From Intention to Action: Practical Insights for Locally-Led Development

About the Resource

From Intention to Action takes the insights, strategies, peer exchanges, and promising practices from five sessions of collective learning and transforms them into actionable guidance for organizations working toward locally-led development. It is aimed primarily at Global North–based intermediary organizations—whether NGOs, consulting firms, funders, or faith-based organizations—that hold power in the development system and are seeking concrete ways to shift it toward local actors.

About the Learning Journey

Bridging the Gap Between Communities and Funders in Locally-Led Development brought together a cohort of Canadian international development practitioners for five interactive virtual sessions from February to April 2026. Together, participants explored how to shift power, navigate donor expectations, and design programs that genuinely centre community leadership—and co-created this resource to share their learning more broadly.