Philanthropy highlights blog

Shrinking donor funding, tougher operating environments, and overreliance on external support are pushing many civil society organizations to the edge. Recent sector reflections showed a sobering reality: a significant number of CSOs would not survive for long if foreign funding stopped. This isn’t just an institutional crisis, it risks silencing the very voices that hold power to account, mobilize communities, and advance social justice. Conversations within the African Philanthropy Network have therefore called for a radical shift toward alternative financing, local resource mobilization, and community-led philanthropy so that African CSOs can adapt, not disappear.

Read more about the call to diversify funding and rebuild civil society resilience.

In Mbale City, CivLegacy Foundation, in partnership with the Bugisu NGO Forum, convened CSOs and private sector actors from across the region to explore how the two sectors can work together for inclusive, locally driven development. The meeting surfaced a shared concern: despite Uganda’s policy direction under NDP IV and the Local Economic Development (LED) framework, engagement between CSOs and businesses remains limited, leading to missed opportunities for joint action. Participants called for trust-building, recognition of each sector’s unique strengths, and a shift from ad hoc, transactional collaboration to long-term, values-based partnerships. Local government officials welcomed the initiative and encouraged non-state actors to use existing government platforms to institutionalize these dialogues.

Read more about the outcomes and next steps for CSO–private sector collaboration in the region.

In July 2025, CivLegacy Foundation and Peace Direct convened the second conversation in the six-part series, Reclaiming the Frame: Conversations on Decolonization in East Africa. This session examined how colonial-era power dynamics still shape who sets priorities in the aid system, who controls resources, and how success is defined. Participants from across the region shared lived experiences of Northern-driven agendas, funding tied to external criteria, and the persistent framing of African actors as beneficiaries rather than leaders.

Read more about the series and how we are reclaiming narrative, resources, and decision-making for the region.

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CivSource Africa has been elected to the Board of the African Philanthropy Network (APN) following an extraordinary members’ meeting held on 4 July 2025 in Arusha, Tanzania. This two-year mandate affirms our role in advancing African-led, locally rooted philanthropy and places us alongside leading institutions such as STAR Ghana Foundation, African Women’s Development Fund, East African Philanthropy Network, TrustAfrica, and others to shape a more responsive, collaborative, and just philanthropic ecosystem on the continent. Read more →

Philanthropy Week 2025 celebrated generosity in all its forms, spoken, danced, debated, played, and lived. From Kampala’s boardrooms to Kibuye’s roundabout, from Adjumani’s playing fields to the Ndere Cultural Centre stage, we witnessed giving that serves, stays, and sustains. This special edition of the CivSource Africa Galaxy Newsletter captures the moments that mattered: conversations that challenged us, performances that moved us, street activations that energized us, and symposium reflections that dared us to reimagine the future of African giving.

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Should we start preparing “mass graves” for CSOs? Funding is drying up, policy space is tightening, and too many organizations in the Global South are being pushed to downsize or shut down. This isn’t just institutional loss, it’s the erosion of civic voice and agency. As APN’s Dr. Stigmata Tenga warns, “It’s not just the organizations that die, it’s the voice, the dignity, and the agency of the people they served.” Recent APN trainings revealed a stark reality: many CSOs wouldn’t survive beyond five years without foreign funding.

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With external support declining (including from major partners like USAID), programmes are stalling even as community needs intensify. On Spirit TV’s Truth, Lies and Politics (Aug 2025), Catherine Mugabo (CivLegacy Foundation), Moses Mulindwa (UNNGOF), and analyst Charles Rwomushana urged a reset: fiscal discipline, policy realism, and serious local resource mobilization. Catherine framed aid as a “painkiller,” not a plan, calling for leadership that demystifies “resources” to include talent, volunteerism, networks, and local knowledge.

To watch the conversation live on YouTube, CLICK HERE:

Koona DanceWorkout and the DWONA Initiative (under GivingTuesday Uganda) hosted Dance With A Purpose at Lugogo Indoor Arena in Kampala, mobilizing the community for menstrual justice and the RUMPs for Rural Girls program, which uses art and play-based learning for menstrual education and sustainable pad-making. The event drew 124 participants in the morning and 115 in the evening, raising UGX 8,365,000 to keep girls in school.

