GlobalGiving (formally know as DevelopmentSpace) is a unique service that directly connects donors with grassroots projects in the developing world. Its mission is to become the world's richest marketplace in international aid and philanthropy - rich not only in terms of funding, but also in terms of knowledge and innovation. Its long-term goal is to globalize opportunity.
GlobalGiving has been compared in the national media to the "eBay of international aid." The philosophy underlying DevelopmentSpace/GlobalGiving is that market-based mechanisms can dramatically increase access and help ensure that aid resources flow to their best use, and can stimulate innovation in a way that existing approaches find difficult.
Some of the world's leading companies such as Hewlett-Packard have used the GlobalGiving platform to allow their employees to donate directly to grassroots social and economic development projects around the world.
And some of the world's leading NGOs (non-profits) such as Ashoka, World Neighbors, IDEX, and the Women's Funding Network are using the system to load projects designed by grassroots groups that they stand behind. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs has also elected to use the GlobalGiving platform, and selected winners of the World Bank's Development Marketplace are also eligible.
GlobalGiving was created by two former staff of the World Bank to establish a more distributed, networked alternative to international development project design and funding.
