1.     What is the Special Initiative for Africa?

The Special Initiative for Africa was launched in November 2001. Its purpose is to strengthen African institutions and regional approaches to address the challenges of peace and security, citizenship and identity, and regional integration. Starting from 2005, the initiative will begin a transition into a self-sustaining African foundation dedicated to funding, convening and building partnerships for African solutions.

2.     What are the program priorities of the initiative?

The initiative and the planned foundation are designed to:

3.     What will the initiative achieve in the long-term?

Over the long term, the initiative is expected to produce two main outcomes. The first is a critical mass of sustained, closely knit and highly effective institutions, organizations and networks that are able to promote peace and security, democratize the processes and benefits of regional integration, and address the challenges of citizenship and identity. The second outcome is a self-sustaining African foundation (with funds mobilized from Africa and other sources) that has "a seat at the table" and can strengthen African regional solutions to African problems.

4.     How is the initiative being developed and organized?

The initiative is being developed and implemented in two phases. The first phase is a three-year period, starting in November 2001 and ending in October 2004. During this phase, we are conducting a series of Africa-wide consultations and exploratory grantmaking as well as building partnerships that will sustain the initiative over the long term. Following this, the initiative will be relocated to Africa as an independent foundation with the resources and capacity to serve as convener, facilitator and grant-maker working for African regional solutions.

5.     What kinds of organizations and projects does the initiative support?

Grantee partners are carefully selected from all sub-regions of Africa, on the basis of their programming record, convening authority, sound administrative practice, and links to both grassroots organizations and official institutions. We make a special effort to select partners from all five sub-regions of Africa and they often have programs across borders on the three themes of the initiative. All grantees must be committed to working closely with one another, and to working across sub-regions or on a continent-wide basis because the initiative has no country specific projects. Rather, it convenes and supports activities that could have impact on strengthening institutional partnerships for problem solving across borders.

Projects normally evolve out of the annual workshops and emphasize collaborative activities. Based on these consultations, we develop clusters of grants to test the ideas and strategies recommended by participants. Together, the grants link institutions working across Africa to (1) strengthen the enforcement of regional policies and treaties to address the challenges of peace and conflicts, regional integration, and citizenship and identity, (2) establish a place for historically marginalized voices in this work, and (3) document and disseminate knowledge about successful African approaches to these challenges. Nearly half of our current grants focus on marginalized groups such as women, youth, and minorities.

6.     What other funders are involved in the initiative?

Donor partners are those that seek to support long-term institution strengthening in Africa, especially on regional and sub-regional issues. At present, several donor agencies participate in the initiative's consultative meetings, including the African Development Bank, the Mott Foundation, the Open Society Institute-South Africa, the Swedish International Development Agency and the Japanese Government. Other funding agencies, such as the MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation, the European Union and DFID are expected to participate in future initiative activities.

7.     Does the initiative make grants to non-African organizations?

The initiative focuses on Africa-based organizations and institutions. Occasionally, however, African organizations and programs headquartered outside the continent but with operational activities in the continent, participate in the initiative's activities.

8.     How can my organization/institution collaborate with the initiative?

If your organization/institution works in any of the three themes of the initiative, we would be pleased to share information with you, and invite you to participate in our activities. We prioritize relationships that foster mutual learning and emphasize inter-African collaboration for problem solving.

9.     Where would SIA be located?

The location is yet to be determined, and the selection will be based on a feasibility survey and analysis of factors such as the state of the infrastructure, political stability and economic congeniality.

10.    How can I get more information about the initiative?

The initiative is currently based at the Ford Foundation head office, and can be contacted at the following coordinates:
The Special Initiative for Africa
The Ford Foundation
320 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-573-4952 or 5067
Email: a.aidoo@fordfound.org