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Grantmaking

Congolese communities choose resilience everyday, we help them thrive.

Through impactful funding, a pioneering social enterprise, and strategic advocacy, we drive policy change, increased attention, and lasting change.

Impactful, Collaborative Funding

When ECI started, no one would fund local organizations or invest in Congolese startups. Over 50 non-profit partners and 120 startups later, we have proven that fear misplaced. Today, we continue to directly fund projects in North and South Kivu focused on women’s empowerment and economic development.

Empowered women lift communities.

When women are supported, communities flourish. Gaining legal birth certificates, securing land rights in situations of discrimination, and the critical work of seeking justice for survivors of rape and gender-based violence all work toward empowerment for women.

Without justice we will never move forward in Congo. Without accountability and the rule of law, the Congolese people–and above all Congolese women–will never be able to reach their full potential.

Claudine Tsonga, DFJ Lawyer and ECI Partner

Economic Development is the key to resilience.

When we interviewed community organizations, their message was clear: start with economic development. When people have steady income, their children can go to school, they can access needed services, and they can build the communities they deserve.

Rather than go for short-term metrics, we need to invest in building sustainable change. It needs to be from, of, and for the community with goals that extend beyond a grant.

– ECI Executive Director Abraham Leno

Public-Private Partnerships

ECI facilities public/private partnerships to increase the quality and quantity of investment into DRC. This strategy aims to identify and establish best practices and replicate these proven models.  ECI will focus on funding promising practice interventions in order to scale and reduce poverty through the development of economic opportunities; as well as improve the lives of millions through improves health systems strengthening and supporting the technical implementation of sectoral projects.