Community philanthropy can help African countries make progress towards meeting the SDGs. And why should their example not be replicated on other continents?

Enlisting philanthropy to help countries make progress on the SDGs is nothing new. The website SDGFunders[1] offers information about which foundations are funding which goals for which groups. But these are well-resourced foundations in the Global North. Taking a much more ground-level view of how local philanthropy in Africa is punching well above its weight in striving to achieve the SDGs is necessary and overdue.

Enter community foundations

In 2022, Johannesburg-based SGS Consulting, supported by the C S Mott Foundation, worked with six community foundations (CFs) and community foundation support organisations across southern and east Africa to document how their interventions contribute and align to selected SDGs.