Oxfam International Addresses Humanitarian Funding Challenges with Emergency Response Fund Agility Program
Oxfam International has launched the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) Agility program to address significant challenges in humanitarian funding and leadership for local actors. The program, initiated in 2021, aims to provide nimble funds for rapid responses to crises, particularly in underfunded and overlooked emergencies. A key issue identified is that only 8.7% of humanitarian funding reaches local responders, largely due to a 'colonial aid system' that imposes complex compliance requirements on local, often Southern-based, organizations. For instance, a local partner in Bangladesh noted that government approvals, external audits, and various taxes make it too costly and time-consuming to accept small grants directly. Similarly, an Oxfam colleague highlighted that donors are often unable to directly fund local partners lacking a 501(c)(3) certificate, a U.S. Internal Revenue Service document recognizing tax-exempt non-profit status. The ERF Agility program was piloted in Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, and Uganda,...
