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Podcast, 53 mins

Urban Charity Rethought

Could a new approach to charity put communities in control? Discover how One World Together is changing who decides where funding goes and helping tackle urban poverty.

Part of Urban Radar
17 Jul 2026 09:00

In this month's feature Tom and Beth are joined by Professor Nicola Banks from the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester to discuss One World Together, an innovative model of charitable giving that makes sure the bulk of the funding ends up where it is needed most. 

Often less than 10% of what we give to charity gets to where it's needed, and communities are not always the ones deciding what it gets spent on - even though they are the best placed to identify and address local challenges. What if there is a different way?

We discuss:

  • Why are traditional approaches to charity unsuited to addressing urban poverty around the world?
  • How does the reduction of international aid impact the existing structural and institutional inequalities which underpin dominant development and donor models of charitable giving? 
  • How do innovations like One World Together help us rethink charitable approaches to addressing urban poverty? 

Guest:
Nicola Banks is a Professor of Global Development in the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester. Her research situates development as a long-term process of transformation and social justice. She has undertaken decades of research on urban poverty, youth and the role of NGOs in global development, including work on employment and livelihoods among the urban poor in Dhaka, Bangladesh and an ESRC Future Research Leaders award to look at youth experiences of urban poverty in Tanzania. She is Director of Social Responsibility for the School for Environment, Education and Development (SEED) and in 2022 launched One World Together, a global movement for trust-based giving which has been recognised for outstanding social and environmental impact through the University of Manchester’s Making a Difference Award.

Recommended Reading:

  • Power and its discontents: The long road to systemic change in the aid sector - ScienceDirect
  • NGOs, States, and Donors Revisited: Still Too Close for Comfort? - ScienceDirect

Credits

  • Guest: Nicola Banks (Professor of Global Development in the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester)
  • Podcast Production, Presentation & Editing: Tom Goodfellow (Professor of Urban Studies and International Development at the University of Sheffield)
  • Podcast Production, Presentation & Editing: Beth Perry (Professor of Urban Epistemics at the University of Sheffield and Director of the Urban Institute)
  • Post-Production Editing & Marketing: Polly Clifton (Student at the University of Sheffield)
  • Training & Production Support: Jack Clayton (Creative Media Service Support Adviser at the University of Sheffield)
  • Distribution, Promotion and Marketing: Vicky Simpson (Research Manager at the University of Sheffield)
  • Podcast Cover: Dan Farley Designs
  • Music: Horizon (Music by Tom Goodfellow, Recorded & Produced by Alan Thomson), Falling Down (Music by Tom Goodfellow, Performed by the Dice, Produced by Alan Thomson)
  • Special Thanks: Supported by the Faculty of Social Science and the Creative Media Suite at the University of Sheffield
Correct as of content publication - 17/07/2026

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