It happened.

For over three hours, thirty senior practitioners — NGO and INGO executives, impact investors, development finance specialists, corporate partnership leads, and international organization experts — gathered at InterAction headquarters in Washington, DC to do something the sector rarely does: have an honest conversation about money.

The room operated under the Chatham House Rule. Three working groups tackled three pathways beyond grant dependency:

1. NGO-Corporate Partnerships — what genuine profit-purpose alignment looks like, beyond CSR theater

2. Earned Revenue Mechanisms — social enterprises, fee-for-service models, product sales

3. Blended Finance Structures — catalytic capital, guarantees, and instruments that mix grant money with investment capital

The speakers/provocateurs set a high bar. The participants met it.

A white paper is in development. A fall convening is in the planning.

The question isn't whether the sector needs a new business model. The question is, who is willing to build one?