Adapted from “Philanthropy can’t replace aid. But it can help build what’s next,” by Nancy Lindborg, Peter Laugharn and Srik Gopal. Originally published March 25, 2026 on Devex. Full article access requires free Devex account creation.
In a new Devex op-ed co-authored with Nancy Lindborg and Srik Gopal, we reflect on how philanthropy can respond to a period of deep disruption in global development. Sharp reductions in public aid, combined with rising geopolitical fragmentation, are placing development actors under increasing pressure to meet ambitious goals with fewer public resources and heightened expectations for local agency.
The article, titled “Philanthropy can’t replace aid. But it can help build what’s next,” argues that philanthropy cannot and should not attempt to fill the gap left by declining public finance. Instead, it can help shape what comes next by investing in ideas, institutions, and approaches that make the overall system more trusted, effective, and locally led.
Such efforts can improve the lives of millions in sectors from water to education to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.
Together, we highlight four critical shifts that are already emerging across the field, and we spotlight where philanthropic partners can play a catalytic role. These include international cooperation, development finance, locally led development, and systemic reform within philanthropy. Each of these points to ways philanthropy and contribute meaningfully – not by filing gaps left by public aid, but by helping enable a stronger, more resilient system overall.
Public development finance will remain essential to tackling many of the issues faced throughout the world. Within that broader ecosystem, philanthropy can support experimentation, help connect reform efforts, and help protect civic space so that local stakeholders can shape and sustain their own development pathways.
