We believe in the strength of local communities. The Community Kickstart Fund gives local civil society organisations the tools and confidence to take the step in raising their own funds. We invite other funders to join us. Let’s pool our resources, share our insights, and multiply the impact of local action.
Why this fund?
The best ideas often come from the ground up. But many local organisations lack that crucial first boost. The Community Kickstart Fund fills that gap – with training, seed funding, and a matched investment in community-driven solutions.
It’s not just about funding. It’s about shifting power. Community-led organisations raise part of the budget themselves. They make the decisions. They build long-term strength and resilience.
We’ve seen how it works. Now we want to scale it. with your help.
What makes it unique?
The fund is built on over a decade of grassroots experience. It blends funding with skills training and intentionally shifts power to communities. The result? Less dependency on external aid, and more self-led sustainable action.
Backed by a decade of local experience
The approach builds on the work of Change the Game Academy and Giving for Change, two programmes that demonstrate the power of local fundraising and ownership.
- The Change the Game Academy Alliance has trained over 4,000 organisations in person and supports more than 25,000 online learners each year.
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It operates in 16 countries, through a global network of over 300 local trainers, offering tailored coaching in local languages and contexts.
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Through Giving for Change, we’ve supported 30 community platforms that work with over 500 civil society and community-based organisations – all focused on strengthening local resource mobilisation and enhancing community leadership.
Contact
Questions and answers
Any philanthropic funder, donor organisation, or foundation that aligns with the values of community-led development and local ownership is welcome to co-invest.
Wilde Ganzen Foundation manages the fund, oversees financial accountability, and ensures transparent reporting. We also facilitate learning exchanges with our co-investors, so that we can learn from this process together.
Selection is made in collaboration with national Change the Game Academy country partners, based on criteria such as organisational strength, fundraising capacity and community involvement.
Even though the projects supported are not selected on a specific theme or region, we can certainly discuss possibilities to support a certain region or theme (e.g. female-led projects, youth-led projects).
We are open to both one-off contributions and long-term collaboration.
For more information, please contact Lori Cajegas lori@wildeganzen.nl (Programme Coordinator)