Strengthening Community Foundations to become Grantmakers
June 27, 2025
KCDF Annual Work Planning Workshop 2025
July 9, 2025
Building Global Capacity for Community-Led Change through the Change the Game Academy
From June 13 to 29, 2025, KCDF participated in an international Training of Trainers (ToT) programme in Cambodia, hosted by Change the Game Academy, supported by the Wilde Ganzen. This dynamic, multi-country workshop was organised in partnership with the Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) and the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and brought together 47 civic actors from Asia, Africa, and South America.
Representing KCDF at this training were Emilly Omudho, Team Lead for Environment and Natural Resource Management, alongside certified Change the Game Academy Trainers. The two-week workshop was designed to enhance the facilitation skills of trainers working with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in their respective regions.
Participants received intensive training in three core modules:
- Local Fundraising
Participants explored practical strategies for helping CSOs reduce dependency on foreign aid by tapping into local resources. The training explored mapping local funding opportunities, building donor relationships, developing effective fundraising campaigns, and leveraging community assets.
KCDF’s trainers gained hands-on experience designing and delivering workshops empowering grassroots organisations to create sustainable funding models based on local ownership and community participation.
- Mobilising Support
This module focused on equipping trainers with tools to guide organisations in building public support for their causes. Key learning areas included identifying stakeholders, framing compelling messages, influencing policy, and engaging media and decision-makers. KCDF’s team sharpened their ability to coach CSOs on strategic advocacy and community mobilisation, ensuring the public and policymakers hear their voices.
The approach was rooted in non-confrontational methods that aimed to influence rather than demand change, fostering constructive engagement.
- Social Accountability
The training also delved into mechanisms for holding governments and institutions accountable transparently and collaboratively. KCDF’s trainers learned how to guide communities in monitoring service delivery, using tools like community scorecards, citizen report cards, and public expenditure tracking. The goal was to strengthen citizen participation in governance by equipping local actors with the skills and confidence to demand improved public services and accountability from duty bearers.
This international ToT was about technical skill-building and creating a global network of trainers committed to advancing community-led development. For KCDF, participation in this workshop reaffirmed our long-standing commitment to empowering grassroots organisations in Kenya and beyond.
Through this engagement, KCDF strengthened its capacity to deliver context-relevant training to local partners, enabling them to mobilise resources, amplify citizen voices, and promote transparent governance.
#ChangetheGameAcademy #Localfundraising #Mobilisingsupport #Communityleddevelopment
