Dear colleagues,
Once again, we are delighted to offer you, our 4,200+ members, the latest news about SCoP activities and other exciting scaling news you have shared with us. This cover letter provides an update on some recent developments regarding the SCoP and on progress with our flagship action-research initiative on Mainstreaming Scaling in Funder Organizations.
Institutional Transition of the SCoP
As we previously informed you, we have been pursuing options for establishing the SCoP on a more formal and sustainable organizational footing than is currently the case. After having made some progress with Results for Development (R4D) in developing possible hosting arrangements, R4D’s management informed us that regrettably they were unable to proceed due to internal constraints.
With the encouragement from our Executive Committee, we are now focusing on five interlocking priorities for establishing the SCoP on a more formal, sustainable footing: (i) leadership, (ii) business model and plan; (iii) organizational platform; (iv) funding; and (v) governance. Any ideas will be much appreciated on how we can best raise critical core resources needed to continue providing the public good of an effective scaling knowledge and advocacy network.
Mainstreaming Scaling in Funder Organizations
In June 2024, we posted the Interim Synthesis Report for the Mainstreaming Initiative. It compiles and analyzes the experience from 13 collaborative case studies for a wide range of funder partners, including bilateral and multilateral official funders, foundations, challenge funds, and large international operating NGOs. In addition, we issued a Policy Brief that summarizes the key lessons for funders wishing to mainstream scaling into their operating practices. We also produced – and recently updated – a companion document on Scaling Fundamentals, which brings together different strands of the scaling literature and practice in a holistic approach to scaling that funders and their development partners can draw upon.
We are launching a series of dissemination events highlighting this work, starting with an open-enrollment hybrid event at SID on December 3rd. This open-to-the-public event will showcase findings from the Interim Synthesis Report and looks behind the veil at how the policies and practices of leading development funders support– or impede — sustainable scaling to achieve SDG and Paris Accord outcomes. The session will draw on findings from these and on-going in-depth case studies including bilateral and multilateral funders – AFD, GIZ and USAID; AfDB, IDB and the World Bank — along with a variety of research funders, vertical funds, INGOs and foundations. The 90-minute session will include significant time for Q&A with the live audience, and there will be a moderated discussion in the Chat for those participating online.
Work under the Mainstreaming Initiative will continue for another twelve months. We expect to carry out additional case studies, with a special focus on foundations and on funders supporting health sector interventions. We will complement this work with an analysis of the recipient experience, a review of the evaluation approaches of official funders, and with the preparation of a “mainstreaming tracker” tool that will allow funders to assess their mainstreaming progress. We plan to assemble the final conclusions of the Mainstreaming Initiative by June 2025 and then follow up with an aggressive dissemination and outreach program.
Annual Forum 2025
We expect to hold our next Annual Forum in the early summer of the fall of 2025. As preparations for this event proceed, we will keep you informed and seek your guidance.
