Theories & Best Practices

What and who is an intermediary?

Intermediaries are people and institutions that add value to community problem solving by connecting and supporting—i.e., by enabling others to be more effective. Intermediaries act as facilitators, educators, capacity builders, brokers, performance managers, coalition builders, organizers of new groups, and more – to connect people to people, information, and resources.

Intermediaries around the world can act as vital bridges between the “grassroots” and the “grasstops.” They can help people and institutions that provide resources and often shape the rules of the game (the tops) to make better investments in the people and communities (the roots) that lack resources— and, too often, also lack the influence needed to change that.

-- DeSouza Briggs