African Collaborative Commits $1.7 Million to Ten New African-Led Organizations, Reaching $12.3 Million in Total Commitments Across 15 Countries
(June 25, 2026 ) — African Collaborative today announced its fifth cohort of partners: ten African-led organizations across four regions of the continent, representing a new $1.7 million multi-year commitment and bringing the organization’s total commitments to $12.3 million across 45 partners in 15 countries since its founding in 2020.
The announcement also reflects African Collaborative's continued effort to widen access to organizations that remain less visible to international philanthropy and the systems built to find them. Through an upgraded application platform designed to lower connectivity barriers and expand language support, more than 3,000 organizations from 44 countries across the continent completed applications this cycle. Three of the ten newly selected partners operate primarily in Francophone contexts, representing a deliberate expansion beyond the regions and networks where global funding has traditionally concentrated.
“The challenge has never been been finding extraordinary organizations. The challenge has been building systems that give them the opportunity to tell their stories. We see thousands of applications from leaders doing remarkable work in communities that remain largely invisible to global philanthropy. This cohort reflects what becomes possible when you intentionally expand access to opportunity.”
About the Fifth Cohort
The ten organizations were selected through African Collaborative's participatory grantmaking process. Final decisions were made by a rotating committee of African social impact leaders, including some of African Collaborative's existing grantee partners, alongside board members and leadership. This structure was designed to ensure that funding decisions are context-driven and grounded in community realities. The committee evaluates organizations across all sectors and models, with one firm requirement: organizations must be African-founded and led.
While their approaches differ, the organizations share a common thread: they are building practical solutions rooted in the realities of the communities they serve, whether strengthening democratic participation, expanding access to justice, improving health systems, creating economic opportunity, or advancing the rights of women and girls.
Each organization will receive unrestricted, multi-year funding, a model African Collaborative has maintained since its founding on the belief that the people closest to a problem are best positioned to solve it.
“This cohort reflects the evolution of our portfolio, but also the evolution of our understanding. Some of the most transformative work on the continent is happening far from traditional funding networks. This cohort reflects where African Collaborative is today and where it is headed: a broader network with deeper relationships and an unwavering commitment to the leaders already shaping the future of this continent.”
Meet the New Partners
Tuwindi (Mali): Uses information and communication technology to strengthen democratic participation, including real-time election monitoring tools, civic engagement platforms, and a corruption-reporting application that has provided Mali’s anti-corruption oversight body with data it previously lacked.
Fountain of Hope Africa (DRC & Malawi): FOH runs an integrated model spanning education and livelihoods for conflict-affected and displaced communities. It is the first refugee-led organization formally registered in Malawi.
Let Us Stay Alive (DRC & Rwanda): An indigenous women-led organization based in North Kivu, eastern DRC, working on rights awareness, economic empowerment, and political participation for indigenous women and girls.
Nice Place Foundation (Kenya): A rescue center and leadership academy in Kajiado County, providing safety, education, and economic opportunity for girls fleeing female genital mutilation and child marriage.
Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice (Nigeria): Has facilitated more than 6,500 legal interventions for Nigerians who cannot afford representation, through a combination of technology, AI-powered legal tools, and a nationwide network of volunteer lawyers.
Imagine Her (Uganda): Builds rural entrepreneurial infrastructure for young women aged 18 to 35, providing training in social entrepreneurship, interest-free startup capital, and ongoing mentorship with a focus on agri-food systems and climate resilience.
Our Sisters’ Opportunity (Rwanda): OSO trains roughly 200 young women per year in fashion design, soap-making, and agribusiness, followed by startup capital and two years of mentorship and market linkage support.
Spark Health Africa (South Africa): Partners directly with Ministries of Health to strengthen the leadership, culture, and systems that determine how healthcare is delivered, using coaching, organizational development, and collective impact approaches.
Penplusbytes (Ghana): A civic technology institution founded in 2001, working across media, governance, and digital rights to strengthen democratic accountability. Has monitored 18 elections across the continent and built tools used by citizens, journalists, and government bodies to verify information, counter disinformation, and strengthen independent media.
Africa Book Development Organisation (Zimbabwe): Has spent three decades facilitating community-led education and livelihoods programming across five provinces of Zimbabwe through a bottom-up participatory model in which communities design, implement, and own their own development pathways.
Portfolio at a Glance
45 partner organizations total since founding
$12.3 million committed across 15 countries
All 4 Sub-Saharan African regions represented in Cohort 5: East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa
10 countries in Cohort 5: DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Mali, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi
3 Francophone organizations in Cohort 5: Tuwindi (Mali), Fountain of Hope Africa (DRC), Let Us Stay Alive (DRC)
3,000+ organizations applied in this cycle
Unrestricted, multi-year grants across all commitments
About African Collaborative
African Collaborative is a philanthropic organization committed to channeling resources to high-impact African-led organizations. Founded in 2020, African Collaborative provides unrestricted, multi-year grants and strategic support to locally rooted organizations across sub-Saharan Africa, on the conviction that African-led organizations are best positioned to identify challenges, design solutions, and drive lasting change in their communities. African Collaborative’s open application process and participatory grantmaking model are designed to ensure that funding reaches organizations that are too often overlooked by traditional philanthropy. For more information, visit africancollab.org.
Media Contacts
Sibabalwe Mona | Associate Director, Advocacy & Strategy, African Collaborative | sibabalwe@africancollab.org
Isatta Coomber |Manager, Communications, African Collaborative | isatta@africancollab.org
