Start Network

Charity Number: 1159483

Annual Expenditure: £25.0M
Geographic Focus: Islington

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £25 million (Start Fund)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 72 hours (alert to funding decision)
  • Grant Range: £60,000 - £300,000 per crisis alert
  • Geographic Focus: Global (76 countries served)

Contact Details

Website: http://www.startnetwork.org/

Email: info@startnetwork.org

Phone: 020 3763 0947

Address: Albert House, 256-260 Old St, London EC1V 9DD

Overview

START Network (registered charity 1159483) was established to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and locally-led response. The organization is a membership-based network comprising 134 humanitarian agencies across six continents, ranging from large international organizations to national and local NGOs. Since launching the Start Fund in 2014, the network has disbursed over £125 million, reaching over 26 million people across 76 countries. START Network is pioneering anticipatory action in humanitarian response, with an average disbursement time of just 68 hours from crisis alert to funding. The organization operates under its 2024-2026 Strategic Plan “Change Means Action,” focused on delivering systemic shifts in power, practice, resources, and relationships within the humanitarian sector.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Start Fund (Global) - £60,000 to £300,000 per crisis alert

The Start Fund provides rapid response funding for small to medium-scale humanitarian crises, forecasts of impending crises, and spikes in chronic crises. Funding decisions are made within 72 hours of a crisis alert being raised by member agencies. Projects must be completed within 45 days (up to 60 days for countries with local/national member presence). Applications submitted within 24 hours of alert activation.

Start Fund Anticipation Window - Amounts vary

Enables members to take anticipatory action before crises occur based on forecasts and risk modeling. The Start Fund was the first pooled global fund to routinely enable aid workers to intervene before a forecasted emergency (launched November 2016). Project duration up to 60 days.

Start Ready - Risk financing mechanism

A unique risk-pooling mechanism that pre-positions funding for crises with regular patterns of recurrence (floods, droughts, cyclones). Over three years, £12 million disbursed to frontline NGOs. For every £1 donated to Start Ready, £2 can be pre-positioned for communities in need.

Learning Grant - Up to £15,000

Open to Start Network agencies who have completed a Start Fund project. Supports learning initiatives that go beyond operational project level. Rolling application basis when open.

Support Grants - Various amounts

Include Solidarity Fund, Anticipation Tool Grant, and Analysis for Action Grant. These smaller mechanisms support organizational growth, learning, and development.

National Start Funds - Locally managed

Nationally-led funds managed by local organizations for the benefit of their own communities, operating in multiple countries including Nepal and others.

Priority Areas

  • Underfunded small to medium-scale crises that fall between existing financing mechanisms or lack media attention
  • Anticipatory action before forecasted emergencies to prevent or reduce humanitarian impact
  • Chronic humanitarian crises experiencing donor and media fatigue
  • Locally-led humanitarian response with local and national organizations in decision-making roles
  • Early action in slow-onset crises to protect at-risk communities
  • Crisis response in countries with local/national NGO member presence

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations not in the START Network membership (though members can work with local partners through partnership agreements)
  • Members assessed on Tier 1 of the Due Diligence Framework do not currently have access to Start Fund awards
  • Projects exceeding 45-60 day implementation periods
  • For Tier 2 members: combined funding exceeding £200,000 total (or 50% of annual turnover, whichever is lower) across all Start Network funding mechanisms at any given time
  • Individual Tier 2 members cannot exceed £60,000 per crisis alert
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Governance and Leadership

Key Leadership

Christina Bennett - Chief Executive Officer

Appointed CEO of Start Network, Bennett brings extensive humanitarian experience and is a vocal advocate for anticipatory action. She stated in 2024: “With budgets in freefall, the humanitarian system can simply no longer afford a model that reacts only once crisis hits.” She also noted: "One of Start Network's greatest successes in the last 10 years has been the increasing shift toward anticipatory action in our membership and in the sector."

