DFID provides financial support to community organisations in the developing world both directly and through UK civil society organisations. As the National Audit Office reported last year, DFID support to civil society organisations as a whole has grown fast since 1997, keeping track with the growing aid budget.
It is a priority for us to help build the capacity of civil society in developing countries, including community groups, to hold local and national governments to account. This is the focus of the new Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF), which will provide £100 million support over the next five years. In order to maximise local involvement and capacity building, successful applicants must grant at least 85 per cent. of their GTF funds to local partners in developing countries.
Another new approach to assisting community groups among others, while also raising levels of awareness about global issues in the UK, is the proposed Linking scheme set out in the White Paper. This proposes to support links between UK groups and counterparts in the developing world. A public consultation has just closed and DFID in now considering how to take this forward.