Big Win Philanthropy

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £7,182,624 (UK entity, 2023) / $5.4 million (US entity, 2023)
• Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
• Decision Time: Not applicable (works by government invitation)
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (programmes range from multi-million dollar government partnerships to leadership development initiatives)
• Geographic Focus: African countries (15+ countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Namibia, and others)

Contact Details

UK Office:

• Registered Address: Office 605, Albert House, 256-260 Old St, London EC1V 9DD, UK (registered, not physical address)
• Phone: 0203 141 7100
• Email: info@bigwin.org
• Website: www.bigwin.org

US Office (Mailing Address):

• 4 Post Office Lane, Unit 388, Greens Farms, CT 06838, USA

Overview

Big Win Philanthropy is an independent foundation established in 2015 that partners with visionary African leaders to achieve transformational change for children and young people. Founded by Jamie Cooper (former President and CEO of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation), the organisation operates as both a UK registered charity (1162036) and a US private foundation. With approximately £7.2 million in annual UK charitable expenditure and over $5 million in US grants, Big Win focuses on three key areas essential to national development and long-term economic growth: brain development, education for productivity, and youth employment. The foundation's “North Star” goal is to directly and consequentially impact 23.5 million lives by 2027. Unlike traditional grant makers, Big Win only works in countries where support has been directly requested by the government, believing that “national development at scale must be government-led and government-owned.”

Funding Priorities

Partnership Approach

Big Win Philanthropy does not operate traditional grant programmes. Instead, they provide:

• Government Partnerships: Multi-year strategic partnerships with African governments working on transformational agendas for children and young people
• Leadership Development: Year-long programmes including the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI), Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program, Cabinet Workshops, and Leadership Exchanges
• Multi-Sectoral Initiatives: Catalytic investments to build capacity and support implementation of national development plans

Priority Areas

Brain Development:

• Early Childhood Development programmes
• Nutrition interventions to combat childhood stunting
• Partnership with African Development Bank and Dangote Foundation on “Banking on Nutrition” initiative (mobilised $5.4 billion in nutrition-smart investments as of 2024)

Education for Productivity:

• Primary education transformation (e.g., Ghana's goal to become a “learning nation”)
• Digital literacy building (Rwanda)
• Education system strengthening (Liberia)

Youth Employment:

• Job creation initiatives (Ethiopia's goal of 20 million quality jobs between 2021-2030)
• Youth employment programmes (Côte d'Ivoire, Namibia)

City Leadership:

• AMALI (African Mayoral Leadership Initiative) - supports mayors and governors overseeing cities with 300,000+ residents who have three or more years remaining in their term
• Since its launch in 2022, 60 city leaders have participated from cities including Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dakar, Johannesburg, Harare, and Lusaka

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited applications from organisations
• Projects not aligned with government-led national development priorities
• Initiatives outside their three core focus areas (brain development, education, youth employment)
• Work in countries where they have not been invited by the government

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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

1. Jamie Cooper - Founder, Chair and President
2. Suprotik Basu
3. Malik Dechambenoit
4. Luísa Dias Diogo
5. Mark Dybul
6. Bill Haney
7. Michelle Harrison
8. Nikos Makris
9. Dzingai Mutumbuka

No trustees receive remuneration from the charity.

Senior Leadership:

• Jamie Cooper - Founder, Chair and President (former President and CEO of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation)
• Dr. Kesetebirhan (Kesete) Admasu - CEO (former Minister of Health of Ethiopia 2012-2016, former CEO of RBM Partnership to End Malaria, former Chair of WHO Regional Committee for Africa)

The board and team include former African ministers, senior government and multilateral officials, and senior leaders from the private sector with extensive experience implementing transformative reforms.

Key Quotes from Leadership:

Jamie Cooper, Founder: “Growth and stability in African countries will be achieved by leaders with the vision to invest in the emerging new generation of young people. With Big Win Philanthropy, I aim to support these leaders.” She has also emphasised: "You can't achieve development by working around government."

On Nutrition: “Nutrition is one of a set of key investments in human development that together are just as important as investments in infrastructure and power in bringing about economic growth.”

How to Apply to Big Win Philanthropy

How to Apply

Big Win Philanthropy does not accept unsolicited grant applications.

