Philanthropic Capital Investment Fund

Credit: Christian Aid

Strategically position your giving to maximise social return through supporting market-based solutions to poverty.

Farmers securing a brighter future

>2,624

We're supporting smallholder farmers scale and boost their market share.
Small businesses accessing funding

>1,855

We're providing seed and scale-up funding to smallholders.
Seed and scale-up funding recovery rate

>95%

More than 95% of initial funding has been repaid and loaned to further borrowers

What is the Philanthropic Capital Fund?

Corporate and philanthropic capital has a vital part to play in addressing injustice, and in establishing sustainable solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues.

Whilst emergency aid remains essential in some circumstances, we continue to strive for sustained social and economic development .

Christian Aid has experience in over 40 countries establishing long term solutions through creating jobs, growing the economies, strengthening political stability, and equipping and empowering communities to build the futures they want.

The Philanthropic Capital Fund strategically directs your giving so that it has impact for generations to come by focusing on sustainable market-based solutions to poverty.

Markets-based solutions use the assets of a particular community or industry to establish employment opportunities and economic stimulus to overcome the need to for aid.

Where we focus

Malonda: wealth creation for pigeon peas smallholder farmers in Malawi

Pigeon pea production in Malawi is dominated by smallholder farmers. They typically have limited access to market information, lack access to improved varieties and are subject to exploitative market conditions controlled by unscrupulous middlemen.

As such, the local pigeon pea market is highly fragmented and disorganised.

Despite the availability of ready export markets in India, and domestic market growth opportunities, farmers miss these opportunities. They also typically have no access to affordable finance and lack basic business skills, including financial management.

How The Philanthropic Capital Fund helps us support farming families

The Philanthropic Capital Fund enables Christian Aid to support over 3000 farming families to become more resilient and secure sustainable income for their families and communities by:

Helping farmers to increase their income from pigeon peas sustainably through

adding value by processing peas to produce dhal and animal feed
improving access to markets, with collective bargaining power
improving access to storage for sale when prices are optimal

Providing farmers with business skills and affordable access to finance through:

business skills training, including financial management
establishing village savings and loans associations
offering start-up loans for small businesses to diversify income

Benson Alick: cycling his way to success

Benson Alick is 32 and lives in Kalambo, 3 hours south of Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, with his wife and child.

Before meeting Alliance Development Africa Foundation (ADAF), he worked as a security guard. However, after the business management and village savings training with ADAF he began exploring new business opportunities and settled on bicycle hire services.

He successfully secured a Christian Aid funded interest free loan of £52.63 and purchased a bike.

Benson also joined the VSL groups that were formed by ADAF and has started to grow his savings. Benson has now managed to buy three more bicycles and employed more people to expand his business.

Benson plans to expand his business by buying a motorbike allowing him to charge greater fees and secure greater profits.

How it works

We're raising a total of £850,000 to meet our project targets. Will you be part of this funding cycle to raise £200,000 towards this total?

When you give to the fund, you join a network of fund members collectively funding two impact streams of the Malonda wealth creation programme:

Creating sustainable markets through strengthening domestic market viability and maximise export market share.
Providing seed and growth capital for smallholders to diversify livelihoods and support pigeon peas production.

Social return on your investment is delivered to small holders, communities and wider socio-economic benchmarks.

Micro impact: Smallholder farmers are enabled to increase their productivity and profit. They're able to invest in their families wellbeing, education and economic security

Messo impact: Communities are impacted by a growing local economy. Local spending power benefits other business increasing employment and welfare

Macro impact: Working with government to increase domestic and export markets, in turn influences economic priorities and growth strategies.

Give to the fund

Get in touch to find out more and make a donation. Call 020 789 8934 or email privatesectorteam@christian-aid.org

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