Background 

The humanitarian aid sector struggles with major systemic issues including slow and reactive funding, centralized decision-making, and a resistance to change. These challenges often prevent affected communities from receiving timely and effective support, causing unnecessary suffering. The Start Network promotes shifting power toward local actors who are closest to crises, believing that this will lead to more effective and appropriate humanitarian responses. 

In Ukraine, a 2023 report by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) revealed that less than 1% of humanitarian funding reached local and national NGOs directly. To address this, DEC and Start Network initiated the creation of the Ukraine Local Pooled Fund, a financing mechanism designed to increase direct funding to local actors.

The fund, hosted by the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development (NNLPD), was to feature reduced and tiered due diligence requirements to make funding more accessible and support locally led humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

 

Triangle’s Assignment 

Triangle has been commissioned to conduct an independent review of the Ukraine Local Pooled Fund’s inception phase. The objective is to assess the fund’s alignment with localization principles and evaluate its overall design and early implementation. Triangle’s assignment includes: 

• Evaluating the fund’s governance structure, decision-making processes, risk-sharing mechanisms, and due diligence requirements; 

• Reviewing the fund in comparison with other global pooled funding models; 

• Conducting document reviews, key informant interviews, and stakeholder surveys using a mixed-methods approach; 

• Assessing the fund’s ability to facilitate access for local and national actors and promote local leadership; 

• Evaluating operational transparency, adaptability, and early outcomes. 

 

Findings from the review will be compiled into an evaluation report featuring actionable, evidence-based recommendations. Triangle will also deliver a final presentation to stakeholders to support strategic learning and inform the future development of pooled funding mechanisms that advance locally led humanitarian action in Ukraine and similar contexts. 

 

Research Approach & Methodology

Triangle conducts a mixed-methods evaluation emphasizing local ownership and accountability: 

• Comparative Model Review: Benchmarking the Ukraine Local Pooled Fund against similar pooled funding mechanisms globally to assess innovation, effectiveness, and localization alignment. 

• Document and Process Analysis: Reviewing key governance and operational documents to understand fund design, decision-making pathways, and due diligence frameworks. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Conducting interviews and surveys with fund managers, local NGOs, and international partners to gather qualitative insights into the fund’s early-stage performance. 

• Access and Equity Assessment: Evaluating how the fund facilitates local actors’ access to resources, promotes leadership, and shares risk equitably across the humanitarian system. 

• Learning-Oriented Evaluation: Producing actionable findings to support ongoing improvement and scale-up of locally led humanitarian financing models.