Independent research into the practices of the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (RRLI) identified the value and impact of its participatory grant-making approach as well as opportunities to deepen accessibility and accountability.

RRLI is a refugee-led funding intermediary and advocacy organisation. It is the third-largest global intermediary in terms of financial support to RLOs, and the largest intermediary led by people with lived experience of forced displacement.^[1] It is funded from various sources including the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award, Hilton Foundation, Open Society Foundations and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. RRLI believes intermediaries should be non-interventionist and guided by equitable partnerships, ensuring RLOs maintain full autonomy over funding decisions and promoting a shift in power dynamics.

At RRLI, we aim to be inclusive of, and accountable to, the organisations and communities we support, as we believe this approach leads to more impactful outcomes for forcibly displaced people.^[2] We recently collaborated with external consultants^[3] to gain a deeper understanding of how our grantee partners experience our efforts, and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This article shares the findings of this research.

Refugee leadership at every level

RRLI’s mission is to resource RLOs to uplift communities and combat their systematic exclusion within refugee response. RRLI was conceptualised and is overseen by a coalition of six RLOs: Basmeh & Zeitooneh in Lebanon and Turkey, RAIC in Indonesia, Refugiados Unidos in Colombia, St. Andrew’s Refugee Services in Egypt, YARID in Uganda and Asylum Access, which also legally houses RRLI.

Our daily operations are managed by a dedicated staff team. Nearly our entire team – including positions with decision making power and influence such as leadership staff and coalition members – have lived experience of forced displacement. Many of these individuals are practically connected to the communities we support, ensuring our efforts are enriched by community knowledge and connectedness.

Our hallmark programme, the Refugee Leadership Fund, distributes grants to RLOs. From 2021 to date, we have allocated USD 7.2 million through 34 grants to 17 RLOs across five countries. Grantees have collectively and directly reached more than 822,600 people with essential services related to asylum and legal support, education access, emergency support, physical and mental health, employment and livelihoods, community integration, and arts and culture. Notably, 30% of grantee partners reported that RRLI issued their first grant, and 70% reported that it is their largest grant. All grantee partners report increased community impact, organisational strength and expanded networks through RRLI.^[4]

How RRLI’s grant-making mechanism works

RRLI offers flexible grants to support RLOs: Boost Grants ranging from USD 25,000 to 75,000 annually, and Advance Grants ranging from USD 150,000 to 200,000 annually. Boost Grants are designed for smaller, emerging RLOs that may have had limited access to funding in the past. These grants provide an opportunity for newer organisations to grow and strengthen their capabilities. Advanced Grants are intended for more established RLOs with a proven track record of managing significant grants. These grants are ideal for organisations with well-developed structures and programmes. Both grant types allow RLOs complete freedom to use the funds as they see fit, based on the specific needs and context of their communities.

Applications for these grants are publicly advertised with transparent deadlines and can be submitted in any language through our online portal. Our team is equipped to handle applications in English, Arabic and Spanish, and our coalition members and grantee partners in the five countries we operate in, use around six additional local languages. If the language remains outside our internal capabilities, we engage professional translation services to ensure the application is accurately translated and reviewed.

Criteria and scoring
RRLI’s criteria for grant-making are straightforward, scoring applicants on a scale of one to four based on financial management, ethical programme delivery, community impact, willingness to participate in refugee leadership activities and interest in our strengthening programme (a peer support model). These criteria were reviewed and enhanced by grantee partners after our inception year to ensure relevance.

Nomination and selection process
Applicants are nominated by a committee unique to each RRLI geography. Each committee is comprised of an RRLI staff member, a geographically relevant coalition member (e.g. Refugiados Unidos for Colombia-based grantee partners), and a current grant applicant from another RRLI geography. Committee members score applicants independently. Grant applicants can score as individuals or in collaboration with colleagues in their organisation.

Our standard operating procedures encourage committees to look beyond Western professionalism cues, prohibiting, for example, low scores due to grammar errors or misinterpretations of application questions. Instead, they focus on signs of meaningful impact, which we define by how well RLOs meet the specific needs of displaced communities and foster community-driven change rather than by high numbers of people reached.

