Locally led development
Thematic page with insights, experiences, and materials to help you create more sustainable interventions in the world.
Why are we talking about locally led development?
Locally led development is a cornerstone for creating sustainable interventions. First and foremost, it is about respect, dignity, and equality. But it is also about ownership of the processes of change we want to set in motion.
For CISU, it is crucial that the interventions initiated in civil society partnerships are created with strong ownership among the people whose lives and daily realities they concern. This contributes to strengthening civil society – both in Denmark and across the world.
That is why CISU works to integrate locally led development into the approaches we support, which is why the principles of locally led development are now embedded in the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund. At the same time, we also work politically to secure the best framework conditions to enable us to support interventions that are as long-term and sustainable as possible.
Sustainable interventions can take many different forms, and there is no standardized approach to implementing the principles of locally led development in your interventions. At CISU, however, we have developed a number of Tool Papers that can help to put words and actions to how locally led development can be created and take shape. At the same time, we are continuously seeking out new knowledge and sharing experiences from existing grants so that we can collectively learn more about developing sustainable interventions.
On this page, you can dive deeper into the principles behind locally led development. We have gathered all of CISU’s materials and knowledge on locally led development here, as well as a knowledge bank with articles, cases, inspiration, and useful tips on how it can become a stronger approach in civil society collaboration worldwide.
If you have questions about the content of this page or good tips or additions to our knowledge bank, you are always welcome to contact us.
Locally led development and the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund
In 2025, the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund were revised with an even stronger focus on integrating the principles of locally led development. Applying partnerships are encouraged to base their work on a stronger relationship with the communities and target groups whose experiences and development challenges are central to the planned intervention.
Locally led development is particularly central for applicants to Programmes and is included in several of the assessment criteria for this funding modality, as described in the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund.
In CISU’s Tool Paper “How to implement a locally led development mindset in shaping a programme strategy”, it is described how organisations can apply the principles of locally led development in developing sustainable interventions, specifically targeting applicants to the Programme funding modality.
Knowledge bank for locally led development
Below we have gathered a number of Tool Papers, documents, links, presentations, and useful tips to inspire your work with sustainable interventions. Our knowledge bank will continuously be updated with new content, and we are always open to you sharing your input and experiences that can contribute to the work of civil society organisations.
