Each donor has its own goals and missions; the best strategies for approaching the donor will draw on its stated interests and niche within the funding spectrum. Officials in developing countries can visit donor websites to gain an understanding of these processes and priorities before seeking donor funding. For example, the website of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency has information both on funding priorities and policies and procedures.

A common misconception in developing countries is that the local representatives of international or bilateral donors can respond independently to host country funding requests. In reality, funding priorities and processes are normally controlled by the donor organization’s headquarters. Local staff in the donor agencies can provide useful information on strategies that would be consistent with donor priorities and project models that stand better chances of getting funded. Also, the local staff members are well placed to become liaisons between the expatriate staff and host government officials and may assist with communication about the various interests of the two governments.

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