Kenya Community Development Foundation Request for Information (RfI) Guidelines

Project Title: Strengthening the Community Foundation Movement as a basis for Sustainable Development in Kenya.

Targeted Organizations/Entities: Informal and formal organizations/entities that are community rooted, owned, financed, and run.

Guide to Respondents

1. Projects Vision: A Growing Resilient Community ‘Foundations’ Movement in Kenya

KCDF is in the process of designing a project that will help expand the ecosystem of philanthropy support organizations in Kenya i.e., Community Foundations and/or Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that are locally driven and financed with minimal external (foreign/out of Kenya) funding. The project will help to strengthen the infrastructure for a community foundation model of sustainable development. Support is not meant for the implementation of projects but rather, an investment that ensures a growing number of strong resilient local community foundations, organizations, or entities that are locally rooted, owned, financed, and run.

2. Problem

For many parts of the developing world including Kenya, development has generally tended to be driven by international donors, pushing work that focuses on their areas of interest. Within these traditional approaches, communities are seen as subservient players of whatever is given out by funders, hence playing a minimal role in designing or implementing the interventions that are meant to lead to their development. The current (and common) structural design of development programmes is disruptive for communities and characterized by short-term project cycles addressing singular problems, communities abandoning their priorities and aligning themselves to international development priorities, and a weak Kenya civil society that can't survive without ODA, meaning that many issues that communities deem important and of priority, are neglected.

3. Proposed Solution

KCDF anticipates supporting both informal and formal entities that are already working to enhance the vision above. Working with informal and formal entities, possible foreseeable areas of Intervention may be around the following areas herein referred to as tenets/characteristics of Community Foundations:

3.1. Tenets/Characteristics of Community Foundations

Project offerings will seek to grow these characteristics, becoming the dominant traits for onboarded Foundations or CBOs.

1. 1. Governance and Leadership: They have a credible active local governance structure. They are established and governed by local communities through local individuals who identify with the community issues.
   2. Legitimacy: They draw their legitimacy from the local community besides the traditional ways of being legally registered. The host community is a key stakeholder that actively/deliberately participates through well-structured ways of participating.
   3. Place-Based: They cover a specific geographic area characterized by shared interests or development priorities. They have an accessible (to all community members) physical office or space which serves as the mobilization and action-taking center.
   4. Accountability: They are meaningfully accountable to the local / host community. i.e. through community annual delegates meetings, community social audits, and community reporting forums/barazas.
   5. Philanthropic/Local Resource Mobilization: They mobilize (increasingly) local resources to run their operations. This is characterized by cash and in-kind contributions mobilized from the host community. It is desired that over 25% is raised locally (in-country) and progressively increased.
   6. Engage with Duty Bearers: They have mastered mobilizing or advocating for support from their local and national governments through meaningful engagements with duty bearers. The community is central to these engagements
   7. Asset Ownership: They own or plan to own assets in the trust of the host communities. Structures and legal frameworks have been capitalized to ensure that assets remain in the hands of the foundation (in trust) perpetually.
   8. Community Mobilization: There exist good regular, predictable spaces for mobilizing communities. Projects and interventions are informed by active feedback collection from a well-mobilized community. Both men and women participate.
   9. Robust and Effective Systems: They plan to invest in growing their systems i.e. financial, communications, programming, and fundraising. This includes technology and human resource capacities as they continue growing their income sources.

4. Objectives of this Survey/Request for Information

1. 1. Map out organizations that are keen on enhancing their structural formations and capabilities around the Community Foundation characteristics. See the listing of some desired characteristics above.
   2. Map out the status of such organizations in reference to some of the desired characteristics.
   3. Get suggestions on possible areas that many interested organizations are struggling with but are keen to enhance.
   4. Use the survey results to shortlist the second Cohort of at least 12 (6 informal and 6 formal organizations and entities for possible onboarding). This survey will be followed by an invitation to submit a proposal based on the feedback shared.

5. Who can fill out this survey?

An organization or entity (through their primary contact person). For purposes of this survey, an organization can be a registered entity or an informal group of people with a common purpose. KCDF seeks to map out both formally registered and unregistered organizations and entities for possible partnerships as outlined in this guide.

To fill out the survey please click here. 

Please note, this is an ideation stage, and as such, budget estimates are NOT required. KCDF reserves the right to request proposals only from those who respond to this survey and/or to publicly advertise for proposals through its website.

Download the guide here