East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) envisions an East Africa with vibrant and organized philanthropy that promotes sustainable development and social justice. The network’s mission is to nurture and grow a local giving and resource mobilization culture through effective grantmaking, advocacy, and networking. This aspect includes looking into the resource base, capacity, credibility, and practices of various development actors and the extent to which the operational context supports thriving local giving and effective grantmaking.
The Research Rationale:
To effectively carry out its mandate, EAPN conducted in-depth research in philanthropy towards establishing the giving trends and practices in the East Africa region. One of the notable aspects that have emerged from the various research studies in the region is the increase in local giving and various channels of giving. These include but not limited to crowdfunding, workplace giving, donor-advised funds and the new models of impact investing.
There is, therefore, a need to delve deeper to understand the giving patterns/practices, particularly channels used for giving, for better insights on the giving culture in East Africa. Towards this end, EAPN seeks to initiate research into these emerging models/areas of giving in our on-going efforts towards building the knowledge base and capacity of the philanthropy sector in the East Africa region.
EAPN proposes to initiate this with study in Kenya, in line with the proposed partnership with Lilly Family School of Philanthropy but will endeavor to explore the opportunities to undertake similar studies in its other partner countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.
There has been an increased individual and corporate giving in the region (ref: Aga Khan Foundation Giving report 2018). There are indicators that these increased levels are influenced by the increased availability of technology (in the case of individual giving) and improved internal structures within corporates to support organized giving. In this regard, EAPN seeks to explore the emerging areas of giving on crowdfunding and workplace giving to establish the extent to which these giving practices are informing the giving culture in Kenya.
Research Study Objectives
The research aims at establishing the emerging areas of giving that inform the evolving philanthropy ecosystem in Kenya. Particularly, the research explores the extent to which philanthropy institutions are using these channels, their guiding intentions towards their choice of channeling giving, and the sustainability of these giving practices.
Research Outcome
EAPN anticipates that the study will grow the knowledge base and give insights into the emerging ways of giving and Kenyans’ preferences towards these giving vehicles. This study will enable EAPN to identify opportunities towards strengthening the philanthropy ecosystem using this new knowledge and further give impetus towards growing partnerships within and without the philanthropy.
About the East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN)
East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) is a voluntary membership organization that brings together local charitable Trusts and Foundations in East Africa with the primary aim of promoting and growing a culture of giving. Membership of the network is drawn from Family Trusts, Community Foundations, Corporate Foundations, Private Foundations and other types of grantmaking and non-grantmaking organizations interested in promoting philanthropy.
