Driving Local Leadership

Our mission

We dismantle the barriers between local organisations and sustainable funding by decoding donor systems, advocating for direct funding, and shifting power from intermediaries to local actors.

Our vision

We envision a humanitarian and development system where local leadership drives resilience, peace, and inclusive growth. Local organisations are equipped with the resources and recognition they need to provide bottom-up solutions that last. Because they are the ones who stay when the international community moves on.

MatchLocal is an independent non-profit organisation based in Berlin, founded to make localisation a tangible reality. Our work focuses on bridging the gap between local actors and donors by combining advocacy with hands-on organisational support.

We believe that localisation is not just about shifting funding flows, but about transforming power dynamics. Local organisations that are rooted in their communities bring legitimacy, context knowledge, and long-term commitment that external actors cannot replicate. Supporting them means strengthening societies from within.

At MatchLocal, we are committed to advancing a humanitarian and development system that is more equitable, more sustainable, and more effective.

  • Decode donor systems so local organisations can access funding opportunities without being excluded by technical barriers

  • Strengthen institutional and organisational capacities through participatory workshops, mentoring, and toolkits that respond to local priorities

  • Advocate for direct and flexible funding to reduce dependency on intermediaries and ensure sustainable impact

  • Foster peer-to-peer networks and consortia that allow local organisations to share knowledge, pool resources, and distribute risks more fairly

Through our work, we…