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What does it take for philanthropy to stay relevant when everything is shifting?
At #9thEAPC (Kigali, June 2025), 300+ changemakers from 32 countries agreed: agility is non-negotiable. Philanthropy must decentralize power, listen differently, finance adaptively, and measure what communities value. Key takeaways included unlocking diaspora remittances, building public-private-philanthropy partnerships, and using storytelling and flexible platforms to deepen trust and accountability.

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The Jinja convening validated more than research; it unveiled a movement. Local businesses across Uganda are stepping up as partners in development, driven by purpose, proximity, and a desire to give meaningfully. From health outreach to skills training and menstrual equity, their stories reveal a philanthropic spirit grounded in trust and community. But to scale this impact, we must move from recognition to collaboration. Now is the time to rethink how private sector actors and CSOs work together, not as separate sectors, but as co-creators of lasting change. Let’s build a future powered by local giving, rooted partnerships, and collective vision.

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This wasn’t just a game; it was a declaration: every child deserves to play, to dream, and to belong. As Watoto Wasoka prepares for an even bigger Slums Derby in 2026, we invite you to support their work, amplify the movement, and invest in joy as a tool for justice. Visit www.watotowasoka.ug or follow @WatotoWasoka on social media to get involved.

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The future of civil society might not be found in aid but in solidarity, self-trust, and local connection. As the CivLegacy Foundation continues to champion community foundations and locally driven philanthropy, we call on all development actors to deepen collaboration, engage domestic donors, and see communities not for what they lack, but for what they already hold. Join us in unlocking the radical power of giving from within.

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The future of community philanthropy is ours to shape, intentionally and collectively. As CivLegacy returns from Bucharest inspired and renewed, we invite fellow practitioners, funders, and community leaders to connect, collaborate, and build infrastructures that are people-centered, adaptive, and rooted in shared purpose. Let’s keep the momentum going, reach out, share your learning, and join the global movement toward community-driven transformation.

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Locally led development is no longer a buzzword; it’s a necessary shift. As we rethink how change happens, now is the time to engage deeply with local voices, review the position paper, and co-design sustainable solutions. Stakeholders are invited to reflect, respond, and take bold action to realize a development agenda truly led by communities.

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Shrinking foreign aid is pushing African philanthropy to rethink sustainability. At the May 2025 WINGS Africa meeting, leaders spotlighted urgent lessons from EPIC-Africaand EAPN on building resilient, locally funded systems. From bold calls to action to a renewed focus on African-led giving, the message was clear: the future is in our hands. At CivLegacy Foundation, we’re walking that talk.

Read more and join the movement for community-powered philanthropy.

CivLegacy Foundation joined stakeholders at the Makerere–CAPSI workshop, launching a 5-year research project involving 17 African universities. The study will explore how the non-profit sector contributes to youth employment across Africa, focusing on dignified and inclusive work opportunities. With input from government, academia, and civil society, the research aims to generate data that will inform policy, unlock economic potential, and better position the sector as a key driver of youth empowerment.

Read more here

In April 2025, CivLegacy Foundation joined over 100 youth leaders and stakeholders at a national policy dialogue focused on youth unemployment and Uganda’s NDP IV. The convening unpacked gaps in current youth employment programs and emphasized the urgent need for youth-centred planning, system reform, and skills development. With voices from government, research institutions, and youth-led organizations, the dialogue called for bolder strategies to turn Uganda’s youth bulge into a golden opportunity.

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In January 2025, Uganda’s Parliament approved the National Development Plan IV, emphasizing the need for stronger public-private partnerships and greater involvement of non-state actors. The 2025 Philanthropy Forum Uganda convening echoed this vision, calling for a bold shift toward collaborative, people-powered development. With reflections from key leaders, including CivSource Legacy Foundation’s Catherine Mutesi Mugabo, the forum challenged stakeholders to align resources, co-create solutions, and rethink aid and accountability for lasting impact.

Read more here

On Good Deeds Day 2025, we turned streets into stages, waste into worth, and generosity into a living, breathing force for change. From Kampala’s vibrant march to heartfelt performances and acts of kindness, we saw what happens when community rises with purpose.
This wasn’t just a celebration, it was a call to keep doing good, boldly, locally, and together.

Read the full story HERE:

#GoodDeedsDay #OmutimaOmugabi #DoingGood