The 9th East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) Conference session in Kigali Rwanda
Since the 9th East Africa Philanthropy Conference in Kigali, the sector has experienced significant change. Funding sources have shifted, donor expectations have evolved, and organizations face growing pressure to be locally led and more accountable.
It is within this evolving context that the East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) will convene the 10th East Africa Philanthropy Conference in Addis Ababa in June 2026, providing a space for leaders to reflect, exchange ideas, and identify practical ways to adapt to a rapidly changing philanthropic landscape.
The conference will be held under the theme “Anchoring Systems in an Era of Transition,” signalling a deliberate focus on building the structures, relationships, and financing architectures required to sustain the sector through ongoing change.
Many institutions are rethinking their operations, adjusting governance structures, and exploring new ways to collaborate and share resources.
Capital flows are also being reconfigured: an estimated $124 trillion is passing to inheritors whose values, expectations, and accountability demands differ fundamentally from those of previous generations.
At the same time, trust deficits persist, with fewer than one in five donors expressing high confidence in the institutions seeking support.
Bilateral funding contractions have exposed structural dependencies that many organizations can no longer maintain, and while localization has become a dominant narrative, tangible shifts in power and resources remain uneven.
Collaborative funding and implementation models have moved from experimentation to validation, yet intermediaries tasked with coordination often remain under-resourced.
Scheduled for June 16–20, 2026, the conference will take place at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together more than 700 leaders from philanthropy, civil society, private foundations, intermediaries, and allied institutions across East Africa and beyond.
The gathering is designed not simply as a forum for discussion, but as a working space to examine the realities shaping the sector and identify viable pathways forward.
The program will address five interconnected areas that have emerged as critical to the sector’s resilience and relevance.
These include capital reconfiguration and generational transition, as institutions respond to shifting donor profiles and long-term sustainability concerns; collaborative models and pooled infrastructure, which are increasingly central to scale and efficiency; and innovative finance architecture, reflecting the growing need for flexible, diversified financing mechanisms.
Additional focus areas include trust architecture and ecosystem infrastructure, aimed at strengthening credibility, accountability, and coordination across the sector, and localizing power and resources, a priority that continues to challenge existing funding and governance norms.
Together, these themes frame the central questions the conference seeks to interrogate: how philanthropy in East Africa can adapt its systems without losing its purpose, and how institutions can remain effective amid rapid transition.
The conference structure intentionally moves across three registers.
Plenary sessions will surface the structural tensions reshaping philanthropy today, offering shared analysis of emerging risks and opportunities.
Deeper dive sessions will shift attention toward design, enabling participants to work through governance frameworks, operating models, and strategic blueprints.
Masterclasses will focus on practical tools and approaches that participants can deploy within their organizations upon return.
Registration for the 10th East Africa Philanthropy Conference is now open, providing institutions and practitioners the opportunity to engage directly with peers navigating similar transitions.
Registration details are available here: EAPN
In addition, organizations that have developed models, frameworks, or strategies demonstrating measurable results and with potential for adaptation across contexts are invited to submit proposals for inclusion in the conference program: EAPN
As the philanthropic ecosystem continues to evolve, the 10th East Africa Philanthropy Conference offers a timely platform for collective sense-making, shared learning, and the co-creation of anchoring systems that can sustain the sector through an era of transition.
