Another year marked strong momentum and impact for Bond’s working groups, as more than 1,600 members from over 300 organisations collaborated to influence policy, strengthen advocacy, share learning and develop practical tools for the sector. Against a backdrop of political shifts, aid cuts and growing humanitarian crises, these groups continued to provide spaces for coordination and collective action, helping organisations adapt while supporting marginalised communities affected by poverty, conflict and climate change across low- and middle-income countries.
Across thematic areas, working groups played a central role in shaping policy debates and responding to funding and geopolitical pressures. Child rights members focused on protecting children amid UK aid cuts, contributing to policy briefings, engaging with FCDO priorities and strengthening joint advocacy, while planning a more strategic and participatory approach for the coming year. Communications specialists created trusted peer spaces to reflect on organisational change, rebranding, wellbeing and anti-racism, with a strong emphasis on practical learning during uncertainty and future engagement on social justice narratives.
The Conflict Policy Group worked intensively to make the case for conflict prevention and peacebuilding at a time of shrinking resources, engaging with the National Security Strategy process, mobilising high-level advocacy through parliament and national media, and laying the groundwork for a renewed campaign supported by updated evidence and communications. In parallel, the Disability and Development Group maintained sustained engagement with ministers and parliamentarians to ensure disability inclusion remained central to UK development policy, contributed to parliamentary inquiries, launched new research on disability and climate justice, and reinforced sector-wide commitments through coordinated advocacy.
New and evolving spaces for collaboration also emerged, including the Faith in Development Group, which was launched to better articulate and evidence the value of faith actors in development. Through parliamentary engagement and member-led learning, the group highlighted faith-based organisations as trusted, embedded partners and began developing a value proposition and theory of change to strengthen recognition and collaboration across the sector in the years ahead.
On the financing front, the Funding Working Group supported organisations navigating a rapidly changing funding landscape through learning on multilateral development banks, participatory grant-making, fair overheads, due diligence reform and impact investing. These discussions helped members explore diversification strategies and practical responses to funding shocks, while maintaining engagement with FCDO and other donors on sustainable financing practices.
Humanitarian actors, meanwhile, worked collectively to respond to escalating violence, climate shocks and aid cuts that are undermining respect for international humanitarian law. Through deep dives with FCDO, local NGOs and academic partners, the Humanitarian Working Group contributed to UK humanitarian reform thinking, advanced localisation debates and highlighted how cuts affect critical coordination and protection systems in crisis settings.
The Impact Investing Group complemented this work by building member confidence in innovative finance, exploring real-world case studies, organisational readiness and blended finance models. Its sessions helped shift thinking from traditional grants towards investment approaches that combine financial sustainability with social and environmental impact, setting the stage for deeper market engagement in 2026.
Finally, cross-cutting capacity-building continued through groups such as Project Management and Sanctions and Counter-Terrorism. Project management practitioners revived peer learning around adaptive management, MEL, AI and career development, while the sanctions group worked closely with government and financial institutions to reduce regulatory barriers, strengthen humanitarian exemptions and ensure compliance frameworks do not obstruct legitimate aid and peacebuilding work. Together, Bond’s working groups demonstrated the sector’s ability to collaborate, adapt and advocate effectively despite mounting global and domestic challenges.
