Tilitonse Foundation
SHIFTING THE POWER PROGRAMME
Terms of Reference for a consultant to conduct Three Themed Research in Malawi
1.0 Executive Summary
Tilitonse Foundation is seeking the services of a consultant to conduct three themed research under the Shifting the Power programme (StP) in Malawi. This Programme is implemented in partnership with Comic Relief and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The overall aim of the StP programme is to support locally led COs to become more effective, sustainable and to better represent local people’s priorities.
2.0 Introduction to the Shifting the Power Programme (StP)
We believe that a just world is possible and that communities living closest to global problems are the best people to tackle them. Shift the Power is a global movement calling to move away from business as usual – development has often happened to people living in the Global South, not with them.
Funding often reflects the priorities of donors rather than grant partners and creates a cycle of short-term fixes, not lasting solutions. We want to disrupt this power imbalance and start funding fairer.
The Shifting the Power Programme (StP) aims to contribute to this movement by supporting locally led, Southern-based COs to become more effective, sustainable and to better represent local community priorities. It will do this by supporting organisational strengthening and sustainability of locally led CSOs in Ghana, Zambia and Malawi. The learning from StP will contribute to the broader #ShiftThePower movement including influencing global north funding to move away from the short-term, technocratic, project-based donor funding model to a longer-term, localised model that empowers and provides agency to local organisations so that they stay true to their missions and respond to the priorities of local people.
3.0 The practical delivery of the StP programme
StP is a joint funded, flagship programme between Comic Relief and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The £60 million, 10-year programme works in partnership with local civil society organisations in Ghana (Star Ghana/West African Civil Society Institute), Zambia (Zambian Governance Foundation) and Malawi (Tilitonse Foundation) to build capacity in the broader civil society sector. These partner organisations, called Anchor Partners, distribute funds and provide support to smaller, local COs to strengthen these organisations and develop practices that are more in line with the needs and perspectives of the communities that they work in. Through three different funds:
- Catalyst Fund – Small grants (provisionally up to £5,000 but set locally) to support local CSOs to develop their processes and procedures for them to be better able to apply for national and international funding including the two additional funds that make up the StP programme (see below).
- Civil Society Strengthening Fund – A mix of core and restricted funding as well as quality facilitation to support CSOs in identifying and addressing key capacity and capability barriers to delivering their strategic mission and achieving organisational sustainability.
- Community Resourcing Match Fund – The Match Fund will provide training for CSOs in alternative forms of local income generation and will match the resulting revenue that they generate to incentivise income diversification and financial sustainability.
The programme aims to promote and strengthen the capacity of civil society in these countries and a more locally led and sustainable way of development in the Global South.
It’s about how things are done as much as what is being done
In line with the #ShiftThePower Manifesto, the programme aims to create a ‘genuine alternative to existing ways of deciding and doing’. It is not simply about what the programme practically does but equally about how it is delivered. The programme aims to challenge the status quo in philanthropy and development by fundamentally centring locally led, participatory, co-created, democratic and distributed ways of working. We believe that by changing how things are done, we can create a more just, equitable, inclusive and sustainable way of doing philanthropy and development.
‘The Shifting the Power programme presents an opportunity for us to work with local CSOs in a manner that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of the citizens of Malawi.
It responds to the long-standing cry of Malawian CSOs for community defined development agendas and a localized approach that supports people move out of poverty and deprivation! Robert White, CEO – Tilitonse Foundation (one of the three Anchor Partners)
StP as a learning-led programme
The programme aims to test the efficacy of interventions at strengthening the financial sustainability, independence and resilience of civil society in different contexts. StP will be required to develop a bank of evidence of the best approaches for supporting civil society for long term sustainability and independence, and the role that funders can best play in this.
StP aims to develop a bank of evidence by putting learning at the centre of what we do. The Shifting the Power business case states that ‘learning is not just an integral part of StP, but the StP is itself a learning programme.’
4.0 Objectives
The objectives of the assignment are as follows:
- Develop robust learning outputs that can contribute to a library of evidence about the StP programme, in the context of Malawi.
- To contribute to the broader StP programme learning
- To contribute to the dissemination of learning to relevant stakeholders in the programme.
