TrustAfrica’s philanthropy work seeks to leverage new and traditional forms of African giving to advance economic, political and social justice. Cultivating indigenous philanthropic resources can support and strengthen African agency, shifting the balance of power back towards the continent and reclaiming African ownership of African agendas.
Africa is home to a deeply rooted culture of giving and mutual support. Building knowledge of these traditions is fundamental to enabling African narratives of giving to take an equal space alongside more formalized philanthropic mechanisms. To that end, we produced Giving to Help and Helping to Give: The Context and Politics of African Philanthropy, among other publications.
We have also produced research on philanthropic trends, for example, Africa’s Wealthy Give Back, a report published in concert with UBS on giving by high-net-worth Africans.
The book, Claiming Agency: Reflecting on TrustAfrica’s first decade, independent authors examine the work of TrustAfrica and its partners in an effort to better understand the kind of philanthropy that is not only based in Africa but that prioritises African agency.
TrustAfrica helped establish the African Philanthropy Network (APN) and continues to play a key role as an active member and supporter.