By Gary Forster, CEO of Publish What You Fund, and Al Kags, founder of the Open Institute and Chair of Publish What You Fund.

Over the past few months, we have been reflecting deeply on the direction of the aid transparency movement. Today, we are proud to launch Publish What You Fund’s 2025–2030 strategy—an ambitious roadmap to reinforce transparency as a pillar of effective, accountable development finance. This strategy builds on years of progress while responding to the new challenges of our time.

We could not have arrived at this moment without the insights, guidance, and critical thinking of our partners. We are profoundly grateful to the 25 industry leaders who helped shape this strategy, as well as the Board of Publish What You Fund in the UK and the Friends of Publish What You Fund in the US. Their collective expertise has ensured that our strategy remains relevant, rigorous, and responsive to the shifting aid landscape.

Staying the course amid global shifts

In recent weeks, we have been challenged to reconsider whether our strategic approach remains fit for purpose in light of what we are seeing in key donor countries such as the US, UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Aid and development actors are navigating increasingly complex environments marked by political volatility and shifting priorities. Given these developments, should we alter our course?

After careful reflection, we have reached a firm conclusion: these trends do not undermine our strategy; they reinforce its necessity.

There has been growing scrutiny of aid institutions, often accompanied by claims about inefficiency and misuse of funds. Transparency remains the best way to address these concerns, allowing policymakers, civil society, and the public to engage with real data, assess impact, and make informed decisions. We have seen first-hand how access to high-quality information strengthens accountability and supports the effectiveness of aid efforts.

The pillars of our strategy: bigger, better, louder

Our 2025–2030 strategy is built on three core principles: making aid transparency bigger, better, and louder.

1. Bigger: We are expanding our scope of transparency beyond traditional aid flows to include development finance, climate finance, and gender-related investments. By broadening the range of data available, we ensure that transparency keeps pace with the evolving nature of development finance.
2. Better: High-quality data is essential for accountability. We will continue to push for improvements in the timeliness, accuracy, and usability of aid and development finance data. Our tools, including the DFI Transparency Index, will drive better disclosure standards and more meaningful insights.
3. Louder: Transparency only has impact when it is used. Over the next five years, we will focus on making data more accessible and engaging with a wider audience—including civil society, journalists, and policymakers—to amplify the use of aid transparency in decision-making and advocacy efforts.

The role of transparency in strengthening development effectiveness

The aid transparency movement is at a critical juncture. More than ever, we must ensure that data is not just published but used to drive better decision-making. By strengthening disclosure practices and ensuring that aid information is readily available, we can improve how resources are allocated, increase public trust, and enhance the overall impact of aid and development finance.

Looking ahead, it is likely that we will see less aid due to funding cuts across key donor countries. This makes transparency more important than ever. With fewer resources available, ensuring that aid is spent effectively and reaches those most in need is critical. Every dollar, pound, or euro must be used as efficiently as possible, and transparency provides the foundation for this accountability.

At the same time, the aid that remains is increasingly being channelled through less transparent mechanisms, such as private finance investments managed by bilateral and multilateral development banks. While these financing models play an important role, they often lack the same level of public scrutiny as traditional aid. This shift means we must work harder to ensure that all forms of development finance are open and accountable.

If we allow transparency to slip backwards, we risk a return to an era where aid decisions are made behind closed doors, shielded from public scrutiny. Without high-quality, accessible data, it becomes significantly harder to assess what is working, address inefficiencies, and build confidence in the aid system. Transparency is not just about knowing how aid is spent; it is about driving improvements and ensuring that development efforts reach those who need them most.

Moving forward

As we embark on this next phase of our work, we remain steadfast in our commitment to driving forward the aid transparency agenda. We recognise that this will not always be easy—resistance to transparency is real, and the political landscape is shifting in unpredictable ways. However, we firmly believe that our strategy equips us to meet these challenges head-on.

We are deeply grateful to our supporters, partners, and stakeholders who have stood with us in this journey. Over the next five years, we will continue to push for greater openness, stronger accountability, and more effective development finance. We invite you to join us in this mission—because transparency is the foundation for better, fairer, and more impactful aid.

Download our strategy