to those who don’t have PPA funding.

12. How will future funding decisions be made?

The review will ensure that we’re taking the most strategic approaches, building the right relationships, and are harnessing the strongest ideas, partnerships and means of delivery. It will also make recommendations on new funding instruments and adjustments to existing ones. Funding decisions will then follow.

13. How do NGOs get involved in the review process?

We will be arranging a variety of face to face and digital discussions throughout the process. Information about these will be posted on this website.

We want to make the review as open as possible and to ensure that we’re getting advice and challenge from the incredible expertise that you all have.

14. Will there be a change in thematic focus?

We want to be working with organisations that share our objectives, but this isn’t new, we currently fund over 50 civil society programmes covering a broad range of sectors. We simply want to continue to deepen our strategic relationship.

15. Will there be a stronger move to payment by results?

DFID defines payment by results as work where payment is made on the delivery of pre-agreed results, rather than inputs. This is what makes a real, lasting change in peoples’ lives – and is quite simply the right thing to do. We will consider PBR on a case by case basis and we want to learn more about when it works and when it doesn’t.

16. Will DFID be funding more southern CSOs directly?

We want to see the shift from the north to the south continuing, as this is what leads to long term sustainable development impact. We will be looking at different ways we can incentivise this through our funding. But we also know UK CSOs make a unique contribution to DFID’s work and want to retain and support what’s good about UK CSOs.

17. Will DFID support different types of civil society – eg faith groups?

DFID will continue to support a diverse range of civil society organisations – no one CSO has all the answers, and different partners bring unique skills, relationships and new ways of working.

18. When did DFID last review its funding instruments?

DFID last had a general review in the 2010 civil society review, and humanitarian CSOs were included in the 2011 HERR (Humanitarian and emergency response review).

The HERR led to fundamental changes in how we fund humanitarian CSOs. In light of these relatively recent changes, although we will be including humanitarian CSOs in the analysis and relationship management aspects of the review, we will not be including a redesign of humanitarian funding instruments in the review.

19. What will happen to the submissions that we already made to DFID’s Civil Society team?

These have already been useful in helping DFID understand how you see the future and the review team will consider them further in the coming months

20. What about ICS and UK Aid Match?

We are committed to tripling the size of ICS over the lifetime of this parliament – ensuring that more and more young people from the UK and overseas are able to play their part in tackling poverty in some of the worlds most marginalised communities and at the same time learn new skills, increase their confidence and be equipped to be life-long active citizens.

We are committed to doubling UK Aid Match. We are currently assessing applications to round four and the deadline for round five concept notes is already set for September. But we are determined to give more opportunity for the public to have their say over the work that we do. This will mean increased opportunities for a greater number of organisations to run match-funded appeals.