In the first six months of the U.K.‘s new coalition government, the country’s direction on international development funding has been made crystal clear. “Value for money,” a watchword carried over from the Conservative Party manifesto, has been trumpeted at every opportunity by ministers and officials, together with an emphasis on greater transparency and accountability.
>> Nick Clegg, Andrew Mitchell Unveil DfID Aid Priorities
This month will see the first concrete evidence of how these policies will affect the non-governmental sector, as the first round of major funding decisions are finalized and a new fund, tightly targeted toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, is opened for bids. It is already clear that future funding will involve higher levels of competition and the closer monitoring of results than NGOs have been used to. Bids from outside the U.K. will be more actively encouraged.