The funding has traditionally come from charities such as Oxfam with considerable in-kind support from Highland Council. In recent years more funding has come from the Department for International Development.

IDEAS (the International Development Education Association of Scotland) is the umbrella under which a network of groups like HOWG works. These collectively are called Development Education Centres - besides HOWG in Dingwall, there is one in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Coatbridge. In all there are about 40 members of IDEAS, the rest being agencies such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and SCIAF.