Evans Okinyi, CEO of the East Africa Philanthropy Network opening the convening, -EAPN./ PHOTO; EAPN
Community philanthropy is taking centre stage in Mombasa as the inaugural Africa Community Foundations Convening brings together community foundations, funders, philanthropy support organisations, researchers and partners to explore how locally rooted institutions can become stronger and more sustainable.
The convening, which began on 5 October and runs through 8 October 2026, is being held under the theme “From Rooted Giving to Durable Institutions: Building Africa’s Community Foundations Movement.”
The programme has been structured around the development of a stronger community foundations movement.
The first two days have focused on the roots and relevance of community foundations and the institutions needed to make them sustainable, with discussions touching on community ownership, governance, local resource mobilisation, grantmaking and institutional sustainability.
Today, 7 October, the agenda shifts towards “Movement + Commitment,” bringing participants together to consider what the emerging movement needs to build collectively and how learning from the convening can translate into continued collaboration beyond Mombasa.
The East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN), which participated in the convening, has emphasised that strengthening community foundations requires more than individual organisations or funding.
“Communities across Africa are already mobilising resources, organising around shared priorities and sustaining forms of giving rooted in place,” EAPN said in a post shared during the convening.
Opening the gathering, EAPN CEO Evans Okinyi also highlighted the broader infrastructure needed for community foundations to grow.
“For EAPN, we understand that community foundations do not develop in isolation, their strength depends on the infrastructure around them.”
The network identified trusted governance, clear institutional pathways, appropriate capital, supportive regulation and connections across the field among the structures needed to support the movement.
The final day on 8 October will focus on the future of community foundations in Africa and the planned launch of the Africa Community Foundations Alliance (ACFA), which is expected to provide a continental platform for connection, learning, evidence, advocacy and long-term stewardship.
