OPS 46. Official Agency Funding of NGOs in Seven Counties: Mechanisms, Trends and Implications

The mechanisms by which governments dispute official development assistance to domestic NGOs through their official agencies and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency are continually changing. These changes and the ways in which this funding is distributed to NGOs can have a variety of implications for NGOs, not only in terms of the amounts and sources of their income, but also on the ways in which they operate. the influence of such factors can extend far beyond simple reporting requirements, to even act upon the ways in which NGOs conceptualize and plan their work.

This paper charts and analyses the mechanisms by which the official agencies of seven major European countries distribute official development assistance to domestic NGOs. It provides details of historical developments of Official Aid funding of NGOs, overall trends and the implications of these funding mechanisms for NGOs and civil society. In addition, it outlines the influence of wider policy issues of official agencies. Overall, the paper contributes to the understanding of one aspect of NGO funding and aid architecture; namely, the mechanisms used by official agencies to fund NGOs and the changes that these mechanisms are undergoing.