Links to full recording, LinkedIn carousel with photos and quotes.
Ulrika Modéer (Swedish Red Cross) opened the Talk with a call to action grounded in realism and urgency. Acknowledging that “it all depends on money,” she emphasised that humanitarian financing must remain centred on people, principles, and international humanitarian law. Modéer stressed the need for the sector to move beyond its comfort zone, embracing efficiency and innovation through new and tried models and partnerships. She welcomed the audience to a session designed to be practical, collaborative, and catalytic- an opportunity to learn, connect, and “steal with pride” the tools already proving their worth.
A sector at a Crossroads
The first panel opened with a clear-eyed assessment of the humanitarian financing landscape. The panel set the tone, highlighting the urgency of reform as traditional funding shrinks and fragility intensifies.
Elsebeth Søndergaard Krone (MFA DK) stressed the need to use grants as catalysts rather than sole sources of funding. Denmark is actively embedding innovative finance into its new development strategy and looking for concrete, scalable ideas.
Sofia Karlsson (Sweden MFA) echoed this, underlining that Sweden’s revised humanitarian strategy will direct Sida to explore blended finance. Both ministries confirmed their interest in practical collaboration.
Nena Stoiljkovic (IFRC) reinforced the need to move from grant dependency to blended structures that amplify impact, and called for platforms that channel investment to local actors.
Dr. Michael Kohler (Grand Bargain) underlined the sector’s conservatism and framed innovative finance as a necessary systemic shift. His call: stop reinventing wheels, start building the car.
Opportunities, Challenges, Shifts
The Power Talk speakers (Dr Annette Detken, Head of the InsuResilience Solutions Fund; Chifundo Kalulu, Secretary General of the Malawi Red Cross; Chris Clubb, Managing Director at Convergence; Mamar Merzouk, Deputy Director of the WFP Brussels Office; Florian Kemmerich, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Human Planet (formerly KOIS Advisory); and Yengi Lokule, Chief Executive Officer of Rural Finance Initiative (RUFI)) showcased real-world applications of innovative finance – from insurance schemes and blended finance structures to impact investing – and outlined the opportunities and the challenges, and highlighted the shifts needed to drive change.
Opportunities: Insurance offers pre-arranged, reliable funding that boosts preparedness and reduces long-term costs. Blended finance can unlock large-scale private capital for resilience-building activities when de-risked effectively. Private investment in humanitarian settings is possible and already happening – if grants are used smartly to catalyse impact.
Challenges: Low awareness and complexity of available instruments. High premium costs and misaligned risk perceptions. Fragmented language and mindsets across sectors—humanitarians and investors still speak past each other.
Shifts Needed: Standardise tools and structures that work across contexts. Build local capacity and design for continuity, not exit. Speak with a unified, clear narrative to engage donors, investors, and the public.
Concrete Commitments
The closing panel reflected on the discussion and confirmed organisational commitments to take the agenda forward. The tone was pragmatic and focused on turning talk into action through shared learning, risk-sharing, and local anchoring.
Peter Klansø (Danish Red Cross) shared the organisation’s journey from grant reliance to exploring carbon finance, debt swaps and insurance. Their commitments: Scale innovative finance within the Movement emphasising local leadership. Support enabling structures through HIFHUB and beyond.
Ulrika Modéer (Swedish Red Cross) committed to: Promote scalable, replicable instruments. Bridge humanitarian and development actors. Ensure innovation is principled and respects IHL.
Nena Stoiljkovic (IFRC) highlighted insurance as a strong entry point and committed to: Build one or two new blended finance platforms in collaboration with partners. Make these available to national societies for local implementation.
Sofia Karlsson (Sweden MFA) pledged to: Mainstream innovative finance in Sweden’s new humanitarian strategy. Convene cross-sectoral platforms to share learning. Strengthen a common narrative and support donor collaboration.
Elsebeth Søndergaard Krone (Denmark MFA) closed by affirming Denmark’s commitment to: Engage in co-funding and risk-sharing across donors. Scale what works rather than starting from scratch. Be brave in funding innovation, but manage expectations and don’t make it too complex.
The Beyond Grants Talk brought clarity to the political moment, realism about the challenges, and optimism grounded in concrete examples. The room was united in a call for collective risk-taking, policy change, and shared platforms that allow humanitarians and investors to do more together than either can alone.
Additional Information
Date & Venue: 20 May 2025, The Square, Brussels
Organised by: Swedish & Danish Red Cross, The Government of Sweden & Denmark, IFRC, HIFHUB
Moderator: Anne-Sofie Munk, Director of HIFHUB
