Startup Year Snapshot

Read our full 2020 Annual Report on Issu here.

Last April, a dedicated group of like-minded philanthropists, foundations, and African social innovators, dissatisfied with existing inequities and power imbalances in philanthropy, came together with a common goal to shake up the status quo. The goal was to drive unrestricted funding to African visionaries and accelerate their potential for transformational impact across the continent.

The events of 2020 heightened the urgency for the need to reimagine philanthropy and center it around those closest to the pulse of communities. The resilience and innovation displayed by African visionaries in response to the pandemic underscored the need to disrupt traditional philanthropic systems that disproportionately deny African founders equal access to resources needed for growth.

Conversations quickly transitioned to action, marking the genesis of what is today the African Visionary Fund. Against the backdrop of the myriad of challenges that the pandemic presented, we made major strides forward thanks to our network of trusted partners across Africa, the generosity and flexibility of our funding partners, and our founding team’s willingness to adopt unconventional approaches in light of lockdown restrictions around the globe.

We invite you to join us on a journey of inquiry about how we can work together to create a philanthropic field that is more collaborative and just. Read the full report to learn about the steps we took in our initial year to build a more just organization from the ground up.