Woman holding and tickling a child in a food storage warehouse, both are laughing

Programme innovation

Programme innovation

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

The DEC has been working with member charities to explore different ways to promote innovation within the work we fund.

This page provides information about what innovation looks like for the DEC, what we have been funding and some of the lessons learned so far.

19 March 2025

Why the DEC IS thinking about innovation

The humanitarian sector is increasingly looking for more efficient and effective ways of working that ensure value for money and sustainable social transformation. As a funder, the DEC has multiple responsibilities in this area.

We have a responsibility to disperse funds quickly to ensure the delivery of a prompt and impactful emergency response for affected communities. There is also a responsibility to ensure that money is spent efficiently, and that programming is of high quality, relevant and effective.

This demands a close look at whether standard approaches can deliver, particularly in important areas such as accountability to affected populations and localisation. The DEC aims to model and facilitate better ways of working within the sector, particularly in terms of how, what and who we fund.

Through integrating innovation into our work, the DEC gives member charities and their local partners the space to experiment with new ways of working, driven by staff on the ground and communities’ needs. Taking an innovative approach also provides the opportunity, and dedicated resources, for DEC member charities to think more long-term, invest in research and learning, and work towards systems level change.  

Maks*, a child from Ukraine, develops his programming skills on a robot at a Digital Learning Centre in a library in Poland, on 5th October 2022.

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What is innovation?

A common misconception is that innovation only relates to specific types of programming – notably technology – and has limited relevance outside of the ‘for-profit’ sector.

In fact, innovation is a process that can be used by anyone to develop new and improved ways of working, in order to effect positive change within an individual programme, organisation, system or even sector.

Key components of the innovation process include challenging business-as-usual approaches, investing in learning and building evidence on what does and does not work, to improve efficiency, efficacy and impact.

A Dual Approach

To balance the multiple demands of delivering impactful emergency projects quickly, while harnessing innovation to test and develop quality programming for long-term change, the DEC has developed a ‘dual approach’.  

 The two strands of the approach, Engine 1 and Engine 2, run in parallel. As in a hybrid car, one engine works in a traditional way, and the second engine takes a new approach:

  • Engine 1

    A rapid response based on tried and tested, standard approaches to delivering aid (cash transfers, food, clothes, access to housing etc).

  • Engine 2

    A smart response that focuses on new approaches, innovation, system strengthening and longer-term change. 

The innovative strand, Engine 2, through Collective Initiatives mainly, allows greater flexibility in terms of the activities that can be funded and the opportunity for collaboration, collective work and new partnerships. 

Examples of activities include research, capacity strengthening and system strengthening to address the following key areas: 

  • Accountability to Affected Populations
  • Localisation
  • Safeguarding

The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal was the first of the DEC’s appeals to put the dual approach into practice, followed by the Turkey Syria Earthquake Appeal.

FOCUS AREA: LOCALISATION

The process of shifting funding, decision-making power and leadership to locally-led organisations and people affected by crisis in all phases of humanitarian action.

Olena, from Christian Aid's local partner, Heritage Ukraine, joins a psychological support session for female residents of a small village in Eastern Ukraine, on 14 June, 2024. Image: Katya Moskalyuk/DEC

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Sustainable Humanitarian Innovation for Transformation (SHIFT) 

SHIFT was created in March 2022 as an Engine 2 initiative under the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and later expanded to the Turkey-Syria Earthquake response. It brings together a group of new and existing Save the Children initiatives and partners focused on promoting positive, systems level change (transformation) within humanitarian response, through:  

  • Applying innovative approaches to supporting local solutions 
  • Focusing on localisation and capacity strengthening 
  • Providing access to robust, locally led research, analysis and data 
  • Empowering diverse actors within the humanitarian eco-system

Recent research supported by SHIFT notably include:

When working in crisis becomes daily life: Local organisations in Poland

The role of Ukrainian women-led organisations in humanitarian action in Ukraine and Poland 2022-24 

Empowering youth in humanitarian action in Ukraine

Beyond protection: Designing intersectional humanitarian response to LGBTQI+ displacement in Poland

DEC funding for SHIFT ended in July 2025. Online information and access to learning resources remain available on the Humanitarian Leadership Academy website. 

