Our Final Chapter

In October 2022 AGAG announced our plans to conclude our work.

Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group (AGAG) is committed to meeting the evolving needs of the Africa grantmaking community and this means that significant changes are ahead. We used our 20th-anniversary milestone in 2020 to reflect on changes in the Africa funding landscape and our work over the past two decades.

For over a year we engaged in a process that helped to inform our plans for AGAG’s next and final chapter. AGAG’s Final Chapter includes the AGAG Legacy Project (ALP), an exciting initiative to capture our contributions to the sector, and our decision to hold our final convenings in 2023.

Thanks to the involvement and support from the philanthropy community, we have achieved an impressive track record. Together, we have convened funders, curated knowledge, and connected people and ideas to build an informed and engaged global network of grantmakers. Over the years, AGAG has become regarded as an intellectual and political home where funders are influenced by the professional and personal relationships made possible through their participation within the AGAG community.

Why conclude AGAG’s work now?

The significant changes in the philanthropy landscape and funding context since AGAG’s founding were major factors in our decision to conclude our work. When AGAG was formed in 2000, there was no continent-wide institutional advocate for American private philanthropy support for African communities. There was little information about funding trends and few formal professional development opportunities for new and experienced Africa program staff. AGAG emerged to fill these critical needs and roles.

The current philanthropy landscape both within and outside of Africa has seen dynamic growth and diversification of individual and institutional philanthropy. New leaders have emerged, and this new environment calls for fresh approaches led by new voices. We are stepping aside to create space and encourage the next generation of grantmakers active in Africa to lead. This decision is not without precedence. AGAG emerged when the Southern Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group, founded to catalyze American foundation support for communities in southern Africa and their efforts to end apartheid, concluded its work in response to the changing context of the post-Mandela era. Now, over two decades later, AGAG will do the same. We appreciate the integral role that the participation, support, and solidarity from the Africa grantmaking community has played in AGAG’s work and collective legacy in leveraging philanthropy resources in support of African communities.

We will share insights and lessons from our experiences with the next generation of grantmakers. We are confident in the emergence of a new entity that will not only carry on our legacy but also steward a fresh approach to leveraging philanthropic resources, working in partnership with communities across Africa.

AGAG Legacy Project - A Resource for Future Efforts

The AGAG Legacy Project began with organizing our archives and curating materials that document AGAG's rich history. The Project includes digital and print materials including stakeholder interviews and keystone publications from AGAG’s work over two decades. These resources will serve as an important resource for future private philanthropic efforts, help improve the sector’s practices and impact, and promote scholarship about the history of philanthropy. 

The Project has published the Story of AGAG podcast series based on interviews with twenty grantmaking practitioners with experience in making grants to benefit African communities. Listen to episodes “Creating Community” and “Challenging Narratives and Practices ”on Apple or your favorite podcast platform.  

 Final Convenings held in 2023 in New York and Johannesburg

In 2023, we continued to share knowledge, connect as a community, and celebrate our rich legacy. On May 8-9, 2023 we held a two-day convening, Celebrating Our Legacy, in New York that marked our final convening in the United States. Read highlights from that convening HERE. 

On October 9-11, 2023, we held a two-day convening, Footprints of our Legacy, in Johannesburg, South Africa, which was our final convening.. Read highlights from that convening HERE.

Our History

The Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group (AGAG) emerged from the Southern Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group (SAGAG) that worked to galvanize American foundation support for organizations working to dismantle apartheid and provide support for the communities being affected. AGAG was established in 2000 in response to a call for a broader and increased philanthropic interest in Africa. AGAG’s mission was to promote robust, effective, and responsive philanthropy to benefit communities across the African continent. Its work was based on the belief that a connected, knowledgeable, and informed network of funders will help to grow and strengthen the impact of private philanthropy in Africa.

In the absence of institutional advocates who called for raising Africa’s profile and promoting equitable and responsive practices, AGAG has served as an intellectual and political home to funders mobilizing resources in Africa. It has cultivated an empirical learning community, a safe space, and a trusted source of information on American private philanthropy targeting Africa. It offered new and experienced grantmakers opportunities to build professional relationships and gain knowledge and information to inform their funding decisions.

Our Impact

For over 24 years, the AGAG has convened funders, curated knowledge, and connected people to build an informed network of grantmaking practitioners engaged in robust, effective, and responsive philanthropy to benefit African communities. We have made contributions to the advancement of the field, garnering a reputation as an effective learning community of funders equipped to make a positive impact through their philanthropy for communities and institutions across the African continent. With support from our contributing members and vast network of partners, we have built an impressive track record of accomplishments and forged an informed, knowledgeable, and connected network of practitioners. See the list of our annual meetings HERE.

