It’s one thing to talk about partnering with governments or civil society organizations in economic inclusion, but it’s another to understand what it is that makes those relationships work. In the case of Trickle Up, we ask ourselves: where might these relationships be less effective? Where are our partnership efforts working? And where do we need to adjust our approaches?
As part of its 2026-2030 strategy, Trickle Up is committed to strengthening the local systems that are already in place within the regions we work. We know that in order for development solutions to be sustainable, they must be undertaken with local partners, as well as grounded in the context where they are meant to provide the most relevant impact. Because of this, local partnerships are a vital component of Trickle Up’s work.
We have committed ourselves to building on our current efforts with local partners, including municipal governments in Guatemala, faith-based organizations in Cote d’Ivoire, and our numerous partnerships at the Gram Panchayat level in India. In each of these efforts we are also working alongside community-based organizations that have played an important role in ensuring that the way we deliver our economic inclusion programming meets the needs of the communities for whom these partnerships are meant to benefit. These types of partnerships are critical to our work in providing technical assistance and help us find ways to work alongside locally based organizations (both public and private) that are committed to delivering sustainable solutions with local impact.
Today, we’re putting our money where our mouth is. Trickle Up has allocated its own resources to commission research among local organizations that will help us better understand how we can improve our approach in these partnerships. Already, we have gone through a rigorous and competitive selection process to identify firms that have demonstrable experience in unpacking key questions: What has worked (and according to whom)? Where do we need to make adjustments in training? In communication? In simply being a listening partner? And in our assumptions?
Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing insights on the lessons we have learned from this research, the lessons we hope to learn, and how this work will continue to inform how we adapt and adjust our approach to meet the needs of local communities. We hope you can join us in this learning journey.