Find out more

Busy aid workers at JRS's centre for refugees from Ukraine in Bucharest, Romania. Local partner of DEC charity CAFOD, JRS provides legal advice on rights and obligations as migrants, as well as other services. Image: Adrian Catu/DEC

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What is Due Diligence?

The process of assessing risks and ensuring compliance with legal and ethical norms and principles in the activities of humanitarian organisations. This process aims to ensure transparency, efficiency and trust in the work of humanitarian organisations, as well as to reduce risks for employees, recipients and partners of the organisation.

Due Diligence and Cash Capacity Harmonisation Project 

This initiative led by the Collaborative Cash Delivery Network (CCD), was created to address the need for simplified due diligence processes that allow local actors in humanitarian response more equitable access to funding.

The project sought to build upon previous work by organisations such as Start Network, to address inefficient and duplicative due diligence and cash capacity assessment processes, by trialling different approaches.  

The aim was to create a harmonised due diligence tool that would be used by multiple agencies. This would save time and resources for local NGOs by reducing the number of different formats they needed to fill in, and could ultimately pave the way for ‘passporting’ of due diligence approval - where one NGO agrees to accept the due diligence carried out by another, rather than conducting their own.  

The project began with a review of the due diligence processes of 5 INGOs across their responses in Turkey, Syria and Ukraine, in addition to an assessment of local partner needs. A due diligence assessment tool was then developed and piloted by two out of an original five target INGOs (Concern and World Vision) - in Ukraine (Concern), and in Moldova and Northwest Syria (World Vision).

Concern Worldwide are now incorporating the tool into their ongoing work on Due Diligence Passporting, along with the 'Alliance 2015' network of NGOs, and the tool has been shared with the Ukraine Humanitarian Forum to support their (DEC-funded) due diligence project in Ukraine.

Find out more.

 DEC-funded cash vouchers via Age International's local partner HelpAge International in Moldova, on August 2022. Image: Andreea / Câmpeanu / DEC

Due Diligence Community of Practice (CoP)

This initiative was born from the Due Diligence and Cash Capacity Harmonisation Project, with key inputs from other DEC-funded projects under the Collective Initiatives umbrella. This includes projects led by Christian Aid, by the Ukraine Humanitarian NGO Forum and Action Aid, as well as support from Concern Worldwide.

It consists of a group of international and local NGOs who have come together with the aim of improving alignment, facilitating knowledge sharing and reducing duplication of effort related to due diligence requirements.

The CoP is hosted by ICVA, with Save the Children playing a co-hosting role, and has the ultimate goal of effecting systems level reform to simplify currently inefficient due diligence processes.  

For more information contact Laura Gordon (l.gordon@savethechildren.org.uk)


 

Due Diligence Harmonisation Initiative

The aim of this initiative, led by Action Aid, is to assess the Due Diligence context in Ukraine (including the legal environment, country-specific rules and issues) through consultations with donors, INGOs and local organisations.

Mindful that different entities across the Ukraine response are looking at due diligence mechanisms, the initiative is also mapping existing reports and analyses at country level, in order to avoid duplication and collate information that may not have been shared between organisations and networks.

Educational activities with girls from Ukraine in Moldova, on August 2022. Image: Andreea Câmpeanu/DEC


 

Streamlining Due Diligence and Boosting Local Visibility in Ukraine

Christian Aid partnered with Philanthropy in Ukraine (PIU) to launch an innovative online platform designed to make it easier for Ukrainian local and national NGOs to access funding. In a context where complex due diligence processes often prevent smaller organisations from engaging with donors, the platform offers a simplified, contextualised verification system, tailored specifically for Ukraine’s civil society.

By the end of the project, over 160 organisations had registered, with 67 completing the full verification process. The platform also includes capacity-building resources, downloadable policy templates, and interactive training such as the NGO 360° course and a national fundraising conference. These efforts reached more than 380 civil society representatives.