5.0 Approach and Methodology
The consultant will have access to, and should make use of, the Foundational documents of the StP programme including the original FCDO Business Case, Reports, the StP Learning Agenda, log frame, learning questions and other related documentation. While this contract is specifically focused on the StP activities in Malawi, similar work is being done in Ghana and was done in Zambia.
The aims are to:
- Capture programme-wide learning.
- Populate a library of evidence and learning that can be used both locally and more broadly to influence both local and international development actors.
6.0 Principles
The consultant will deliver learning outputs that are focused on three of the nine keys Shift the Power principles. Two of the principles are the same across the three countries to ensure learning can be captured across the programme. On the other hand, one of the principles has been chosen by Tilitonse Foundation. The third principle selected by Tilitonse Foundation will still contribute to programme-wide learning and help the programme better understand how StP contributes to specific #ShiftThePower principles.
The principles are as follows:
- Principle one: Embrace a vision of a ‘good society’ built around core values of equality, democracy and sustainability and a set of organizing principles based on global solidarity and distributed leadership.
- Principle Five: Move away from ‘building capacity’ as defined by external actors and requirements, towards community organizing and movement building, where ‘capacity’ equates to relevance, rootedness and constituency.
- Principle nine: Change ourselves. We need both humility and boldness, and to be ready to challenge our own power and to listen to and work with others.
7.0 Deliverables and Schedule
The deliverables for this assignment are as follows:
| Process | Deliverables |
| Themed research outputs | Learning outputs for each of the 3 themes/principles backed up by one case study on each of the themes. |
| Learning events | Sharing of the outputs with programme stakeholders, for example, in the programme subgroup meetings. |
8.0 Guiding Values
It is important that the consultant considers the following principles:
- Places the partners, supported civil society organisations and Shift the Power principles at the centre of the learning activities: It is essential that the learning activities, research and outputs are beneficial for all involved including partner organisations, civil society organisations funded and supported by the programme, and the broader Shift the Power movement. All activities should be delivered in line with the principles of the StP programme and the broader Shift the Power movement.
- Safeguarding: The safety and well-being of everyone connected with Tilitonse Foundation’s work is of paramount importance. The successful consultant will therefore need to demonstrate how they have considered the protection of participants throughout the assignment. This includes any recruitment and training of research staff, data collection, analysis and report writing.
- Value for Money: Tilitonse Foundation commits to understanding, demonstrating, and improving the potential impact of all the money it spends; therefore, the successful consultant will be required to demonstrate Value for Money when carrying out the assignment.
- Other: The consultant will also need to consider principles of impartiality, respect for people, transparency, privacy, accountability, inclusion, equity, diversity, and professional objectivity throughout the process.
9.0 Timeframe
The assignment will span a period of six (6) months, commencing in March 2026 and concluding in September 2026.
10.0 Qualifications and experience
- Minimum of a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research Methods or any other related discipline.
- At least eight (8) years of experience in research and/or programme monitoring and evaluation, preferably within civil society, donor-funded programmes, or grant-making institutions.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage timelines effectively, and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed deadlines.
- Experience working with civil society organizations including community-based organizations
- Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear and actionable recommendations.
- Be geographically based in Malawi, with strong contextual knowledge of the political, social, and development landscape of the country.
- Experience in conducting research including familiarity with qualitative, quantitative and mixed research methods.
- Experience and understanding of programme monitoring and evaluation.
- Understanding of participatory approaches to management and operations, and the Shift the Power philosophy
11.0 Criteria for Evaluation
Proposals to conduct the final evaluation will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- 40%: Technical approach, methodology
- 20%: Understanding of assignment
- 20%: Experience and Proposed personnel
- 20%: Cost competitiveness and value for money
12.0 Commitment to Quality Work
The assignment shall use an evidence-based approach and ensure the highest standards of work and timely deliverables at every stage of this assignment. The consultant shall ensure clarity of objectives and process during the consultations; counter check all facts and figures cited.
13.0 Application details
Technical and Financial Proposals should be submitted to the email: jobs@tilitonsefoundation.org with the subject line ‘Three Themed Research’ before or by 4th March 2026. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submissions are therefore strongly encouraged. The Foundation values and appreciates all applications; however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.