Help Localisation Facility
Our localisation programme
The Help Localisation Facility (HLF) is a programme in humanitarian assistance and a locally led fund, implemented jointly with local and international civil society actors.
Together, we are developing new approaches to locally led, more equitable and partnership-based humanitarian action, in which decision-making power and control over resources increasingly rest with local and national actors. In doing so, we create the conditions for impactful, needs-based and sustainable support in crisis- and conflict-affected contexts
The HLF is currently operating in Ukraine (since late 2024). An expansion of the HLF to Syria is currently being planned.
The challenge: Growing needs, shrinking funding
In 2025, over 239 million people worldwide were in need of humanitarian assistance. The main causes are ongoing conflicts, which lead to displacement and hunger, as well as the climate crisis, which intensifies extreme weather events and destroys livelihoods. At the same time, fewer and fewer financial resources are available for humanitarian projects. To ensure that humanitarian aid benefits as many people as possible, it must be made more effective and sustainable.
Our response: Strengthen local leadership—shape humanitarian aid together.
Why local organisations are essential
In crisis and disaster-stricken areas, it is usually local organisations that are the first on the scene. They understand the needs of those affected, have local networks, and can respond quickly. Moreover, they remain accountable to their communities even after attention-seeking international actors have moved on to the next crisis. Nevertheless, it is still mostly international organisations and donors that make decisions regarding priorities, funding, and the design of humanitarian assistance.
Added to this is a significant bureaucratic burden that often delays rapid assistance. Many local organisations must provide funding upfront and bear financial risks.
We are changing this with the Help Localisation Facility.
How the Help Localisation Facility Works
An innovative approach to humanitarian action
The Help Localisation Facility combines direct project funding with organisational capacity strengthening and civil society decision-making power. Local and international civil society actors jointly shape key processes and decisions – from the strategic direction of the fund and funding decisions to the continued development of the HLF model.
Our Vision
Together with local and international civil society actors, the Help Localisation Facility is building the foundations for a stronger, more locally led and more equitable humanitarian system. The HLF envisions a humanitarian system in which meaningful and trusting partnerships on equal terms help overcome power imbalances, the lived experience and expertise of local and national actors are recognised and respected, and local leadership and shared decision-making are firmly embedded.
Pilot region Ukraine
The Help Localisation Facility will be piloted in Ukraine from November 2024 to December 2026, in order to gather learnings for an expansion to additional regions.
Local actors are vital, especially in conflict regions such as Ukraine: they know the people and their needs, respond quickly and efficiently and not only help in the short term, but also lay the foundations for long-term reconstruction.
Funded by the Federal Foreign Office
The Help Localisation Facility (HLF) is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented under the coordination of Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe, in partnership with local and international civil society actors and networks. Aligned with the German Federal Foreign Office’s Strategy for Humanitarian Assistance Abroad, the HLF contributes to the implementation of Help’s Global Strategy and its related policies on empowerment and localisation.
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Infographic: Theory of ChangeLearn more about the impact of our global programme. Open
