Strengthening the impact of private philanthropy in Africa

Dear friends, partners, and colleagues,

I have just returned from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), where my colleagues and I had the opportunity to meet many of our past, current, and (hopefully) future funders and partners. I participated in events hosted by the Segal Family Foundation and its partners, who are dedicated to supporting grantees and connecting them with the subsequent capital stage. Extensive discussions sought to catalyze private philanthropy’s impact on the African continent. 

Project-based funding, especially from bilateral and multilateral funders, is significant in furthering African development. But while at UNGA 79, I observed a deepening interest in trust-based philanthropy through unrestricted and semi-restricted funding – a trend I deem critical to the future of private philanthropy in Africa. It is refreshing to see those closest to the challenges and the work being trusted to make decisions on the design of programs and the use of often limited resources.

However, much remains to be done. We need to see program officers and investment directors based in the Global South, where they can better understand grantees’ needs and challenges. We need closer collaboration among funders so grantees can “graduate” to the next funder level based on their growth. We need more funding for organizations with African founders. While many Africa-based organizations receive significant funding, most are – for all intents and purposes – not African-founded.

While trust is certainly a crucial aspect of this philanthropic evolution, I cannot overemphasize the critical role of data and evidence—both in informing program design and optimizing impact. Evidence enables implementers to attract more resources, and data-driven investment decisions ensure resources flow to where they make the most difference. 

Even though data and evidence are critical, they’ve had a mixed perception in development. When used to enforce accountability standards, evidence reinforces historical power imbalances. It could have the unintended result of tying up critical organizational capacity to fulfill reporting requirements or unintentionally excluding impactful actors who may not fit neatly into preset systems. But when used as a tool for learning, the true power of evidence can be harnessed so leaders get clarity on where they should invest more, which interventions should scale, and where they need to divest so they can redirect resources to more impactful initiatives. As one of our board members says, “Data and evidence tools can be used to prove or improve!” 

At IDinsight, we support the entire spectrum of evidence needs. From helping organizations define a theory of change to supporting complex evaluations and using data and evidence tools to optimize programs, we partner with various funders to support their pool of grantees and work with implementing partners at every stage of their data evolution. 

Lastly, we must rethink Africa-led philanthropy and see more formalization of African giving. Local funders’ support of impactful work will have much decolonizing power. I hope to see more local foundations (institutional or private) giving to local causes and more recognition of “retail”-level philanthropy. This will empower Africans to see themselves as leading participants and funders, not merely recipients.

So, while we are moving in the right direction, more can be done to make philanthropy in Africa even more catalytic. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we strive to create a more equitable and impactful philanthropic landscape in Africa.

Warm regards,