About Us

Our goal is to create more genuine, trust-based and equitable partnerships between donors and African-led grassroots organisations.

For lasting change to happen, it must be led from the ground up. However, getting the right funding to local organisations has been a key stumbling block in efforts to localise responses. Local organisations have not been fully trusted to deliver on their work, manage funds effectively and with proper accountability.

Funding with trust showcases the work of outstanding, African-led grassroots organisations who have demonstrated that they are impactful, can manage funds effectively, meet the accountability demands of donors and have the potential to grow their programs if supported.

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Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash
  • Showcase Impact

    Showcase the work of grassroots organisations highlighting instances of what they can achieve with minimal overheads and their ability to prioritise resources based on local need.

  • Address Misconceptions

    We address funder misconceptions that grassroots organisations are often lacking in capacity, are risky investments, unable to effectively measure impact and cannot scale among others.

  • Share Best Practices

    Share best practices on how to identify, vet and cultivate trust-based relationships with the right grassroots organisations

Our Story

Funding with trust (FWT) was started by Eve Omala in 2020 for the purpose of creating more impact in international development through transforming donor mindsets towards locally-led African organisations. Growing up in Uganda and having worked on both the funder and grantee sides, Eve often observed a disconnect between the impressive work she witnessed on the ground and the perceptions donors held towards locally-led African organisations. She’s witnessed a significant lack of trust from funders regarding the capacity of local leaders, their ability to report on progress and deliver impact, and concerns about corruption.

Despite this, Eve consistently works with outstanding locally-led organisations that have transformed their communities, diligently report on their progress, and demonstrate excellent stewardship of the resources they receive.

FWT aims to bridge this knowledge gap by highlighting the exemplary work of locally-led organisations, showcasing best-in-class funding practices, and addressing pertinent topics to keep both funders and grantees informed about sector trends. Our ultimate goal is to foster genuine, trust-based, and equitable partnerships between donors and African-led organisations.

Our Team

Eve Omala

Host

Our host, Eve Omala brings over 12 years of experience in the nonprofit & philanthropic sectors, having managed private foundation operations but also worked as a program implementer at the grassroots level. Currently, Eve serves as the manager for the Africa Local Leaders Portfolio at Partners for Equity, where she passionately supports early-stage African-led organisations.

Throughout her career, Eve has been instrumental in supporting funders to localise their grant-making efforts. Notably, she made significant contributions at the Segal Family Foundation, directing over $15m annually in early-stage funding and providing thought partnership to over 150 locally-led organisations.

Eve serves on the boards of Segal Family Foundation, Blood:Water Mission, Fundi Bots, Intrepid Foundation and the Africa Visionary Fund as well as the advisory board of the Australian International Development Network and Gould Family Foundation.

Fiona Byarugaba

Consultant - Business Development and Strategy

Fiona brings over 15 years of expertise in scaling inclusion and employer brand programs for global tech and non-profit organisations. As Programme Manager at Grameen Foundation in Uganda, she spearheaded initiatives that transformed the lives of over 300,000 farmers earning less than $2 a day. Leveraging mobile technology and human networks, her team empowered these farmers to enhance their farm output with the support of a 1,100-strong network of peer advisors.

Fiona excels in strategic and operational planning, influencing decision-makers and engaging stakeholders to drive impactful change within large enterprises. Her inclusion and belonging initiatives have achieved significant milestones, including a 50% representation of women and underrepresented gender minorities in tech roles, positively impacting over 11,000 employees across 13 regions.

She is passionate about building innovative, equitable organisations to create impactful change, and specialises in designing diverse workplace practices. Currently, she supports over 139,000 chartered accountants in advancing their careers to become inclusive difference makers in Aotearoa, Australia, and globally.

Previous Co-host

John Deeks

Co-host

John is a highly experienced, versatile and well regarded media professional in Australia who is using his media experience to ensure that the work of outstanding local leaders is widely showcased.

With over 40 years of experience, his talents are well recognised by leading media and event organisations. John has been the voice of Channel 7 and 'warm-up-man' extraordinaire, involved in many of the television productions we know and love including Wheel of Fortune, Dancing with the Stars and Deal or No Deal. He was also the host of Family Feud Australia.