PIU is now providing due diligence services for major funding mechanisms like the €10 million Help Localisation Facility, helping verified NGOs access direct funding. They are also exploring passporting systems to reduce duplication in donor requirements, a key ask from Ukrainian NGOs.

Beyond the platform, the initiative contributed to wider sector reform efforts, including support to the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) Community of Practice on Due Diligence, helping to influence global conversations on locally led humanitarian action.

Explore the page:

For more information, visit www.philanthropy.org.ua. The platform includes a searchable database of verified Ukrainian organisations, resources for NGOs and donors, and up-to-date news and research on Ukraine’s civil society.

Local Pooled Funds

Flexible Funding for Women’s Rights Organisations in Ukraine 

Partners: Oxfam and Water Aid

The Women’s Humanitarian Leadership Fund (WHLF) provides flexible funding to Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs) in Ukraine. Through tailored grants and capacity-strengthening support, the initiative helps WROs respond to humanitarian needs while investing in their own sustainability, leadership, and resilience.

Since early 2025, Oxfam and ActionAid have supported 12 diverse WROs—including organisations working with Roma women, LGBTQIA+ communities, women with disabilities, survivors of violence, and rural women—through flexible funding and accompaniment. These WROs are using funds to cover core costs, strengthen internal systems, and advance community-led responses shaped by lived experience. 

The WHLF is inspired by Oxfam’s Women’s Rights Fund (WRF), a feminist funding initiative developed in other contexts, which was recently recognised as the Overall Winner and Best International Aid & Development Programme at the 2025 UK Charity Awards. The judges described the WRF as “a radical shake-up” and highlighted its potential to catalyse sector-wide change by shifting power to grassroots women’s rights organisations. This external recognition affirms the relevance of feminist funding models and reinforces the decision to adapt the approach to Ukraine’s humanitarian context.

The initiative models a more equitable way of partnering: simplifying due diligence, reducing reporting burdens, and shifting decision-making power to local feminist actors. A tailored capacity-strengthening programme is also underway, co-designed with the Gender Bureau, focusing on leadership, MEAL, finance, safeguarding, and well-being.

“This is the first time we’ve been trusted to decide for ourselves. We can finally invest in our team, our systems, and our future, not just project outputs.” - Representative from I CAN, Kharkiv-based WRO

A joint learning agenda is embedded across the project, generating evidence on the value of flexible funding, feminist partnership models, and power-sharing in crisis settings. In a shrinking funding environment, WHLF is helping WROs not only survive, but lead. 

Ukraine Local Pooled Fund Pilot with Tiered Due Diligence

Partners: Start Network (hosted by NNLPD)

Born out of DEC’s localisation scoping review and civil society advocacy, this pilot initiative set out to design and test a locally led pooled funding mechanism for Ukraine — one that enables small and emerging humanitarian organisations to access funds through a reduced and tiered due diligence system.

The fund was hosted by the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development (NNLPD) and co-designed with over 70 Ukrainian civil society actors. Applications were reviewed by a roster of national experts, with 100% of funding awarded directly to local NGOs for humanitarian responses such as hygiene support, mental health services, housing, and education for children.

The due diligence approach, adapted from the Start Network’s framework, avoided binary “pass/fail” models and instead offered organisational strengthening grants to partners who didn’t yet meet compliance thresholds. The process helped identify areas for growth, with some organisations using the opportunity to develop policies, risk strategies, or advocacy plans.

“It was the first time we were invited to shape not just our own project, but the fund itself. That kind of trust is rare.” Ukrainian civil society participant, co-design workshop

Although the pilot faced delays, it successfully demonstrated that local actors can design, manage, and deliver pooled funding, setting the groundwork for a Ukrainian-led model that challenges international norms in humanitarian financing.” 

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Focus Area: Accountability to Affected Populations

The active commitment to use power responsibly by taking account of, giving account to, and being held to account by the people humanitarian organisations seek to assist. The overall aim is to allow affected populations to shape the aid they recive.

Women take part in a psychological support session in their village's new community centre in Eastern Ukraine, on 14 June, 2024. Image: Katya Moskalyuk/DEC

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CCEA in the Ukraine Humanitarian Response

CCEA is Collective Action on Communication, Community Engagement, and Accountability.

