Donor funding has fuelled a vast increase in service delivery, medical research and clinical trials throughout the developing world. Yet, there is a dark side to this badly needed influx of funding: with pressures to spend funds quickly and achieve results, projects may not pay sufficient attention to internal monitoring and security systems to protect against embezzlement. This U4 Brief analyses how this type of corruption occurred in a donor-funded project, and what can be done to minimise the risk.