Nongovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, and charities have long been important partners to the United Kingdom Department for International Development, as well as implementers of its programs. As a result, the market for DFID funds among these organizations — not to mention competition from the private sector, academia, and elsewhere — is fierce.
2017 was a strong year for NGOs, CSOs, and charities (henceforth simply “NGOs”), which received 1.175 billion British pounds ($1.62 billion) for their work on ongoing DFID programs, a 20 percent increase from the amount they received in 2016. They also beat out competition in the private sector, which received a total of 1.029 billion pounds in 2017.
However, it stands to be seen whether this strong performance will continue, especially as the humanitarian aid sector is rocked by allegations of “systemic” sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Many of the organizations in this list are themselves implicated in the allegations. Oxfam, for one, has elected to withdraw from bidding for DFID-funded opportunities until the agency is satisfied that it can “meet the high standards expected of our [DFID’s] partners.”