Summary

Bilateral donor agencies and private foundations are increasingly interested in extending their support to social movement actors to supplement these actors’ demonstrated ability to advance policy reform. But what is the impact of such training and funding? Do these resources improve the ability of social movement organizations to advance policy reforms and mobilize grassroots support? Or do they burden social movement actors with new bureaucratic requirements, limits on tactics and activities, or deficits of popular legitimacy and credibility?

To better assess these impacts, three participatory workshops were held and more than seventy in-depth interviews conducted with representatives of transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption social movement organizations in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ukraine in 2017 and 2018. Respondents consistently reported that foreign funding substantially influenced their activism, often in ways that impeded effectiveness.

This situation was less apparent in the analysis of survey data, however, and respondents reported that some challenges of foreign funding were manageable. Foreign funding also generated competitive dynamics. Some activists reported that they were persistently excluded from foreign grant opportunities, and this exclusion caused resentment of major recipients of foreign grants.

These findings imply an opportunity for donors to provide more direct and less conditional funding support to movement actors. More flexible support will allow individual activists and movement organizations to scale up their work, adapt to changing circumstances, and seize opportunities while freeing them from the project-based and earmarked grants that currently constrain their approach.

Likewise, more funding that targets newer and small activists will allow for more coalition building and minimize some resentments that percolate in the transparency and accountability movement. Trainings and convenings that bring together more established movement organizations with newer organizations and activists on a level playing field may also support the emergence of more organic collaboration and partnerships.

About the Report

This report presents findings from a series of participatory workshops and more than seventy in-depth interviews with social movement actors and organizations on transparency and accountability issues in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ukraine. The report was supported by USAID's Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.

About the Author

Davin O’Regan is a former senior program officer in USIP's Program on Nonviolent Action and is currently completing his PhD at the University of Maryland. Tabatha Pilgrim Thompson and Miranda Rivers of USIP contributed extensive research and editorial support for this project. Aminu Gamawa of Nigeria, Victor Rateng of Kenya, and Artem Myroshnychenko of Ukraine undertook on-the-ground research.