Community Philanthropy Paradigm: Learning and Actions for Change

Community development foundations are formed by a multifaceted group of local community development leaders, and they are funded from various sources, including private foundations, private and public sectors, local communities, and individuals. It is important to note that most shocks be it political, socio-economic or climate are felt more strongly at community level.

What role then do donors play? Building trust tops the list on what the donors can do. Following closely is involvement of the communities in making decisions and mobilization of resources locally. We recognize that community philanthropy enhances local ownership and empowerment, strengthens connections between communities and organizations that represent them, reduces donor dependency, and creates greater impact. There is, therefore, a need to strengthen community philanthropy ecosystems and local resource mobilization, as well as harness this knowledge base regionally.

In this session, different models of community philanthropy, away from the traditional restricted funding/sub award approaches were highlighted, that is, community-led, community centred and community generated. These are models that have been tested and there is evidence of their success as was highlighted by the 3 different organizations –Blood:Water, Mott Foundation and CivSource Africa.