Catalysts for Community Led Development: Fiscal Hosting as a Pathway to Sustainable Financing in Sub Saharan Africa
At the 6th African Philanthropy Conference in August 2025 at The American University in Cairo, CivSource South Africa shared research on fiscal hosting as a practical route to sustainable financing for civil society across Sub Saharan Africa. Presented by Prince Mudau, the paper explains how fiscal hosting allows emerging initiatives to operate under a registered nonprofit that provides governance, compliance, fund management, and reporting, strengthening accountability while protecting community leadership in complex regulatory and donor environments. Drawing on insights from more than 130 entities, the reflection highlights where fiscal hosting is most established, the range of services hosts provide beyond fund management, and the opportunity to grow this model in areas such as youth empowerment and climate justice, reinforcing a wider conference message that sustainable financing must be locally led and built for long-term systems change.