Board of Trustees

The Board is legally responsible for the charity and 60% of Board members are from member organizations. Recent trustee appointments include:

  • Richard Winter - Independent Trustee and Chair of the Board (appointed February 2024)
  • Degan Ali - Member Trustee, Executive Director of Adeso (appointed November 2023)
  • Muhammad Amad - Member Trustee, Executive Director of IDEA
  • Oenone Chadburn - Member Trustee
  • Other trustees include representatives from Muslim Aid, Christian Aid, Hope Restoration South Sudan, and the Global Innovation Fund

Governance Structure

All member organizations have equal voting rights in the Assembly, which sets strategic direction. The Assembly appoints trustees and oversees Board performance. Five sub-committees handle delegated decision-making including finance, audit, membership, and the Start Fund's strategic management. The organization emphasizes: “We are committed to ensuring the highest standards of transparency, accountability and competent management.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Start Fund:

  • Only START Network members can raise crisis alerts and apply for funding
  • Members raise a “crisis alert” when they identify an emerging or forecasted crisis
  • Alert information is shared with all members for allocation decision
  • If activated, members submit proposals within 24 hours
  • Projects selected by members and local in-country member agencies

For Membership:

Organizations interested in joining can submit an expression of interest through the START Network website. The application process varies by hub (national or regional). Membership provides access to fast and flexible funding, belonging to a global humanitarian peer group, and collaboration opportunities.

Decision Timeline

  • 72 hours total: From crisis alert to funding disbursement
  • Alert cycle: Information shared, allocation decision taken, funding disbursed within 72-hour timeframe
  • Proposal submission: 24 hours after alert activation
  • Fund transfer: Within 24 hours of project selection
  • Average disbursement time: 68 hours
  • Anticipation alerts: May necessitate different decision-making timeframes

Success Rates

Specific current success rates not publicly available. Historical data from 2016-2017 showed 43 activations from 74 alerts raised (approximately 58% activation rate). Since 2014, the fund has responded to 580 crises from 801 alerts raised across 76 countries.

Reapplication Policy

Information on reapplication policies for unsuccessful applications not specified in public documentation. Members can raise multiple alerts throughout the year as crises emerge.

Application Success Factors

Key Success Elements

Speed and preparedness: The Start Fund rewards members who are monitoring risk and can respond within extremely tight timeframes (24-hour proposal submission).

Local partnership approach: In 2023, the majority of Start Fund projects were implemented in partnership with local and national NGOs. Applications demonstrating genuine local partnership and locally-led decision-making are prioritized.

Alignment with fund criteria: Projects must address:

  • Small to medium-scale crises that are under-the-radar
  • Forecasted crises where anticipatory action can reduce impact
  • Spikes in chronic crises experiencing donor fatigue

Anticipatory action capability: Demonstrating ability to monitor risk, act on forecasts, and implement before crisis impacts is increasingly valued. As CEO Christina Bennett emphasized, anticipatory action has been one of the network's greatest successes over 10 years.

Member engagement: Active participation in the network, including involvement in decision-making processes and governance, strengthens applications. All allocation and project selection decisions are made collectively by member agencies.

Compliance readiness: For high-risk countries, members must be prepared to submit Start Fund Sanctions and Terrorism Financing documentation promptly.

Innovation and learning: Projects that contribute to sector learning and innovation are valued, as evidenced by the separate Learning Grant mechanism.

Language and Terminology

  • Use “locally-led” and “anticipatory action” prominently
  • Emphasize “rapid response,” “under-the-radar crises,” and “crisis forecasting”
  • Reference “community resilience” and “systemic change”
  • Demonstrate understanding of “risk-pooling” and “pre-positioned funding”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Membership is mandatory: Only START Network member organizations can access Start Fund grants, though non-members can join by submitting an expression of interest to a national or regional hub
  • Extreme speed required: Be prepared to submit proposals within 24 hours of alert activation - this requires pre-planning and crisis monitoring systems
  • Locally-led emphasis is critical: Demonstrate genuine local partnership and local decision-making; the network is evolving into a “network of networks” with locally-led, self-governing hubs
  • Anticipatory action valued: Projects that respond before crisis impacts occur are increasingly prioritized over reactive responses
  • Tier system matters: Understand your organization's Due Diligence Framework tier (1, 2, or 3) as this affects funding access and amounts (Tier 1 has no access, Tier 2 capped at £60,000 per alert and £200,000 total)
  • Collective decision-making: Funding decisions are made by fellow members and local in-country agencies, not external funders - building relationships within the network is essential
  • Fast funding, short implementation: Projects must be completed within 45-60 days, requiring strong implementation capacity and agile partners

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