February 22, 2023 “We Are the Wealth We Are Looking For.” Yvonne Moore on Black Philanthropy, DAFs and More February 22, 2023/ Ade Adeniji The founder of Moore Philanthropy, a Black- and women-led advisory firm, discusses building wealth and power in communities of color, pros and cons of DAFs, and how American philanthropy can connect with the African diaspora.Read More
September 22, 2022 Does Global Philanthropy Have a Colonialism Problem? September 22, 2022/ Philip Rojc Efforts such as Bill Gates’ support for a Green Revolution in Africa are frequently criticized as neo-colonialism. That may be overstating things, but parachuting in with big money and big ideas remains common in global giving.Read More
August 09, 2022 Inside the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's Big Bet on Rwanda August 09, 2022/ David Callahan IP reports from Africa on Buffett’s $435 million investment and lofty ambitions for transforming agriculture in Rwanda and beyond. The push includes a new university, a large irrigation project, and close government partnership.Read More
November 23, 2021 Amid Humanitarian Crisis, These Three Funders Are Supporting Nutrition in Ethiopia November 23, 2021/ Liz Longley Civil war has created a humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, killing thousands, including hundreds from starvation. A U.K.-based charity recently formed a $30 million partnership of three funders to support nutrition over five years. Read More
August 17, 2021 We Set Out to Share Power Through Participatory Grantmaking in Africa. Here’s What We Learned August 17, 2021/ Chernor Bah and John M. Kabia, Guest Contributors Global philanthropy remains largely an elitist, top-down process. In this guest post, leaders from two human rights groups share what they learned from a joint participatory grantmaking effort in Sierra Leone.Read More
August 04, 2021 How a Pritzker-Backed Philanthropy Channels Impact Investing Toward Private Schools in Ghana August 04, 2021/ Liz Longley The IDP Foundation is the philanthropy of Liesel Pritzker Simmons and her mother, Irene Pritzker. We take a closer look at its impact investing approach to education in Africa, including at how it responded during COVID.Read More
March 31, 2021 A Foundation Takes on Wikipedia’s Africa Gap, While Backing Young Creatives on the Continent March 31, 2021/ Ade Adeniji Backed by the popular brand, Moleskine Foundation works to empower creators and advance social change in Africa and beyond. The foundation’s CEO tells us about this unique enterprise, including its work to close Wikipedia’s Africa gap.Read More
March 01, 2021 A Quiet Funder Shares How It's Fighting COVID-19 in Africa, and Urges Others to Step Up March 01, 2021/ Liz Longley A quiet giant, the ELMA Group of Foundations shares means and methods to help Africa survive the pandemic, urging others to step up during the “greatest crisis of our time.”Read More
October 20, 2020 In Africa, a Bloomberg Initiative Boosts Local Media and Citizen Journalists October 20, 2020/ Liz Longley At a time when accurate information can save lives, the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa moves to build media capacity and improve access to the kind of independent data and analysis that shapes policy and public opinion.Read More
September 22, 2020 Responding to COVID, a Pharma Company's Foundation Backs Health Infrastructure in Africa September 22, 2020/ Liz Longley The philanthropic arm of pharmaceutical company Astellas aims its pandemic relief at building healthcare infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries, including $2 million in grants to seven African nations and the Dominican Republic.Read More
June 24, 2020 COVID-19 Cases in Africa are Growing Fast. Here Are the Key Funders in the Fight June 24, 2020/ Liz Longley Africa gathered forces and responded to COVID-19 quickly, keeping cases low with help from major philanthropies like Mastercard and Gates foundations. As the virus accelerates, can these early interventions prevent catastrophe?Read More
April 16, 2020 Advocates Say Global COVID-19 Funding for Girls Can’t Wait April 16, 2020/ Julia Travers Girls in poorer regions of the world are especially vulnerable to the social and economic fallout from a growing pandemic. Fearing that years of progress on gender equity may be unwound, nonprofits and funders are mobilizing to respond. Read More
April 02, 2020 With a Catastrophe Looming for Africa, Funders Need to Focus on Community-based Responses April 02, 2020/ Nina Blackwell, Guest Contributor Local African organizations will play an all-important role in the fight against a devastating pandemic. Too often, though, these groups are invisible to philanthropy. A guest contributor offers a blueprint for how donors can support them.Read More
March 30, 2020 COVID-19 is Spreading in Africa. How Should Philanthropy Respond? March 30, 2020/ Shai M. Dromi, Guest Contributor While COVID-19 poses a daunting threat to the developed world, this will likely pale in comparison to its impact on Africa. As donors confront this threat, they should look to lessons from the Ebola crisis to guide their giving. Read More
January 17, 2020 A Foundation Set Out to Bolster African Health Systems. What Has it Achieved? January 17, 2020/ Liz Longley While many global health funders zero in on specific dread diseases like malaria, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has taken a more structural—and challenging—approach to improving health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. Read More
November 19, 2019 A Billionaire Couple's Gift Aims to Protect One of the World's Most Critical Ecosystems November 19, 2019/ Diana Hembree Congo’s rainforests host a vast array of species and have been called the world’s “second lung” because they absorb so much carbon dioxide. Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker are among the few donors giving to protect this embattled wilderness.Read More
September 16, 2019 From One of the World’s Biggest Foundations, a Push to Help Young Africans Find Work September 16, 2019/ Liz Longley By 2035, more young people will be joining Africa’s workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. No grantmaker is more focused on this challenge than the Mastercard Foundation—tapping a $17 billion endowment.Read More
March 15, 2019 Ebola is Still Stalking Africa. Who's Supporting Front-line Work to Stop More Outbreaks? March 15, 2019/ IP Staff One of the deadliest-ever outbreaks of Ebola happened just seven months ago in eastern Congo, claiming 600 lives. In response, the foundation of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen is making rapid-reaction grants to organizations on the ground. Read More
March 13, 2019 Local Experts: How Carnegie is Elevating African Voices in Debates Over War and Peace March 13, 2019/ Mindy Reiser While Africa’s many conflicts have long been studied by researchers from around the globe, most hail from outside Africa—with the views of local researchers largely absent. Carnegie is working to change that with an ambitious range of investments. Read More
August 17, 2018 Homegrown Help: The Rise of Africa's New Philanthropists August 17, 2018/ Michelle Sieff The idea of philanthropy is not a well-embedded concept in Africa. But it's been catching on, and some of the continent's wealthiest people are engaged in large-scale giving—with much more to come. Read More