Effective Community Organisations and Community Leaders

Through demand-driven, practice-based peer learning and training programmes, challenge grants and mentoring, Allavida works to strengthen the capacity of local organizations and their leaders to mobilise communities, develop and resource practical initiatives, lobby and advocate for change, build and sustain alliances, and find ways to sustain their own activities. Allavida also works to strengthen the resource base of trainers and resource people wherever we work.

Progressive Philanthropy

Through research, publications, convening debates, technical support for philanthropic institutions and associations, exchanges and study tours, training, and challenge grants, Allavida works to understand traditions of giving, mutual aid and solidarity, to nurture responsive community-based philanthropy organisations, and link local philanthropy with the pursuit of local development goals.

Effective gran tmaking and social investment

Through training and consultancy services, research and publications, and our own small grants programmes, Allavida works to nurture the development of community focussed grant making bodies and to explore the potential of social investment for resourcing local development. Allavida also assists international funding institutions – from small family foundations, to schemes established by multi- and bi-lateral donors – with a range of consulting services designed to increase the impact of funding. These services – outlined in Allavida Services – help resource providers establish effective development initiatives and appropriate funding strategies that can increase long-term impact for the benefit of poor and marginalized people.

Social enterprise

A key objective for Allavida is to work with community organizations and entrepreneurs to help create social enterprises that can generate significant social benefits but also offer financial returns for sustaining organizations as well as improving livelihoods. Allavida’s programme includes research into defining social enterprises, practical support through business development services, and leveraging investment.

Social brokerage

Through our own programmes and those of our close and trusted development partners, Allavida is able to offer a changing ‘portfolio’ of community projects and small enterprises that need grant funds and/or social investment. Allavida offers this portfolio to foundations, social investors and philanthropists who are seeking to make contributions that can impact directly on communities and people. Allavida offers a variety of cost-effective support services including programme design, grants assessment, monitoring, evaluation and re-granting.

Influence

Through publications, debates and other fora, Allavida seeks to use learning generated from our work to influence the agenda and strategies of all institutions involved in resourcing civil society and development at local level. Through this influence, we aim to increase the effectiveness of funding in terms of its impact on reducing poverty and enabling poor people and communities to build assets and transform their livelihoods.