Funding Models and Mission Integrity : A Comparative Study of Strategic Autonomy and the Risk of Mission Drift in NGOs

This thesis investigates how different funding models shape the strategic autonomy and mission integrity of environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) over time. Focusing on Greenpeace Nordic and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), the study employs a historical comparative case study approach to examine developments from 2013 to 2023. Using qualitative document analysis and guided by resource dependence theory (RDT), it explores how self-sustaining and hybrid funding structures influence organisational behavior under shifting external conditions. The findings show that while self-sustaining models like Greenpeace’s preserve formal independence, they introduce visibility-driven pressures that may constrain strategic flexibility and risk subtle forms of mission drift. In contrast, SSNC’s hybrid model offers financial resilience and programmatic breadth but creates deeper entanglement with institutional funders, exposing the organisation to political backlash and compromises in advocacy positioning. The study highlights the trade-offs between funding models, strategic autonomy, and mission integrity