Effective communication is a lifeline in times of crisis. In the early stages of the Ukraine conflict affected populations reported that information was more of a priority for them than food and shelter. However, information-sharing between large global and smaller local humanitarian actors at the beginning of the response was poor, and many local groups did not have the up-to-date information they needed for aid recipients.

Noting the need for clear and effective communication, community engagement and accountability (CCEA), this region-wide project by the CDAC Network focused on system level change - moving away from limited, one-way communication towards two-way dialogue and community engagement across the Ukraine humanitarian response. The objective of this work was to enable the co-creation of a more locally led, cost effective and impactful response that is accountable to affected populations. 

DEC funding for CDAC ended in July 2023. The Ukraine resource portal remains accessible online.

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Ground Truth Solutions

Due to its scale and rapid onset, independent data was lacking in the initial phases of the Ukraine humanitarian response. A large-scale needs assessment exercise had not been undertaken and efforts to engage communities at scale were limited.  

In June 2022, the DEC commissioned the NGO Ground Truth Solutions, to work on the Ground Truth Solutions Perceptions of Aid study, as a shared service for members and their partners. The study provided real time evidence of the needs and experiences of aid recipients. This enabled aid providers to make evidence-based decisions and tailor their programmes. A summary of key findings can be found in the Evidence & Learning section of this page.

Ground Truth Solutions also worked with the Collaborative Cash Delivery Network on the specific experiences of cash recipients.

A locally informed humanitarian response: Insights from Ukraine arrow

Focus area: Safeguarding

The responsibility that organisations have to make sure their staff, operations, and programmes do no harm to children and vulnerable adults, and that they do not expose them to the risk of harm and abuse. Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and protection come under this umbrella term.

Yana* a refugee from Ukraine living in Poland, attends a school setup by the Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation on 5th October, 2022. Image: Paul Wu/DEC

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Empowering Schools: Child Protection and Safeguarding for children and adolescents

Partners: Plan International UK, World Vision & Child Rights Information Centre

This initiative aims to enhance the understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding in schools in Moldova, including updating and adapting their referral pathways, mechanisms, policies, and procedures. The initiative is also fostering collaboration between schools, service providers (health, psycho-social support, etc.), and local authorities, to create a vibrant and functional network and ensure students from both Ukraine and Moldova benefit from a safer and more inclusive educational environment.

Safeguarding Hub Eastern Europe 

This initiative is a resource for organisations and individuals responding to the conflict in Ukraine, providing practical and accessible safeguarding resources that aim to reduce harm to refugees and displaced people.

DEC funding for the Safeguarding Hub ended in 2023. Practical and manageable steps to ensure safeguarding measures are in place are proposed in the Safeguarding Essentials for Eastern Europe pack.

Eastern Europe Hub: What is safeguarding? arrow

Focus Area: Capacity Strengthening

Activities or other types of support provided with the aim of strengthening the knowledge, ability, skills and expertise of individuals or teams in certain areas of their work, in order to help them achieve their goals.

Students practice professional manicuring techniques during a vocational training class supported by Oxfam’s local partner Shchedryk, in Ukraine 15th June, 2024. Image: Katya Moskalyuk/DEC

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Shifting power to local actors

This initiative seeks to address the root causes of obstacles for local civil society actors in Ukraine to grow, through a capacity strengthening approach that goes beyond buzzwords like ‘participation’ and is instead partner-developed, partner-driven, and partner-led.

It focuses on increasing local capacity building and learning, through training of trainers, peer to peer learning and small-scale grants. Topics for the training of trainers are selected by partners and the community of local responders who have been at the forefront of the Ukraine response. To foster local solutions coming from local actors themselves, the initiative includes a peer-to-peer learning forum with representatives from civil society hosting capacity sharing sessions for small-scale and grassroots civil society organisations.