The organisation works exclusively by invitation from African governments. According to their stated approach: “We only work in countries where our support has been directly requested by the government.” They partner with “public-sector leaders who have credible, robust, evidence-based, country-led agendas.”

Their selection process prioritises investments based on:

1. Alignment with their mission (brain development, education for productivity, youth employment)
2. Potential to scale impact
3. Their ability to add value as a partner

Exception - AMALI City Leadership Program: Mayors or governors overseeing cities of over 300,000 residents in Africa with three or more years left in their term may apply for the annual AMALI City Leadership Forum. This is the only programme with a direct application pathway.

Getting on Their Radar

For Government Leaders:

• Big Win Philanthropy actively seeks partnerships with African governments that have transformational visions for children and young people
• They look for leaders who are “ambitious and committed to improving the lives of young people”
• The organisation values “credible, robust, evidence-based, country-led agendas”
• Contact should be initiated at the ministerial or senior government level

For Mayors and Governors:

• AMALI Program: Eligible city leaders (cities 300,000+, 3+ years remaining in term) can apply for the annual AMALI City Leadership Forum
• The programme provides a four-day forum, year-long tailored leadership training, dedicated coaching, technical support, and problem-driven research
• 60 city leaders have participated since 2022

For NGOs and Civil Society:

• Big Win Philanthropy does not directly fund NGOs or civil society organisations through open applications
• They may fund organisations as part of government-led partnerships when aligned with national development priorities
• Organisations working with African governments on transformational agendas in their priority areas may become grant recipients as part of broader government partnerships

Application Success Factors

For Government Partnerships:

1. Government Leadership is Essential: Big Win believes “national development at scale must be government-led and government-owned.” They only work where invited by governments and expect African leaders to be "always in the driver's seat."

1. Transformational Vision Required: They seek leaders with bold, ambitious agendas - examples include Ethiopia's Seqota Declaration to eliminate childhood stunting by 2030, or Ethiopia's goal to create 20 million quality jobs between 2021-2030.

1. Evidence-Based Approaches: Big Win prioritises “credible, robust, evidence-based, country-led agendas.” Programmes should be grounded in research and data.

1. Multi-Sectoral Collaboration: Big Win supports “collaboration between different government ministries and sectors” and seeks to “forge partnerships between government, business and civil society.”

1. Alignment with Three Core Areas: All partnerships must align with brain development, education for productivity, or youth employment.

For AMALI City Leadership Program:

1. Eligibility Requirements: Must be mayor or governor of a city with 300,000+ residents with at least three years remaining in term
2. Legacy Goals: Participants develop a “bespoke legacy goal” - an ambitious, transformative programme that will change the city's trajectory
3. Action-Oriented: Leaders leave with concrete action plans for achieving their goals

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Not a Traditional Funder: Big Win Philanthropy is not a grant maker in the conventional sense - they do not accept unsolicited proposals from UK charities or NGOs
• Government-Focused: They work exclusively with African government leaders (national, regional, and city level) who directly request their partnership
• Partnership Model: They act as “true partners” providing resources, end-to-end implementation support, and catalytic investments rather than traditional grant funding
• Three-Part Focus: All work centres on brain development, education for productivity, and youth employment
• Scale and Ambition Matter: They seek transformational, country-level change with bold goals (e.g., eliminating childhood stunting, creating millions of jobs)
• Mayor/Governor Exception: The AMALI programme is the only pathway with a direct application process - eligible African city leaders can apply
• Long-Term Commitment: Partnerships are multi-year with comprehensive support including leadership development, technical assistance, and implementation backing
• Evidence-Based Approach: They prioritise robust, evidence-based, country-led agendas with potential to scale impact

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Power Of Nutrition
• James Percy Foundation
• World Connect International, Uk
• Ubs Optimus Foundation Uk
• Anglo American Foundation
• Vodafone Foundation
• Amref Health Africa Uk
• The One Foundation
• The Stone Family Foundation
• Ipsos Foundation

References

1. Big Win Philanthropy Official Website - https://www.bigwin.org
2. Big Win Philanthropy Approach Page - https://www.bigwin.org/approach/
3. Big Win Philanthropy Team Page - https://www.bigwin.org/team/
4. