Across the African philanthropic and civic landscape, the time for incremental shifts has passed. What’s needed now is a deliberate, system-wide recalibration of how institutions mobilize and steward resources for resilience and relevance.

It is in this spirit that the East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN), in collaboration with the Resource Alliance, will convene a high-level virtual learning space on April 8, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EAT, under the theme “Diversifying Income and Localized Fundraising: Learn from Practitioners.” This is a strategic space for sector leaders already engaged in transforming how their institutions generate, manage, and apply capital—and who recognize that sustainable transformation begins with confronting the limitations of existing funding architectures.

The session will feature real-world examples and tested strategies from across the continent, unpacking the operational and political realities of building locally anchored financial models. From institutional boards to executive teams, from practitioner-led pivots to ecosystem-level reforms, we will explore how organizations are reimagining what resource mobilization means when it is rooted in self-determination, mission alignment, and long-term resilience. This is a space for those wrestling with hard questions: How do we build unrestricted income? How do we transition from dependency without losing momentum? What kind of leadership alignment does this work demand—and how do we build it?

The conversation will be anchored by practitioners and thinkers who have walked this path, learned from failure, and emerged with tools worth sharing. And while no single blueprint exists, there is power in shared learning, open strategy, and sectoral honesty.