Our Network

For almost 25 years a diverse and dynamic group of grantmaking practitioners from funding organizations based in Africa, Europe, and North America were part of the AGAG network. They reflected the range of strategies and approaches used to support efforts at all levels to improve the life for their communities, ranging from local organizations to international NGOs to academic, medical and research institutions. Membership contributions and grants supported our work that included annual conferences, meetings, webinars, special research projects, and publications. We appreciate the integral role that the participation, support, and solidarity from the Africa grantmaking community has played in AGAG’s work and collective legacy in leveraging philanthropy resources in support of African communities.

Convening

AGAG has organized local, regional, national, international, and virtual convenings for hundreds of practitioners working in different geographic and thematic areas. Their annual meeting was its signature event. These convenings have enabled funders to examine their efforts in relationship to each other and within a broader geographic context.

Connecting

AGAG has contributed to the professional development of hundreds of grantmaking practitioners through cultivating a space where new and experienced practitioners have deepened their knowledge and understanding of current strategies. AGAG’s interdisciplinary approach has fostered an understanding of context and the synergy between the issues facing communities across the continent.

Curating

AGAG has conducted groundbreaking research, curated information, and disseminated one-of-a-kind findings to fill the information gap on trends and practices in American private funding targeting Africa.

Our values

AGAG’s work and approach reflected its values.

● Diversity & Respect: We value and are committed to fostering a diversity of constructive experiences, opinions, and approaches. We encourage new voices and ideas from current and potential members and the full range of philanthropic and other stakeholders working in support of positive change in Africa.

● Accountability: We hold ourselves to a high standard of ethical conduct and accountability and encourage the same of our members, stakeholders and the field of Africa philanthropy.

● Knowledge and Learning: We value knowledge, learning, candor and critical thinking and believe that gathering, curating and sharing knowledge are essential activities in effective funding.

● Collaboration and Partnership: We are committed to building collaborations and partnerships to advance our vision, mission and goals.   

Staff

Niamani Mutima – Executive Director

Throughout her career, Niamani has developed a reputation for her skill in connecting people and ideas. She joined AGAG in 2001 and has guided its evolution from an idea to a vibrant network, working in partnership with the Steering Committee, members, and other colleagues working at the intersection of philanthropy and Africa.  Before joining AGAG, Niamani worked with the Africa-American Institute (AAI) in various departments and programs. As part of the Office of the Corporate Secretary, she worked with the Board of Trustees. As part of the Conference Program staff, she organized domestic and international conferences on topics ranging from media, trade, and economic development to gender, education, and international policy issues. As Director of Field Services for the USAID African Leadership and Advanced Skills project, Niamani managed a grants program for African-based organizations and promoted networking among African professionals working across the continent in different sectors. She was the editor of two project newsletters and numerous reports.  In her extensive travel throughout Africa, Niamani worked with stakeholders ranging from government and university officials to international NGOs and civil society organizations. Central to her work is a commitment to connecting people with shared interests to learn from one another. Niamani has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Princeton University and a master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. 

Steering Committee

Respected members of the philanthropy community volunteer their expertise and leadership as members of the Steering Committee. They serve as ambassadors and collaborate with the staff to achieve the mission of the Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group.  Over the years, many noted leaders and experts in the field of philanthropy have served on the Steering Committee. The following members of the Steering Committee have helped to guide the closing process. We appreciate all of the members of the Steering Committee who have served over the years. AGAG’s accomplishments are a reflection of their time and efforts to help sustain and expand its work.

Nyeleti Honwana, Program Officer, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
Nyeleti has been a Program Officer at the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation since August 2015, having completed an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University. Ms. Honwana hails from Mozambique and is a self-proclaimed “suitcase kid” who grew up in South Africa, Senegal, England, and the US. She received the Herman Eilts Thesis Award for best graduate thesis for her dissertation, titled ‘Social Movements in Africa: Mozambique and Civil Disorder,’ which examined the role of the state in mitigating the effect of popular protests in Mozambique. 

Yvonne L. Moore, Founder and Managing Director, Moore Philanthropy 
Yvonne L. Moore is the Founder and Managing Director of Moore Philanthropy and the President of the partner organization Moore Impact. She brings over 25 years of experience in the government, civil society, and philanthropic sectors to her work, providing strategic and tailored philanthropic advice and solutions to families, individuals, and institutions. 

Vuyiswa Sidzumo, Regional Director, Office of Southern Africa, Ford Foundation
Vuyiswa is the Regional Director for Southern Africa of the Ford Foundation South Africa Office. Before joining Ford, she was the Director of the Mott Foundation Office in South Africa. Her prior positions include serving as a director at the then National Department of Provincial and Local Government (now Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs), where she served as liaison to the donor community in South Africa. Between 1995 and 2002, she worked at the Sedibeng Centre for Organizational Effectiveness and the United Nations Development Programme. Sidzumo holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Science from Wits University in South Africa. She also served as Chair of the AGAG Steering Committee.

Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gift may be tax deductible pursuant to §170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please visit www.tides.org/state-nonprofit-disclosures/ for additional information.

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.