African Collaborative Featured by Bridgespan: Collaboration in a Moment of Volatility
Read Bridespan’s full article HERE.
As global health and development funding becomes more volatile, fragmented, and constrained, collaboration among funders is essential.
African Collaborative is featured in a recent Bridgespan article, The Power of Collaboration at a Time of Volatility in Global Health and Development, which examines how philanthropic collaboratives are responding to uncertainty and funding contraction, and what it takes to work together effectively in this moment. Our Co-CEO, Katie Bunten-Wamaru, underscores the urgency of acting now rather than waiting for conditions to stabilize:
“Funders keep saying they’re waiting for the dust to settle. You can help the dust settle better — now is the moment.”
That insight reflects what we see every day. When funders hesitate, the consequences are felt most acutely by locally led organizations that are already operating with limited resources. Collaboration, when done well, allows funders to align capital, reduce duplication, and ensure that funding reaches leaders closest to the work — especially as traditional sources of support disappear.
The Bridgespan piece highlights practical lessons from collaboratives navigating this reality and makes the case for coordination over isolation at a time when every dollar carries more weight.
We’re grateful to Bridgespan for elevating this conversation and for recognizing the role of collaboratives in sustaining impact amid uncertainty.
The piece also spotlights local organizations driving resilience, including our partner Friendship Bench, whose work exemplifies locally driven, scaled impact. It also features photos from recent site visits with Faith In Action and ACADES.
