Learning from Consortia
This programme aims to improve international development practice by supporting and learning with UK Aid Connect consortia.
Diverse partnerships have the potential to deliver more effective development and humanitarian programmes, while achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Learning from Consortia programme brings together 13 consortia formed by diverse organisations to facilitate collective learning and support consortia to deliver their outcomes. The programme aims to learn from their experiences and insights to draw out good practice in consortium working, as well as helping donors understand how they can best support consortia.
The programme is led by Bond and The Partnering Initiative, along with an academic advisory board. The consortia are all supported by the UK’s Aid Connect funding stream. The programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Due to the FCDO's recently announced cuts, the programme will be closing early. Read our statement here.
The consortia and their lead organisations are:
- Approaches in Complex and Challenging Environments for Sustainable Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ACCESS) – International Planned Parenthood Federation
- Advancing SRHR through the Promotion of Innovation and Resilience (ASPIRE)* – MSI Reproductive Choices
- Aswat Horra (Free Voices) – Institute of War and Peace Reporting
- Civil Society Collective – Bond
- Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) – Institute of Development Studies
- The Development Alternative – Restless Development
- Evidence and Collaboration for Inclusive Development (ECID) – Christian Aid
- Freedom of Religion or Belief Leadership Network (FoRBLN) – University of Oxford
- Inclusion Works – Sightsavers
- Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) – Leonard Cheshire
- The Partnership to End Child Exploitation (PACE)** – World Vision
- Protecting Rights, Openness and Transparency Enhancing Civic Transformation (PROTECT) – Article19
- Smart Peace – Conciliation Resources
Our research approach
The programme supports the consortia to learn, adapt and work more effectively to achieve their development outcomes. This is focusing on five themes: consortium working, gender, innovation, community engagement and value for money.
Research is conducted through an iterative and participatory process. We draw on UK Aid Connect consortia experiences to rethink models and definitions of consortia working, and to support future policy and practice. The programme team includes thematic and academic advisers who are working with the consortia throughout, helping to enhance their work while guiding their research and conducting in-depth analysis.
Resources
We’re producing reports, tools and guidance throughout the programme. Below you can find resources produced so far:
- A review of the literature on working in consortia to deliver humanitarian and development programmes. It explores the current knowledge about consortia working, and the priorities for future research.
- Two articles identifying five ways development consortia have adapted to Covid-19 and what enables them to adapt.
- An infographic presenting the ways UK Aid Connect consortia have adapted to Covid-19, and the challenges, benefits and the potential factors enabling adaptation.
- Case studies showing how the ACCESS and Inclusion Works consortia adapted and innovated to unexpected and challenging circumstances.
Events
We’re producing a series of events to share the learning and findings from the programme. Below you can find the events held so far:
- 'What can we learn about working in consortia?' explored how to co-create a consortium and how consortia can adapt to change and uncertainty across different themes.
*The ASPIRE consortium is registered with the FCDO as ‘Building resiliency and gender equality of the most marginalised communities through multi-sector approaches to delivering quality sexual and reproductive health and rights’
**The PACE consortium is registered with the FCDO as ‘Effective approaches to ending the worst forms of child labour in fragile contexts (EAPAC)’
The Learning from Consortia programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Due to the FCDO's recently announced cuts, the programme will be closing early. Read our statement here.