In our work as global health advocates, we often say that we are at a tipping point – on the verge of finally aligning all the right factors to create important change. The imagery it evokes is inspiring and motivating and pushes us to work that much harder to reach our goals of eradicating disease, eliminating poverty, and achieving equity, just to name a few. But what we often overlook are the fundamental limitations imposed on us by the current understanding and practices of Official Development Assistance (ODA); we are fighting within the box and forget to think outside of the box.

The concept of aid, particularly as it relates to international development and global health, is in flux. Traditional ways of approaching aid and how we fund aid work are long overdue for an overhaul, as we reach a precipice of donor fatigue and changing priorities. We know this, but what are we to do about it?

In response to the need to look at this issue more proactively, Interna...