More than 160 grant making organizations are meeting in Nairobi to advance social justice grant making because it will reduce societies inequities.

Evans Okinyi CEO East Africa Philanthropy Network said that social justice grant making commits to systemic change, advocating not for superficial alterations but for profound societal overhaul.

“Such goes beyond financial support because it leverages philanthropic influence to reconfigure unjust power structures, ensuring those historically marginalized are central in shaping the policies that govern their lives,” Okinyi said.

the 2024 Grantmakers Summit will provide a platform to ensure industry players engage in  discourse w anchored on the three pillars of Assessing, Architecting, and Advancing, each serving as a basis for a more effective, inclusive, and revolutionary grantmaking landscape.

He revealed that social justice grant making seeks to rectify existing power imbalances that favor well-established organizations over grassroots movements that more attuned to community needs.

Eric Kimani chair East Africa Philanthropy Network said that traditional philanthropy oftens operates within the parameters that inadvertently sustain status quo inequities.

The “Strategic Philanthropy in a Dynamic Era” summit is an assembly the collective journey toward a future where philanthropy is not simply a charitable act but a powerful force for sustainable development.

Kimani urged east Africa’s philanthropies to develop long-term strategies that build resilience and capacity for future generations.

“This involves investing in education, innovation, and infrastructure that can withstand and adapt to future challenges,” he added.

According to the chairman, thinking strategically about the future, can ensure that efforts today create a sustainable foundation for tomorrow so that  legacies will be defined not by the grants we give but by the lasting change we make.