How can evidence-based economic inclusion models reach more people living in extreme poverty while remaining locally rooted, equitable, and sustainable? 

This question was at the center of a recent side event, “Scaling Inclusion: New Partnerships for Economic and Financial Inclusion in Guatemala,” hosted by Trickle Up during Central America Donors Forum (CADF) 2026 in Guatemala City. 

The gathering brought together more than 40 representatives from government, municipal authorities, civil society, research organizations, philanthropy, and development to reflect on what it takes to expand economic inclusion in ways that are responsive to the realities of different territories.  

We were joined by representatives from Guatemala’s Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Social Development, municipal governments, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), CARA, Focus Central America, Glasswing International, Catholic Relief Services, Fundación Bi, Heifer International, among other organizations working across economic development, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, research, and local governance. 

Building on Guatemala’s Experience 

Over the past two decades, the Graduation Approach has generated strong evidence of impact across diverse contexts. In Guatemala, Trickle Up’s experience has been distinctive for its deep engagement with municipal governments. Since 2007, Trickle Up has worked alongside Indigenous communities and nine municipal governments to deliver economic inclusion programming while strengthening the capacity of local institutions to increasingly adopt, adapt, finance, and manage the approach themselves.  

Through this work, Trickle Up has reached more than 6,700 participants directly, and approximately 33,600 people in total as these participants brought their learnings and savings into their households and communities. This experience has shown that municipalities can provide an institutional home for economic inclusion programming, creating a promising pathway for local governments to increasingly lead, finance, and sustain these efforts over time. 

In May 2026, Trickle Up partnered with the Central American Research Alliance (CARA) to systematically examine the conditions that enable municipal adoption, sustainability, and scale. Drawing on the experiences of Ixcán, Quiché, and Chahal, Alta Verapaz, the research sought to discover what exactly allows a municipal economic inclusion partnership to be institutionalized and expanded over time. 

The study highlighted several enabling conditions—political commitment, institutional capacity, community organization, connections to markets, and continuous learning and adaptation—as well as six conditions for scaling with quality: political commitment and legal basis, institutional capacity, community organization, articulation with government, involvement with markets and the private sector, and continuous learning and adaptation.  

The broader lesson learned is that true scale requires transferring the core principles of an economic inclusion program while adapting its implementation to the specific capacities and opportunities of each territory. 

From Evidence to Collective Discussion 

These research findings provided the basis for our side event at CADF, with the goal of having a deeper discussion about this evidence and building potential collaborative efforts.  

Our event participants worked in four thematic groups around a common question: What conditions, partnerships, and investments are needed for economic inclusion models to sustainably and equitably reach people living in extreme poverty in Guatemala? 

Our four thematic groups focused on discussing: 1) safe and relevant financial inclusion for excluded populations; 2) inclusive markets and value chains; 3) institutionalization and partnerships for local development; and 4) evidence, financing, and scaling with quality. 

From Discussion to Action: Four Priorities for Scaling 

Across the four working tables, several common priorities emerged for advancing economic inclusion at scale in Guatemala. 

First, participants emphasized the need to strengthen the local ecosystem around economic inclusion in order to connect financial inclusion, entrepreneurship support, markets, public institutions, community organizations, and private-sector actors rather than addressing these areas in isolation. 

Second, the discussions highlighted the importance of institutional anchoring and coordination. Sustainable scale depends on stronger local capacities, clearer roles across institutions, and mechanisms that can continue beyond individual projects or political cycles. 

Third, participants pointed to the need for better connections between economic opportunities and the people who our economic inclusion programs aim to serve. This means developing stronger links to markets, business services, financial products, networks, and other opportunities that can support more sustainable income pathways. 

Finally, there was broad recognition that expansion must remain evidence-based and adaptive. Scaling with quality requires continued learning, strong monitoring, shared financing, and the ability to adjust approaches to different territorial realities. 

Together, these priorities suggest a shift from thinking about scale as the replication of a single program toward building a more connected and locally anchored system for economic inclusion—one in which different actors contribute complementary capacities, resources, and expertise. 

Continuing the Collaboration 

Across the four tables, one principle surfaced repeatedly: sustainable scale depends on the strength of the local system surrounding the intervention. 

Government institutions bring mandate and continuity. Municipal governments bring proximity to communities and knowledge of local realities. Civil society organizations bring implementation experience and trusted relationships. Researchers contribute evidence and learning. Financial and philanthropic actors can provide resources and investment. The private sector can connect entrepreneurs with markets and economic opportunities. 

This is where Trickle Up can play an important role as an articulating actor across the economic inclusion ecosystem, while bringing evidence and learning from our long-standing experience in implementing economic inclusion programs alongside municipalities in Guatemala. 

This recent gathering was designed as a starting point that helped surface shared priorities, complementary capacities, and concrete areas for continued collaboration. For Trickle Up, the discussion reinforced a central principle of local systems strengthening: sustainable scale depends on local systems that are stronger, better connected, and increasingly able to lead, finance, and sustain economic inclusion over time.  

Now, we have an opportunity to build on the momentum generated in the room, turning shared priorities into practical partnerships, coordinated investments, and collective action that can expand economic inclusion across Guatemala.