In 2023, the Start Network was approached by members of the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to design a locally led pooled fund in Ukraine, motivated by the fact that, despite a crisis receiving abundant funding, only 1% of humanitarian resources had reached local organisations. By 2025, the Ukraine Pooled Fund (UPF) had been launched, disbursing over £300,000 to community-based organisations across Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Volyn. These funds supported lifesaving evacuation services, water and sanitation, psychosocial support, and critical health interventions. However, the successes came after early missteps, flawed assumptions, and delays, highlighting the complexity of setting up a locally led mechanism in a high-stakes context.
During the initial DEC scoping, Daria Rybalchenko of the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development (NNLPD) had low expectations, surprised that a pooled fund recommendation was accepted. Once Start Network invited applications to host the fund, local partners encouraged NNLPD to apply, eager to collaborate on a mechanism designed to help communities anticipate the risks of war and address its consequences. Start Network’s CEO, Christina Bennett, emphasized the importance of giving Ukrainian organisations direct access to funding, noting that so little funding had historically reached local actors even in well-resourced crises.
The fund’s initial design relied on technical elements from the Start Network’s global and national pooled funds. While effective in other contexts, this approach limited innovation for Ukraine. Bennett reflected that the team missed the opportunity to co-create the fund from first principles with NNLPD and local NGOs, which could have strengthened local ownership and responsiveness. Both leaders acknowledged that the pressure to move quickly undermined relationship-building and limited the fund’s ability to adapt to challenges.
Slowing down and building trust proved essential. Once Start Network invested time in fostering strong relationships with NNLPD, operations moved faster and more effectively. Rybalchenko highlighted the need for longer, flexible funding cycles to allow innovation and learning, emphasizing that mistakes are as important as successes when reflected upon constructively. Administrative and legal hurdles imposed by other partners caused additional tension, and both leaders agreed that future funds should prioritize simplicity, proportionate due diligence, and local legal frameworks to avoid delays.
The UPF experience reshaped understanding of locally led pooled funds. Rybalchenko emphasized that international actors are most effective as resource anchors, connectors, and amplifiers of local voices rather than managers. Donors, she noted, play a critical role in normalizing shared risk and enabling local innovation. Bennett stressed that the humanitarian system must shift to allow meaningful local ownership while navigating its risk-averse, administratively complex structures.
Both leaders agreed that communities in Ukraine are ready to manage pooled funds, demonstrating resilience and adaptability under conflict conditions. Donors, however, vary in readiness, and the most impactful partners are those willing to invest in local systems, take smart risks, and support shared experimentation. The UPF highlighted the tension between efficiency and local ownership, showing that rushing to launch a fund can inadvertently slow progress. Transparency, reflection, and joint learning were among the project’s key successes, reinforcing the importance of capturing and sharing lessons.
Overall, the Ukraine Pooled Fund demonstrates that locally led humanitarian financing is both feasible and essential. Achieving its full potential requires systemic shifts in donor and international actor approaches, prioritizing local ownership, flexibility, and shared risk. Lessons from the UPF provide a roadmap for future pooled funds to deliver funding that is as local as possible, ensuring that communities most affected by crises can directly drive solutions.
