African Foundation for Development (AFFORD)

Registered charity 1104682 · since 2004afford-uk.org·Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greater London, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal … [5 more]·Updated 31 October 2026

Key takeaways

AFFORD's four themes (enterprise and employment, diaspora remittances and investment, diaspora engagement and capacity, and action-research, policy and practice) are the clearest guide to fit, and its business support for fledgling entrepreneurs is the closest match for enterprise-led work.
Neither the annual report nor the register gives a grants total or grant range, and no application process is published, so the size of a sensible request cannot be judged from public material.
The best first step is to use the contact it shows and ask how it takes proposals and what it typically funds.
Its one fund with stated terms, the MADE West Africa pilot, is open to applicants based in the diaspora (Europe), Ghana or Sierra Leone, and partnerships with organisations in other countries are possible, so a group elsewhere should ask about a partnership before applying.
For that fund, a completed application form and a budget proposal are needed.

Overview

African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1104682).

The African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) is an international organisation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under charity number 1104682, whose mission is to expand and enhance the contributions Africans in the diaspora make to African development. Its work runs through four programmes: enterprise and employment; diaspora remittances and investment; diaspora engagement and capacity; and action-research, policy and practice. It supports fledgling entrepreneurs through business support and advice, and it works alone or with partners.

What they fund

Priority Areas

AFFORD works to expand and enhance the contribution of Africans in the diaspora to African development. Its programmes centre on enterprise and employment; diaspora remittances and investment; diaspora engagement and capacity; and action-research, policy and practice. It supports fledgling entrepreneurs through business support and advice, and says it has provided grants and business resource centres to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses. Its West Africa work builds capacity among SMEs and diaspora investors to raise philanthropic and investment funds and support job creation. Across its work, AFFORD mobilises diaspora financial, intellectual and political assets and carries out projects alone or with partners.

Themes

Enterprise and Employment
Diaspora Remittances and Investments
Diaspora Engagement and Capacity
Action-Research, Policy and Practice

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Who can apply:

MADE West Africa pilot fund: Applicants must be based in the diaspora (Europe), Ghana or Sierra Leone but partnerships with organisations in other countries are possible.

What to send:

MADE West Africa pilot fund
- A completed application form.
- A budget proposal.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Benin
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
The Gambia
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Greater London

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to African Foundation for Development (AFFORD).

AfrinspireRollingGave £450k CHASE AfricaNo public processGave £620k Farm AfricaNo public processGave £4.5M The Africa TrustNo public processGave £1.5M Advantage AfricaNo public processGave £240k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£355,567	£571,473	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£655,188	£439,738	£32,572	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£543,323	£507,337	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£671,262	£678,682	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£385,942	£452,774	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.