An impact story must make intrinsic sense by aligning with the lived experiences and aspirations of those directly affected. For example, every year, RU’s legal assistance programme in Colombia supports around 880 people, while RAIC’s sponsorship programme supports around 20 people resettled in Canada. These programmes help individuals gain legal status, access critical rights like healthcare, employment and education, and secure homes for themselves and their families. Although the numbers may appear small, the impact is immense. The long-lasting effects of these outcomes ripple beyond the immediate programme users, improving the lives of their families and future generations.

Committees use their scores to engage in conversations and arrive at nominations by consensus. Nominations go to the RRLI coalition for a final decision. To date, no nomination has been rejected as the coalition honours the committee’s due diligence.

Key components of RRLI’s grant-making

Our approach attempts to blur the traditional lines between funder and grantee, or decision-maker and recipient, challenging conventional power dynamics within the funding landscape. This methodology aligns with our mission of transferring power and resources to forcibly displaced communities. To evaluate the effectiveness of our strategies, the external research team identified four key components of our grant-making and their impact, as described by our respondents:

1. Grant-making is highly participatory
RRLI coalition members are also grantees, non-coalition grantee partners can be involved in decision-making and grantee partners contribute to the development of scoring rubrics.

Respondents shared that involvement in the grant-making process is both informative and empowering. Grantee partners who participated in the grant-making process gained insights into the philanthropic process, learned about the innovative approaches of others, and felt inspired to adopt greater participatory practices in their own work. One interviewee shared that they have replicated RRLI’s grant-making approach when sub-granting to other RLOs. They found that witnessing the decision-making process first-hand was a uniquely transparent experience, and instilled confidence and trust in RRLI’s processes.

For the RRLI team and coalition members, involving applicants from other regions enhanced cultural competency and helped identify and mitigate biases. By involving individuals with significant cultural and personal insights, application assessments could more effectively evaluate how well proposals align with desirable community outcomes.

2. Relational partnerships
Interviewees emphasised RRLI’s deeply relational approach, highlighting RRLI’s communication, friendliness and support. In order to create this atmosphere, RRLI’s staff team makes itself available to grantee partners and minimises burdensome administrative processes. Where administrative requirements are necessary to effectively manage institutional resources, RRLI ensures early, frequent and clear communication about the purpose and rationale behind these requirements. This level of transparency in communication was experienced as unusual compared to other donor relationships.

“You feel like they are a donor with whom you share everything: problems, successes, challenges. This is very healthy communication in terms of donor relationship with a grantee.” RRLI grantee partner and selection committee member

Respondents expressed feeling respected by RRLI, fostering a sense of community and reinforcing movement-building by addressing power dynamics inherent in the funder-recipient relationship. This mutual respect empowers grantee partners to openly discuss challenges and propose solutions, ensuring high-quality work in their respective communities.

3. Flexible and significant funding packages
RRLI’s grants are characterised as highly flexible, multi-year, untied to thematic priorities (e.g. education or livelihoods), meticulously planned, tailored to community needs and designed with a holistic approach. By not restricting funding according to predetermined donor agendas, RRLI enables grantee partners to undertake crucial activities and innovate solutions tailored to their community’s needs.^[5]

The size of RRLI’s financial support is transformative as it enables large-scale projects (which are costly but profoundly impact individuals) like new schools, community centres, critical resettlement and legal processes. Respondents appreciate that RRLI values impact above reaching large numbers of people, recognising that meaningful solutions for individuals often require substantial financial investment.

“[RRLI] is realistic with numbers and knows we can’t reach thousands, but rather ten or a hundred… They understand a hundred euros isn’t dignity, while 7,000 euros to study in a good university while also being part of public life is.” RRLI grantee partner and selection committee member

Lastly, RRLI’s flexibility is a significant element of its approach. Grantee partners value the freedom of not being bound to their initial proposals, not needing specific registrations or bank accounts, and not being restricted by artificial expenditure categories like overhead versus programmatic costs.

4. Concurrent trust and support
In addition to funding, respondents appreciated additional tailored, non-financial support to grantee partners through ‘companions’ (local coalition members). RRLI’s support is offered based on an understanding of what it takes to succeed, with the aim of sharing valuable lessons and ensuring long-term grantee partners’ success.

