Fifteen Years in Closed Civic Spaces Yield Five Lessons for US Foundations
Work inside closed civic spaces for more than fifteen years has produced five lessons for foundations now facing similar constraints in the United States, Laura McKechnie writes in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Drawn from a major funder's experience in countries including Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Libya and Nicaragua, the lessons favor core funding, co-design with local stakeholders, flexible evaluation, legal expertise and responsive governance.
Earlier programs were designed with local officials and organizations, then frozen once awards were signed, and communities lacked full ownership. Once funding ended, the results ended with it. Consultation from the funder's chair had produced plans that lasted only as long as the money. Co-design in Vietnam, by contrast, surfaced clean water management, an issue able to clear tough government approval and still work in the community.
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review · November 3, 2026