Research on development aid has focused on Western powers-the global South's 20th century colonial masters-largely ignoring the practices of donors who are not members of the West-dominated Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and its Development Assistance Committee (DAC). This article informs about the world of "non-DAC donors," through examining Polish development aid and its sociocultural foundations. Since around 2000, Poland has been defined as an "Emerging Donor." I argue that this category reflects contemporary shifts in global power relations and Poland's attempts to rearrange itself within the post-Cold War world order. For Poland, a country still battling its image as a Second World aid recipient detached from global relations, attempts to reverse the aid chain and constitute an effort to redefine its position within the global hierarchy of givers and receivers. This article explores how the modalities of Poland's international involvement as a donor are shaped by its past experience as the subject of development practice.