Why the World Needs a Funder Standard
For decades, the international development sector has demanded accountability from grantees. B-Givers Certified asks the same of funders.
Rooted in the Paris Declaration
In 2005, more than 100 governments and development organizations signed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness — a landmark global agreement that established five principles for how international development funding should work: ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for results, and mutual accountability.
Two decades later, the principles remain as relevant as ever — but their application at the organizational level has been inconsistent and largely unverified. Funders continued to operate under their own frameworks, with little external accountability for whether their practices actually matched their stated values.
B-Givers Certified was created to close that gap. By adapting the Paris Declaration's five principles to the organizational level and building a rigorous, independent certification process around them, we created the first international standard specifically designed to hold funders accountable — not just their grantees.
Paris Declaration (2005): The foundational global agreement on aid effectiveness, signed by over 100 governments and organizations.
Our Mission
To establish and maintain the international standard for responsible, effective, and partner-centered giving — and to recognize the funders who meet it.
Our Vision
A world where every funder operates as a genuine partner — where accountability flows in both directions, and where the quality of giving is as rigorously measured as the quality of outcomes.
Governance
B-Givers Certified is governed by an independent structure designed to ensure integrity, impartiality, and credibility.
Advisory Board
A diverse international advisory board comprising senior practitioners from the development, philanthropy, and civil society sectors. Members provide strategic guidance and ensure the standard remains relevant and rigorous.
Members to be announcedSecretariat
The B-Givers Certified Secretariat manages day-to-day operations, coordinates the certification process, supports applicant organizations, and maintains the integrity of the assessment framework.
Operational from Q1 2025Independent Verification Panel
A panel of qualified independent verifiers conducts third-party audits for Level 2 certification. Panel members are selected for their expertise in organizational assessment and development finance.
Panel formation in progressThe Gap B-Givers Certified Fills
Annual development funding
Over $200 billion flows from funders to development organizations annually — yet the quality of that funding relationship is rarely measured.
Of NGOs report funder misalignment
Studies consistently show that funder practices — not grantee capacity — are among the leading causes of ineffective development outcomes.
Years since Paris Declaration
Despite two decades of commitments to aid effectiveness, systematic funder accountability at the organizational level remains largely absent.
Comparable international standards
Until B-Givers Certified, no independent international certification standard existed specifically for funders and donor organizations.