In early March of 2021, Asante Africa Foundation and three other girls’ education organizations operating in rural Africa, Women’s Global Education Project (WGEP), AGE Africa, and WISER International, were awarded a $3 million grant, $750,000 per organization, from Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall Initiative to fund their joint efforts to educate girls in remote villages across Africa. Asante Africa partnered with the other three organizations, all part of the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, to jointly apply for the #StartSmall opportunity.
This grant was part of the trust-based philanthropy movement, described by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project as ‘redistributing power—systemically, organizationally, and interpersonally—in service of a healthier and more equitable nonprofit sector. On a practical level, this includes multi-year unrestricted funding, streamlined applications and reporting, and a commitment to building relationships based on transparency, dialogue, and mutual learning.’
This grant is helping Asante Africa to scale the Wezesha Vijana (Girls’ Advancement) Program, enabling more girls to continue their education through and beyond the Covid-19 crisis.
Read the Forbes article “Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall Initiative Grants a Transformational $3 Million to Girls’ Education”.
