Fund strategy

Introduction

This document outlines our approach to mobilising diaspora support for local African leaders. It details our fundraising model, partner selection process, and how we maintain transparency and accountability while delivering meaningful impact.

Summary

Kwanda is a fund created by the African diaspora to support local solutions to long-term challenges across Africa and, eventually, its wider diaspora. Funding decisions are made through community votes, and every financial transaction is recorded on a public ledger.

Approach:

We raise funds through a growing community of committed individuals who contribute monthly, primarily from the African diaspora.

Why:

We believe in shared ownership of progress. Our grassroots fundraising model keeps us independent, accountable, and community-led. It allows us to:

• Stay values-aligned: We're not beholden to traditional funders with misaligned priorities
• Democratise development: Anyone can participate, regardless of wealth or geography
• Build resilience: Diverse, small-scale giving reduces over-reliance on single donors
• Create a movement: It's more than funding—it's participation in a new model of impact

We supplement this base with select strategic partnerships—with institutions, philanthropists, or high-net-worth individuals who share our belief in local leadership and long-term systems change. All capital raised is deployed transparently.

Approach:

We maintain real-time, accessible financial reporting that shows exactly how funds are raised, allocated, and spent, down to the project level.

Why:

Trust is built through transparency. Our financial reporting is designed to be:

• Live: Updated regularly so members always see the current state of funds.
• Granular: Every grant is tracked individually, with clear disbursement dates and amounts.
• Public: Accessible to all members.
• Narrative-backed: Financial data is paired with impact stories so numbers are grounded in real outcomes.

This approach ensures villagers know how much was spent and what it achieved, strengthening confidence in our model and demonstrating a new standard of accountability in African-led development.

Approach:

We deploy funds through a participatory voting model where members of our community—our villagers—help decide which projects receive funding.

Why:

We believe in collective agency. Those who contribute to building the pot should have a voice in how it's used. Our voting process:

• Distributes power: Decision-making isn't centralised—it's shared with our global village.
• Builds trust: Members see exactly how funds are used and have a say in the impact they enable.
• Surfaces diverse priorities: Voting reflects the values, interests, and urgency felt across our community.
• Keeps us accountable: Every project must clearly communicate its value, feasibility, and potential impact to earn community support.

Projects are curated and vetted by our team before being presented for voting, ensuring every option meets our funding criteria and reflects our thesis.

We fund local leaders shifting systems—people embedded in their communities who are solving essential problems in ways that create lasting change.

We look for work that doesn't just deliver services, but transforms how a community functions: improving access, building local power, or reshaping incentives.

Small, well-placed capital can unlock big shifts when it's in the hands of people who understand the root causes and are committed to long-term impact.

*Funding is geo-scoped to Africa and has expanded to include the Caribbean.

Rooted, System-Literate Leadership: The people leading the work are embedded in the community and understand the broader systems—social, cultural, and economic—that shape the problem they're solving. They're trusted locally and think beyond the surface.

High-Leverage Problem Area: The issue being addressed is a foundational blocker—access to healthcare, water, education, livelihoods, or agency—that has ripple effects across a system when improved.

Structural or Behavioural Shift: The proposed solution does more than deliver a service—it changes how something works. It might build local ownership, change incentives, improve access, or increase community power.

Execution Capacity: We back leaders who can act. They either show traction through scrappy experimentation or have plans grounded in local reality. Momentum matters more than polish.

Sustainability by Design: The work is built to last—through local ownership, recurring value, or embedded systems (e.g. local maintenance plans, trained facilitators, income-generation models).

Smart Use of Small Capital: We look for interventions where a small grant (£2K–£10K) can create a tipping point—launch a pilot, unlock additional funding, achieve a critical milestone, or validate a new model.

Learning & Influence Potential: The work has something to teach, whether through success, failure, or adaptation. The insights can inform others, influence funders, or shift practice in similar contexts.

*Funding isn't limited to non-profit models. We're open to for-profit solutions that deliver social impact.

Approach:

Milestone-based unrestricted grants.

