GIF’s Commitment to Localisation.

GIF believes local partners are the linchpin for sustainable solutions to international development challenges because they are grounded in the knowledge and experience of the people directly affected.

This is why, in 2024, we have once again sought to direct our funding towards locally headquartered organisations, adding Tiyeni, Proximity and Mafisa to our portfolio. We have continued with this approach in 2025 with our recent investment in Blackfrog.

Often, our investments are not only locally headquartered, they are also locally led. Embracing localisation has meant testing and adapting how we identify potential investees, reframing risks and opportunities and working with local actors within the context of our investment criteria. We have needed to create the right conditions so they can engage fully with our due diligence processes and thrive as part of our portfolio.

GIF has worked to simplify and shorten our initial application process to lower the barriers to engagement. Over the last few years, we have taken a more proactive approach to sourcing local organisations, leveraging our strong networks with early-stage funders, research institutions and sector experts. Crucially, we have also reframed how we view alignment against our investment criteria, the role and additionality of our capital and our risk appetite.

Globally headquartered donors like GIF can feel inaccessible to local organisations. Breaking down the donor-grantee barrier enhances effective collaboration. We’ve looked to build trust through site visits and in-person meetings at an early stage. We have learned to value informal conversations during a car ride or over lunch that help to humanise us as ‘funders’, level the
terms of engagement and improve transparency.

All the local innovations that GIF funds build on their many years of dedicated experience implementing different community initiatives. Some are co-developed with global actors and adapted effectively to local context following a lot of co-creation, testing and iterations with communities to ensure local ownership. As an anchor funder, we take calculated risks to support local organisations with nascent financial history and less experience managing large budgets.

This, in turn, has given other potential funders the confidence to invest. We also see our role as facilitating introductions and links to our network, which enhances organisations’ fundraising strategies and increases resource mobilisation.

Read our 2024 Impact Report here.