THE REFORM AGENDA
The twelve shifts below reflect our current reading of where meaningful change is needed, and where we feel called to contribute at this point in our journey. They are not an exhaustive account of everything that must change — the reform landscape extends into humanitarian financing, global economic structures, taxation, debt, trade, technology governance, data rights, research systems, public policy and global governance. This is simply where we are beginning.
PRA's contribution is deliberately bounded. The agenda is not.
Philanthropy, development and humanitarian action have evolved through decades of practice, learning and institutional investment. They have enabled important work and contributed to significant social progress.
They have also inherited structures, assumptions and incentives shaped by particular histories — colonial relationships, unequal distributions of wealth and power, and established ideas about whose knowledge matters, who is best placed to lead, and how change should happen.
We believe the next chapter of reform requires greater attention to power, capital, relationships, knowledge, impact, agency, and the structures that connect them.
Some are areas where PRA is actively building. Others are emerging areas of exploration. Some require leadership from actors beyond PRA.
How to engage with this Agenda
● ACTIVE CONTRIBUTION
Where PRA is currently building, testing or implementing approaches.
◐ EMERGING CONTRIBUTION
Where we are exploring questions through learning, relationships, research or early experiments.
○ WIDER REFORM HORIZON
Where we believe change matters, but where PRA is not currently positioned to lead.
At a glance
Power & decision-making
● Active contribution
Philanthropic philosophy & capital stewardship
● Active contribution
Risk, due diligence & accountability
◐ Emerging Contribution
Partnerships & technical assistance
● Active contribution
Knowledge, evidence & learning
◐ Emerging Contribution
How impact is understood & measured
◐ Emerging Contribution
Localisation & the role of international actors
● Active contribution
Decolonising development practice
● Core to PRA's approach
Community agency & ownership
● Active contribution
Narratives, representation & recognition
◐ Emerging Contribution
Humanitarian & development systems
○ WIDER REFORM HORIZON
The systems around development
○ WIDER REFORM HORIZON
Explore the detailed agenda
Reform does not belong to one organisation. The shifts we have outlined are larger than PRA. Some are already being explored by organisations, movements, funders, researchers and communities around the world. Others are still waiting for people willing to ask better questions and experiment with different possibilities.
ReadJOIN THE REFORM CONVERSATION
Perhaps you are a funder reconsidering how capital moves.
Perhaps you are an INGO rethinking its role.
Perhaps you are a local organisation navigating systems that were not designed with your context in mind.
Perhaps you are a researcher questioning whose knowledge counts.
Perhaps you are already building an alternative we have not yet encountered.
By endorsing the agenda, you are saying: “I recognise the need to rethink how philanthropy, development and humanitarian action is practised, and I am willing to contribute to this reform journey.”
ENDORSE THE REFORM AGENDAFor practitioners ready to question and unlearn. Join PRA's learning spaces, conversations and Collaborative Unlearning journeys.
ExplorePartner with PRA to explore new approaches to accompaniment, locally led practice, trust-based financing, knowledge and collective learning.
ExploreFor people already building change. Join a growing network of funders, practitioners, researchers, community organisations and others asking similar questions, and discover where your work might connect with others.
Join