Why:

This strikes a balance between flexibility for the partner and accountability for us. It allows grantees to use funds as they see fit, supporting local ownership while tying disbursements to agreed-upon progress markers. This model:

• Builds trust: Shows respect for partner autonomy while keeping mutual expectations clear.
• Reduces burden: No need to submit rigid budgets or detailed line-by-line reports.
• Supports iteration: Partners can adapt their approach as they learn.
• Enables accountability: Milestones (e.g., "reach 500 people trained," "secure local permissions") create natural check-ins.
• Scales well: Easier to manage across multiple small grants.

It reflects our belief in investing in people, not projects, while keeping the process structured enough to satisfy members and demonstrate clear impact.

Approach:

Proactive sourcing through trusted networks and aligned ecosystem players.

Why:

This approach ensures alignment with our mission, reduces time spent filtering low-fit applications, and strengthens strategic partnerships. Trusted networks—such as alumni from previous programs, funder collaboratives, incubators, academic institutions, or sector-specific accelerators—will likely surface credible, community-rooted, and execution-ready partners. It allows us to:

• Maintain quality control: Recommendations carry a degree of due diligence and reputation risk from the referrer.
• Stay aligned: These ecosystems often share values around local leadership, innovation, and impact.
• Build relationships: Rather than transactional grants, we form long-term partnerships with organisations we know or are introduced to through trusted actors.
• Save capacity: Reduces energy spent fielding and rejecting cold applications that don't align with our criteria or values.

This model also complements our brand: collaborative, discerning, and rooted in deep relationships rather than mass, surface-level outreach.

Approach:

Lean, conversation-led due diligence focused on leadership, systemic insight, and execution capacity.

Why:

We fund system-shifting work, which requires strong judgment on people, not just paperwork. Our process centres around a structured conversation that probes:

• Leadership quality (integrity, vision, lived experience)
• Contextual understanding (proximity to the problem, community trust)
• Execution capacity (clarity, track record, realism)

Rather than formal data rooms or extensive documentation, this approach prioritises human judgment, clear communication, and pattern recognition. It aligns with:

• Speed: Fast, respectful of partner time, and enables quicker decisions.
• Access equity: Doesn't disadvantage grassroots or under-resourced organisations.
• Fit for small grants: Proportional to the typical £2K–£10K size of our early funding.
• Storytelling potential: Real conversations yield insights that translate into impact narratives.

This approach is supported by light verification (e.g., org registration, references, a short proposal), but the core insight comes from the call itself.

Approach:

Light-touch onboarding focused on alignment, clarity, and momentum.

Why:

We prioritise clarity without bureaucracy. Once approved, partners receive:

• A simple grant agreement outlining expectations, timelines, and milestone terms.
• A clear disbursement schedule tied to progress markers.
• Guidance on storytelling, reporting, and communication.
• A primary contact for check-ins and support.

Onboarding is not a formality; it's our chance to build trust, co-create goals, and set a tone of collaboration, not compliance.

Approach:

Tapping diaspora talent to accelerate partner impact through skill-based support and strategic connections.

Why:

Our community is rich with skilled, values-aligned individuals across tech, finance, media, law, health, and policy. Beyond funding, this is one of our most powerful assets. Offering our partners access to this collective intelligence can:

• Sharpen strategy: e.g., a diaspora member advising on sustainable revenue models or operational systems.
• Strengthen delivery: through short-term support in areas like branding, comms, digital tools, or monitoring.
• Open doors: via intros to new funders, partners, or diaspora networks abroad.
• Build solidarity: fostering a deeper connection between the global diaspora and local change-makers.

How it might look:

• Hosting occasional "Ask the Village" sessions where partners bring challenges and diaspora members offer input.
• Matching specific partners with skilled villagers for co-creation.
• Curating office hours or micro-mentorship across key functions (finance, ops, storytelling, etc.)

This approach positions us not just as a fund but as a bridge, activating the full power of the diaspora to accelerate locally led systems change.

Approach:

Milestone check-ins with flexible updates.