Partners: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Age International, STAN and Pomogaem

Ivanna* takes part in a psychological support session at community centre 14 June, 2024. Image: Katya Moskalyuk/DEC

Pathway to Practitioner: Building Local Capacity for Trauma-Informed Support

Partners: CAFOD, Christian Aid, Depaul, Alliance for Public Health, NGO Resource Centre

As Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis evolves, local responders face growing demand for long-term, person-centred care. Pathway to Practitioner equips Ukrainian humanitarians with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to provide trauma-informed, sustainable support to people affected by war, displacement, and chronic stress.

Since launching in late 2023, the initiative has trained over 130 practitioners across four cities through an intensive modular course. Co-developed with Ukrainian trainers and psychosocial specialists, the programme combines global best practices with culturally grounded approaches to care. A digital learning platform now supports blended learning, peer exchange, and ongoing reflection.

Participants report increased confidence and skills in listening, responding to trauma, and recognising secondary stress in themselves and others. The programme also supported organisations to embed person-centred approaches into their wider practice, from safeguarding to frontline services.

“This course helped us feel less alone. It gave us a community, a language, and practical ways to care, for others and ourselves.” Course participant, Lviv

A final learning report and toolkit will be shared sector-wide to inform future localisation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) initiatives in Ukraine and beyond. 

Strengthening local response capacities

Partners: ActionAid and Plan International, National Youth Foundation (FNT) and the Association for Development through Education, Information and Support (DEIS)

In response to the displacement crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, this initiative focused on strengthening the capacities of youth-led and youth-serving organisations in Romania, supporting them to lead inclusive, sustainable humanitarian action.

Through a series of targeted activities, the programme supported 18 local CSOs and informal youth groups with flexible microgrants, mentorship, and tailored training. Topics included financial management, safeguarding, psychosocial first aid, and working with displaced communities. A network of trained peer mentors was formed to promote sustainability and leadership within the youth sector.

A Political Economy Analysis and national consultations with over 50 stakeholders mapped civil society actors, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening youth-led response capacity. The project also delivered mental health and wellbeing support for NGO staff and volunteers, an urgent need highlighted by participating organisations.

“The project gave us more than funding; it gave us a sense of belonging and a stronger voice in the humanitarian space.” - Participant, youth-led organisation in Romania

The initiative has laid the groundwork for longer-term investment in youth-led leadership and offers a model for inclusive localisation in border countries hosting displaced Ukrainians. 

Oleksandr* and 13 year-old Bogdan* are preparing muffins at a bakery class at Happy Bubble centre in Bucharest, 2022. Image Adrian Catu/DEC

evidence and learning: Dec funded learning & research

Mavka* helps her daughter, Olesia* with her homework in a public bomb shelter in Kharkiv, 2022. Image: Maciek Musialek/DEC

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Ground Truth Solutions: Listening to People Affected by the Crisis


Partner: Ground Truth Solutions

Ground Truth Solutions has been gathering feedback from people affected by the war in Ukraine to ensure their voices shape humanitarian action. Since the early months of the crisis, their perception studies have highlighted key concerns and suggested improvements for a more inclusive, responsive, and locally informed humanitarian response.

Findings from their latest research (2023–2024) in Ukraine and neighbouring countries (Poland, Moldova, Romania) show that while many people are broadly satisfied that aid meets their basic needs, significant challenges remain:

  • Lack of information: Many people don’t feel well informed about what aid is available or how to access it. They call for a more proactive, transparent, and localised flow of information, using diverse communication channels.
     
  • Limited consultation: Communities report being insufficiently involved in decisions that affect them. People want their specific needs to be better understood and reflected in aid responses.
     
  • Barriers to feedback: A significant number of people do not know how to give feedback, don’t trust existing mechanisms, or fear retaliation. There is a strong demand for more accessible, safer, and more trusted ways to speak up.
     
  • Exclusion of vulnerable groups: Older people, people with disabilities, and those in remote areas often face difficulties accessing aid. Respondents suggested practical solutions such as home delivery, support in completing applications, and partnerships with specialist organisations.
     
  • Call for local leadership: Local organisations and volunteer groups in Ukraine stressed the importance of decentralising aid coordination and simplifying application processes. They want more trust, transparency, and long-term support to lead humanitarian work in their own communities.
     
