How do you drive change in a world of chaos - when grants are vanishing, institutional funding is drying up, and philanthropic organisations are struggling to continue backing local actors?

This is the first of two special bonus episodes on decolonising philanthropy in the face of funding cuts. You’ll hear from Peace Direct staff, reflecting on the consultation we held on decolonising philanthropy, the impact of international funding cuts, and how funders could be stepping up to meet this moment.

We'll be back soon with more voices from across the sector.

Decolonising Philanthropy (2025): https://www.peacedirect.org/decolonising-philanthropy/ 

 

Open letter, Stand With Civil Society: https://www.standwithcivilsociety.org/ 

Time to Decolonise Aid (2021): https://www.peacedirect.org/time-to-decolonise-aid/ 

Speaker biographies:

Enrica Lorusso: As Senior Research Officer at Peace Direct, Enrica is responsible for leading and managing research projects, as well as coordinating with other teams within Peace Direct on research opportunities.

Sam Crocker: As Programme Development Manager at Peace Direct, Sam is responsible for liaising with institutions and trusts and foundations to secure funding for Peace Direct and our partners. 

Dylan Mathews: Dylan Mathews is CEO of Peace Direct having joined the organisation in 2015. His commitment to supporting local organisations in the global south spans almost twenty years, during which time he has worked for a range of peacebuilding, international development and humanitarian organisations.  

Our thanks to the Decolonising Wealth Project for supporting this research, to Freedom Studio for our logo, and to Louise Morris for editing and production.

The host for this episode is Jasmine Kato-Naughton, Communications Officer at Peace Direct.