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September 29, 2025“Who holds the key to sustainable development: the funders, the governments, or the communities?” This question lies at the heart of advancing community-led development through domestic philanthropy. True and lasting change emerges when communities own their futures, mobilise their resources, and drive decisions affecting their lives.
The journey toward a resilient civil society and inclusive governance challenges us to rethink traditional development models and shift power closer to the grassroots. How can we deepen this shift, encourage meaningful collaboration, and sustain progress beyond the ebb and flow of donor funding?
These reflections framed the conversations at the recent Giving for Change (GfC) annual learning and reflection meeting, where civil society leaders from across eight countries gathered to interrogate these questions and create a path forward for community-driven impact.
About the Convening
Held from September 15 to 19, 2025, in Arusha, Tanzania, the convening brought together consortium partners and national anchor institutions from eight implementing countries: Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Palestine, Brazil, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso, for a comprehensive exchange of insights, strategies, and lessons.
The meeting served as a valuable platform to reflect on the GfC programme’s successes to date, share lessons across diverse contexts, and engage in forward-looking conversations around the future of community-led development through the lens of domestic philanthropy.
A key focus of the week was a participatory evaluation of the programme’s progress, accompanied by strategic discussions on sustaining momentum and deepening results beyond the current programme cycle.
The Giving for Change programme has been a pivotal avenue for KCDF in the last five years, supporting efforts to strengthen community philanthropy and grassroots advocacy in Kenya. This has enabled KCDF to work closely with local communities, amplifying citizen voices, building resource mobilisation capacity, and promoting inclusive decision-making that empowers communities to shape and drive their development agendas.
KCDF was represented at the convening by our Executive Director, Grace Maingi, Programmes Director, Caesar Ngule, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Team Lead, Gabriel Kihara, and Programme Coordinator, Hellen Kuria.
The delegation actively participated in reflective dialogues, shared KCDF’s practical experiences in implementing the GfC programme in Kenya and explored new opportunities for strengthening local giving and community ownership in development processes.
Key Sessions and Discussions
The first meeting day featured a dedicated session for Tanzanian civil society actors titled “Reimagining CSO Resourcing through Community and Domestic Philanthropy.” This session grounded the gathering in the local context and set the tone for the rest of the week. It underscored the core belief of the GfC programme, that communities inherently possess the assets and power needed to lead their own development. The session highlighted the critical role of local ownership and domestic resource mobilisation in protecting and strengthening civic space.
The second day was devoted to internal reflection among the consortium and implementing partners. Sessions included “GfC Partners Conversation: Information and Knowledge Sharing” and “Reflection on Key Issues Arising from Shared Experiences and Knowledge.” This provided a crucial opportunity to exchange practical, on-the-ground experiences across countries. Facilitated discussions fostered a collective sense of purpose, helping partners identify common challenges, share strategies, and explore ways to adapt solutions to different contexts. These reflections were instrumental in assessing the programme’s progress and in strategising for its final implementation phase.
The third session focused on the external evaluation of the GfC programme. The “Reflecting on Our Journey: A Facilitated Discussion” session demonstrated the programme’s strong commitment to accountability and learning. Participants assessed what has worked well and where improvements are needed while documenting best practices in community philanthropy. The session further explored the relationships and linkages built through the programme, both strong and those that need further nurturing, at the national, regional, and global levels, including among consortium partners and the national anchor institutions.
This dialogue was also an opportunity to critically examine the programme’s Theory of Change and begin shaping the final endline evaluation.
The final sessions, “What’s Next? Looking into the Future Beyond the GfC Programme” and “Deepening Conversations and Looking Ahead”, brought the convening to a forward-looking close. These discussions focused on sustainability beyond donor funding, the legacy of the GfC movement, and how to embed the principles of community-led development and local philanthropy into broader systems. Emphasis was placed on building resilient civil society organisations, fostering a culture of local giving, and strengthening advocacy to influence national and global policies supporting regional development ownership.
The meeting provided KCDF with an invaluable space for reflection, learning, and strategic alignment. It reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to championing community-driven change, investing in local leadership, and cultivating a strong culture of domestic philanthropy as a pathway to sustainable development and social justice.
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