Efforts Will Promote Transparency and Sharing of Data on International Development Assistance
New York, NY — May 29, 2014. InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S. based non-governmental organizations working on international development and humanitarian assistance, and the Foundation Center, the leading authority on philanthropy, have announced a strategic partnership to promote greater visibility and understanding of global private development assistance.
Building on InterAction’s existing data sharing efforts through NGO Aid Map and the Foundation Center’s commitment to build the global data platform for philanthropy, their partnership will focus on data sharing, capacity building, and data analysis within the NGO and foundation communities. Several key priorities have been identified, including to:
- Increase the amount of publicly available information on private development assistance;
- Improve practice around data collection, management, and dissemination;
- Increase commitment to transparency and data sharing within the philanthropic and nonprofit communities; and
- Explore which factors currently drive resource allocations by nonprofits, foundations, and other relevant philanthropic actors and how better data can improve funding and programmatic decisions.
According to the Hudson Institute’s 2013 Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances, private development assistance and foreign investment now account for over 80 percent of funding going to developing countries. Private assistance, which is the portion that most resembles official aid, has historically been difficult to track. InterAction members raise $12 billion annually in global assistance. The Foundation Center’s data shows that 44 percent of international support from the largest 1,000 U.S. foundations in 2012 went to issues targeted by the Millennium Development Goals totaling $2.6 billion. Providing access to the two partners’ integrated data sets will be an important step toward shedding light on this area of activity.
“Our partnership with the Foundation Center will help us provide a more complete picture of private development projects around the world,” said Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction. “Improving access to high quality data and improving practices around transparency and data will enable better decisions to be made by the international development community — whether it’s resource allocation, programmatic directions, or strategic partnerships.”
“We want to connect NGOs and donors to the knowledge they need to strategically deploy resources where they are most needed,” said Bradford Smith, president of the Foundation Center. “The partnership also lays the groundwork for advancing and encouraging an ongoing culture of transparency in development assistance funding worldwide.”