One grantee partner noted that while other donors impose methodologies, RRLI “builds upon what you have.” Support for Boost Grant recipients often includes assistance with organisational systems like financial tools and planning processes. For Advance recipients, the focus is on promoting organisational sustainability through new funding streams and joint advocacy. Grantee partners also highlighted how RRLI companions encouraged them to work in an equity-minded way by reviewing their programming to take intersectionality into account. RRLI has also established a community of practice where coalition members and grantee partners exchange best practices and solutions.

The impact of RRLI’s concurrent trust and support is significant. Respondents said this approach to enabling their success is both empowering and community-building. Many grantee partners have adopted RRLI’s proposed tools and mechanisms, enhancing their operations and preparedness to apply for other funding. What’s more, to date, RRLI has unlocked an additional USD 5.2 million for applicants and grantee partners from other funders, above and beyond its direct funding.

Contribution to impact

The combination of the four practices above creates a highly responsive funding model that addresses community needs. Some grantee partner successes, as articulated in RRLI’s 2023 Impact Report:

• KOWED in Uganda launched a women-led, culturally sensitive financial inclusion initiative, supporting over 100 refugees with entrepreneurial, financial and vocational training. They established two village savings and loan associations and provided start-up capital for 12 women-led businesses.
• Tawasul Community School formally registered and expanded their schooling initiative in Cairo to support around 2,700 students aged 4-18 per year, and to provide adult education and vocational programming.
• Ettijahat Independent Culture in Lebanon supported more than 300 Syrian artists with professional training, scholarships, legal aid and creative production support.
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center (RAIC) in Indonesia established the first-ever mental health centre specifically for refugee community members.

Opportunities to deepen accessibility and accountability

The research highlighted areas for procedural improvement to better achieve RRLI’s goals of community inclusion and accountability. Grantee partners suggested that RRLI further explore accountability not only to RLOs but also to the communities they support. We are currently considering ways to do this, such as opening a community feedback mechanism and establishing a more formal presence in the communities we support, beyond companions.

Respondents also indicated that while our application process is accessible, enhanced advertising could reach organisations with limited technology access and familiarity. They believed this would help deepen our impact and provide more funding opportunities for organisations led by women, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities.

All grantee partners expressed concern about losing RRLI funding, which currently lasts for three years with a focus on sustainability. They hope RRLI will extend this period while also expanding support to other RLOs. Although RRLI can’t guarantee long-term success for all partners, we recognise the need to explore options for continued support given the limited grant-making bodies for RLOs.

The way forward

By highlighting the benefits and challenges of our community-centred grant-making model, we aim to inspire more funders to learn alongside us and re-evaluate sector-wide funding practices. Our research revealed a strong community interest in expanding RRLI’s participatory and horizontal efforts to other actors. Respondents noted that the sector lacks broad recognition of refugee leadership as a catalyst of change, particularly within institutions of power. They affirmed that RRLI’s model is headed in the right direction.

We believe it is essential to explore the elements discussed here further. How can we all become more participatory, relational and trusting, while offering bespoke support that is flexible, long-term and substantial? RRLI will continue to reflect on how it can improve and expand its efforts. Our communities deserve nothing less.

 

Mohamed Ahmed
Director of Partnerships, RRLI
linkedin.com/in/mohamed-ahmed-7b4306172/

Rawan Raad
Advocacy and Resource Mobilization Officer, RRLI
linkedin.com/in/rawanraad/

Diana Essex-Lettieri
Consultant, Diana EL Consulting
linkedin.com/in/dianaessex/

Julia Zahreddine
Consultant, Diana EL Consulting
linkedin.com/in/julia-zahreddine-83773ba5/

 

^[1] See ODI (2023) The failure to fund refugee-led organisations: why the current system is not working, and the potential for change bit.ly/odi-failure-fund-refugee-led-organisations

^[2] Evidence that underpins RRLI’s commitment to refugee inclusion at www.refugeeslead.org/evidence

^[3] Research team Diana Essex-Lettieri and Julia Zahreddine of Diana EL Consulting interviewed and anonymised feedback from three RRLI coalition members, six non-coalition grantee partners and one RRLI staff member. The interview protocol is available upon request.

^[4] See 2023 RRLI Impact Report bit.ly/refugeeslead-impact-report-2023 and Grantee Partner Profiles https://bit.ly/refugeeslead-grantee-partners-2023 for more information.

^[5] For more information on RRLI’s rationale see RRLI Funding refugee-led organisations: a primer https://www.refugeeslead.org/evidence

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