Accountability Lab

🎊 We’re excited to share the @Democratizing Philanthropy Research Initiative (DPRI) Position Paper. Co-created by a global network of scholars, practitioners, and community leaders, this paper brings together diverse perspectives committed to rethinking philanthropy as a space where power, knowledge, and resources can be transformed. We’re especially proud that our Co-CEO, Blair Glencorse, contributed to this collective effort. At its core, the paper sets out a shared vision for shifting power in philanthropy that is grounded in collaboration, lived experience, and evidence-based research. The paper calls for a future where philanthropy 📝 Connects research with practice 📝 Centers community knowledge and lived experience 📝 Advances more just and equitable ways of giving This publication is an open invitation to read, question, and build alongside a growing movement working to reimagine the sector. 🔗 Read the full paper and join the conversation: https://bit.ly/48Zphnc #DemocratizingPhilanthropy #CommunityPhilanthropy #ParticipatoryGrantmaking #CoCreation #SocialJustice #Philanthropy #civilsociety #shiftthepower

We’re excited to share that the UN SDG Action Campaign has launched the 2026 #HeroesofTomorrow: UN #SDGAwards. The world is full of people taking bold actions to build a sustainable, just and peaceful future. These awards are a global call to recognize them and honor their initiatives. Do you know someone doing powerful, meaningful work? This is the moment to bring them forward. The awards honor changemakers across three categories: 🏆The Changemaker Award: Individuals leading collective action towards justice, equality, and peace. 🏆The Creativity Award: Initiatives that inspire hope and action through visual expression, art, innovation and more. 🏆The Resilience Award: Initiatives building resilience in the face of conflicts, inequalities, or climate change. Let’s make sure that every changemaker is seen and supported to continue their work. 🗓️ Apply or nominate by 17 May 2026: https://bit.ly/4tSN8h7

Shifting the development path from aid to agency is one of the key themes at AfricaXchange 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, this week. Attendees will be discussing reforms on health, food and energy systems on the continent. The convening is designed specifically to move beyond dialogue to the actual policy changes needed for greater self-determination on the continent. AL Co-CEO Blair Glencorse will be at the exhibition space the whole day today talking to participants about our conscious music and film fellowships, exploring the value of using the arts for change. Come along to say hi if you're around!

Important reflections from Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, on preparedness, trust, and lasting reform. Thank you to the Center for International Private Enterprise for hosting this discussion. Check out the link below to listen!

💡 Specialist leadership, shared stewardship What if stronger leadership is not about one person holding all the answers, but about sharing responsibility, trusting expertise, and making better decisions together? Accountability Lab’s Co-CEOs Blair Glencorse, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, and Jean Scrimgeour reflect on what it takes to lead together in a time of growing complexity in this new article. The piece explores how co-leadership can strengthen decision-making, deepen accountability, and allow leaders to focus where their expertise can have the greatest impact. It also shares the realities behind the model: clear areas of responsibility, continuous communication, collective decisions on major strategic issues, and a culture where disagreement can sharpen ideas rather than slow progress. 👓 Read more: https://bit.ly/3Nz5Bzn #AccountabilityLab # Accountability # Transparency #ThoughtLeadership #CoCEOs #StrategicLeadership

🚧 What happens when a community speaks – and the system says no? In Yuguelito, 255 voices came together to shape a shared vision for their community – highlighting urgent needs, rebuilding trust, and setting priorities from within. Through a process led by Accountability Lab Mexico, in collaboration with partners including Mixtura and Ciudad Activa, those insights were turned into a concrete action plan rooted in safety, dignity, and collective action. But when the community brought forward a proposal through participatory budgeting, it was rejected – revealing deeper gaps in how public systems include (or exclude) communities like Yuguelito. This blog traces what unfolded next: from community-led action and institutional engagement to advocacy efforts pushing for more transparent and equitable participation mechanisms. Read the story: 🔗 English: https://bit.ly/3OiOF0h 🔗 Español: https://bit.ly/4cxakde Ana Laura Lozano | #AccountabilityLab #AccountabilityLabMexico #SocialAccountability #CivicEngagement #ParticipatoryGovernance

📍The first edition of our new quarterly learning newsletter is out! Beyond the Sandbox is where we will share only the most promising innovations and practices from our translocal network. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/4sG6YdM It is an offering to a sector finding its way at a time of – seemingly constant – flux. And where change is the only constant, sharing knowledge as we build, is crucial. In this edition: 🟡 The co-leadership leap - What it takes and why we chose it 🟡 Network as institution - Why closing projects out well matters 🟡 One year after aid cuts - How are donors supporting DRG? 🟡 Curiosity to facility - How responsive action built an institution 👓 Read the full issue here: https://bit.ly/4czXqLy

Please join us in welcoming David Riveros García, our Senior Non-Resident Fellow 🎉 David is the founder and CEO of reAcción, and brings extensive experience from across the civic and social sectors. His work spans international relations, policy and data analysis, research, and public engagement with a focus on strengthening transparency and accountability. He has also co-founded international networks advancing democracy and transparency. We look forward to the perspectives, energy, and insight he brings to our work!

🎊 We’re excited to share that AL Co-CEO Blair Glencorse has joined Diplomatic Courier's Expert Network as part of The World in 2050. The members of The Expert Network (TEN) are part of a global expert community gathered to guide and shape a future that will allow the year 2050 to arrive well. Their thought leadership (and doership) helps make sense of the global shifts we face across technology, geopolitical power, demographics, and the environment – but also takes action to push for a future we want. Part of this, is the pressure governance institutions and civic space are under. Blair's significant experience as a global governance expert – supporting communities and connecting people – will contribute sharp, creative pathways to positive change. 👓 Read Blair's latest piece on how civil society can bridge the gap between global decision–makers and local realities: https://bit.ly/4tonFeQ

🛣️ Sustaining civil society at this moment requires changes in how donors fund, engage with, and partner alongside locally led organizations. We spoke with 22 local, Global South organizations about their lived experience, organizational decision-making, and the longer-term implications for civil society ecosystems one year on from last year's US government aid cuts. Our report recommends prioritizing trust-based philanthropy anchored in core, flexible, multi-year institutional funding; supporting organizational continuity and leadership retention; investing in civic space protection and representative joint advocacy; and closing the proximity gap through more inclusive, accessible donor engagement. 👓 Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/4cHGTpU