Why:

We recognise that meaningful progress can be communicated in many forms. Rather than defaulting to lengthy reports, we invite partners to share milestone updates in ways that suit their work and capacity—this may include:

• Short written summaries or voice notes
• Photos, videos, or testimonials
• Light impact reports or data snapshots

This flexibility allows us to:

• Verify progress for disbursements
• Surface stories and insights for our members
• Spot early signals of risk or learning

It ensures we stay accountable, especially for grassroots or early-stage initiatives, without creating unnecessary reporting burdens.

Approach:

Narrative-based reflective reporting supported by light data.

Why:

This approach centres real-world insight over abstract metrics. It invites partners to honestly reflect on what worked, what didn't, and why. Quantitative data (reach, outputs) is included, but it is secondary to story, context, and reflection.

It works well because it:

• Reduces reporting burden: Especially for grassroots organisations with limited capacity.
• Surfaces learning: Stories and reflections reveal systems insights and unexpected outcomes.
• Respects complexity: Acknowledges that success isn't always linear or measurable.
• Supports storytelling: Content can be used directly in our updates, social media, and member comms.
• Fosters relationships: Makes partners feel heard, not audited.

Partnered with simple numbers (e.g. "Number of people reached: 750") and media (photos, video), this offers the depth and transparency our values, without bureaucracy.

Approach:

Human-centred, visually rich microstories tied to each funded initiative and/or milestone.

Why:

This approach brings our impact to life through compelling, short narratives grounded in real people, places, and outcomes. It prioritises emotion, clarity, and trust over lengthy reports or abstract stats.

It works because it:

• Engages members: Stories are easier to consume, share, and connect with emotionally.
• Builds trust: Transparency is embedded in showing real faces, quotes, and outcomes.
• Drives growth: High-quality, story-driven content fuels word of mouth and social traction.
• Respects partner voice: Storytelling is co-created with project leads, not extracted.

How it might look:

• A single photo or 30-sec video clip
• A short narrative: "After their old well dried up, Halima's village in Singida walked 3 hours a day for water. With support from our villagers, Upendo Trust installed a solar borehole that now serves 312 people. Halima says: 'Now my children go to school on time. We're healthy again.'"
• A few light stats (cost, reach, location)
• Shared across email, social, and platform

One story per project or milestone, done well, becomes the heartbeat of our communication: grounded, dignified, and resonant.

Approach:

We take a light-touch but serious approach to safeguarding, designed to protect communities, ensure funds are used responsibly, and uphold the trust placed in us by our members and partners.

Why:

Trust is our most valuable currency. While we keep our processes lean, we build in key safeguards to prevent harm, misuse, or misconduct. Our approach includes:

• Clear expectations: Every grantee receives a clear agreement outlining use of funds, conduct, and mutual accountability
• Proportional verification: We ask for enough documentation to establish legitimacy.
• Milestone-based funding: Funds are disbursed in stages, reducing risk and increasing responsiveness
• Partner integrity: We prioritise leadership character and community trust in our due diligence
• Open channels: Our community can flag concerns, ask questions, or report issues at any time

We don't believe in bureaucracy for its own sake, but we take safeguarding seriously, especially when working with vulnerable communities. Our model is built on high trust, and backed by smart, context-aware risk management.

Platform & Technology

Approach:

We build technology that reinforces transparency, participation, and clarity, making it easy for our community to see where funds go, vote on what gets funded, and follow the impact.

Why:

Technology should build trust, not complexity. Our platform isn't just a backend—it's a living interface between our global community and local impact. It is:

• Transparent by design: Every transaction, vote, and project update is visible to our members.
• Participatory: Villagers don't just donate—they engage, vote, and help shape outcomes.
• Accessible: Clean design, clear language, and mobile-first experiences keep it usable across geographies.
• Narrative-rich: Impact is not shown through spreadsheets alone—we integrate stories, visuals, and real voices.
• Modular and evolving: We adapt our tools and features based on community feedback and partner needs.

Our technology makes funding feel personal, traceable, and collaborative, bringing global citizens into local change in real time.

Outro

Thank you for reading this guide. If you have any questions, please refer to our FAQ page.