In Nairobi, groups of young people gather to decide how funding should be invested in their own communities. Some choose to paint climate murals across neighbourhood walls. Others launch youth journalism projects — telling stories about their communities in their own words. Some invest in writing and media training so young people can shape the narratives about where they live.
The decisions are made together, through democratic forums organised by Muungano wa Wanavijiji. Because when communities have the resources and the trust to lead, remarkable things happen.
And yet, this kind of leadership is rarely funded. Today, just 4.5% of global development funding reaches local organisations directly. Here in the UK, only 0.2% of philanthropic funding reaches communities themselves.
Most funding travels through a vast system where decisions are made far away from the people living the realities every day. If we were designing the charity system today, knowing what we know now, we probably wouldn’t build it this way.
So together, we’re building something different. At One World Together, you can give directly to grassroots organisations in the UK and around the world — the people closest to the challenges and closest to the solutions.
It’s based on a simple belief: Communities know what their communities need.
So when you give through One World Together, your donation goes straight to the people doing the work on the ground. No complicated restrictions. No distant decision-making. Just trust. And when communities are trusted with flexible funding, the impact can be extraordinary.
In Kenya, Raising Futures Kenya supports young people not just to attend school — but to thrive. Flexible funding provides nutritious lunches, mental health support, childcare support and menstrual hygiene packs that remove barriers to learning. Because staying in school often depends on far more than tuition fees.
In Manchester, families across Community Savers groups identified social housing as their most urgent priority. When traditional funding bids failed to secure the finance needed to launch the Manchester Social Housing Coalition, flexible solidarity funding helped get the work started. Because communities often know exactly what needs to happen — they just need the resources to make it possible.
In Zambia, young people rely on trusted coaches and safe spaces through Play it Forward. When the cost-of-living crisis threatened those roles, long-term funding helped increase salaries and protect the relationships young people depend on. This is what happens when communities lead.
And because this approach removes layers of bureaucracy, it can generate up to 40× the community impact for every £1 donated.
But something else changes too.
When giving moves from saviourism to solidarity, the whole experience shifts. Guilt becomes gratitude, when you realise you’re part of something bigger than yourself. Pity becomes admiration, when you see the creativity and leadership already present in communities. And despair becomes hope.
Already, people like you have helped channel nearly £20,000 of flexible funding directly to grassroots organisations.
But this is just the beginning. Because the truth is, there aren’t just hundreds of people who want a better way to support communities. There are thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Maybe even millions.
People who believe communities should have the power and resources to shape their own futures. People who want their giving to be rooted in trust, dignity and solidarity.
Now you know where to start.
Join a growing community supporting grassroots organisations directly.
Start giving through One World Together today.
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