  • Refugee experiences: Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries shared feelings of gratitude but also highlighted challenges — from poor shelter conditions and complex registration processes to discrimination and language barriers. Many expressed shame in having to ask for help.
     
This ongoing research provides crucial evidence to help aid agencies and donors centre the perspectives of affected people and shift power to local actors.

Read the full findings and insights. 

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Refugee Integration through Support and Employment (RISE)

Partners: International Rescue Committee and Save the Children  

At the beginning of the conflict the majority of refugees from Ukraine reported that they planned to return. Almost three years later, the percentage of refugees wishing to return to Ukraine has significantly decreased. Looking at social and economic integration is therefore becoming increasingly important, including the need to secure access to sustainable livelihoods.

Refugees face multiple barriers to finding sustainable employment in their host country, including lack of language proficiency, caregivers’ responsibilities, skills mismatch, limited or no procedures for skills recognition, limited information on employment policies, and the lack of social and financial capital, among others.

The overall objective of this initiative is to assess the barriers and ways forward for refugees from Ukraine, with a particular focus on refugee youth, to access sustainable livelihood opportunities in Poland, through employment or through running their own businesses.

Results to be shared later in 2025

Navigating Mental Health Challenges and Support for Ukrainian Men and Boys

Partners: Plan International, Care International & FONPC Romania (Federation of non-government organisations for children).

Young people impacted by the war in Ukraine have spoken about the gendered impact of the conflict, and the toll it has taken on both women and girls, and men and boys. Meanwhile, key findings from a 2023 study on various worldwide military conflicts showed that there is a clear lack of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programming that targets the needs of conflict-affected men. The study concluded that male trauma and its implications for individuals and communities must be better understood to inform treatments and efforts must be made to reduce stigma.  

This research study aims to better understand the mental health needs of men and boys in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova - including their experience of access and barriers to MHPSS services - and to provide actionable recommendations for government, civil society and service providers to better address those needs.  

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Plan International: Navigating mental health challenges for boys and young men report arrow

Key Terms

Adaptation

Adaptation involves matching a solution to a problem and context, identifying the changes that are required, then implementing and testing those changes. 

Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA)

The direct provision of cash transfers and/or vouchers for goods or services to individuals, households, or group/community recipients. In the context of humanitarian response, CVA excludes payments to governments or other state actors, remittances, service provider stipends, microfinance and other forms of savings and loans.

Communication, community engagement and accountability (CCEA)

An area of humanitarian action based on the principle that communication is aid. CCEA gives priority to sharing lifesaving, actionable information with people affected by disaster using two-way communication channels so aid providers listen to and act on people’s needs, suggested solutions, feedback and complaints, and people receiving assistance have a say in and lead decisions that affect them. It also prioritises keeping people in crisis connected with each other and the outside world.

Data Governance

The processes and policies for managing and using data. Think of it as how decisions are made about data sharing that not solely about technology.

Data interoperability

The ability of two or more computer systems to exchange understand, and use data from each other without any errors or inconsistencies. It involves using common standards, file formats, and protocols for data exchange. This term is often used in the context of cash and voucher assistance. 

Data portability

Data portability refers to the ability of individuals to move their personal data from one platform or organisation to another in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

Group Cash Transfers (GCTs)

An approach to provide resources in the form of cash for selected groups to implement projects that benefit either a sub-section of the community, or the community at large. GCT is a type of response that seeks to transfer power to crisis-affected populations (typically delimited by geographical location) or community groups to respond to their own needs and priorities.

Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)

Transfers (either periodic or one-off) corresponding to the amount of money required to cover, fully or partially, a household’s basic and/or recovery needs that can be monetized and purchased. Cash transfers are “multi-purpose” if explicitly designed to address multiple needs, with the transfer value calculated accordingly.

Proof of concept

Preliminary evidence, typically based on a pilot, which demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of a solution in addressing the problem it is trying to solve. 

Sustainability

In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Transformative

Can refer to an activity, action, process or programme that results in system-wide (positive) change.