New York Convening Highlights
Celebrating Our Legacy

New York Convening Feedback Meet the Speakers Review the Agenda

Members of the philanthropy community interested in funding to benefit African communities gathered at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in midtown Manhattan for the AGAG 2023 Convening, "Celebrating Our Legacy." In her opening remarks, Niamani Mutima, Executive Director, characterized the event as both exciting and bittersweet. It was the first in-person meeting since 2019 and also marked the final convening in the United States. (See the Final Chapter announcement).

In keeping with AGAG's reputation for bringing together a diverse group of grantmaking practitioners, thirty-six philanthropy organizations from five countries were represented. Reflecting the theme, "Celebrating Our Legacy," the two-day event included sessions that highlighted AGAG's contributions and impact as well as sessions that highlighted the need for philanthropy to address current compelling issues. (see the agenda for more detail).

Shifting the Frame on Equitable Inclusion - Featured Speaker

Dr. Alcinda Manuel Honwana, Director of the Anti-Racism Team at the United Nations Secretariat was the featured speaker and addressed the topic, "Shifting the Frame on Equitable Inclusion." She discussed how racism manifests itself in international contexts across public and private agencies. She noted that working in organizations with people from different cultures and backgrounds requires an understanding of how racism shapes policies and practices so that the necessary reforms can be made. She underscored that each of us must combat racism and racial discrimination within our organizations and not leave it to those who are the targets to do the heavy lifting in advocating for change.

How Philanthropy Advisors are Influencing the Philanthropy Landscape

The growth and professionalization of the philanthropy advisory sector framed the session on "How Philanthropic Advisors are Influencing the Africa Funding Landscape." Moderator Hafezza Rashed, Moore Philanthropy talked with Yvonne Moore, Moore Philanthropy and Jacqueline Asiimwe, CivSource Africa, about the differences and shared challenges. Based in the United States, Yvonne works primarily with American donors interested in funding in African countries. Jacqueline who is based in Uganda, works with local and international donors funding in Uganda and other African countries. Despite the differences in regulatory environments in each country, navigating the impact of power dynamics and how it shapes relationships emerged as a common theme.  Each emphasized the importance of balancing the interests of the donor and the needs of the recipient.

Climate Smart Grantmaking

The global impact of climate change and how it affects communities across Africa was the topic of the session on “Climate Smart Grantmaking.” Robert Ddamulira, Ph.D, Program Officer of the C. S. Mott Foundation’s Advancing Climate Change Solutions program facilitated the session.

Saliem Fakir of the African Climate Foundation, joined virtually and spoke about the impact of climate change on African communities . He highlighted that although Africa contributes the least to climate change it is the most vulnerable to its consequences. He discussed a "climate development nexus" that doesn't isolate the impact of climate change on Africa from the overall development needs of the continent. He noted the importance of moving away from project-based approaches to climate financing.   

ADDING VALUE TO PHILANTHROPY TO AFRICA

Why the Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group?

We believe that a strong network of informed and connected funders is a necessary ingredient for robust, effective and responsive philanthropy to benefit African communities.

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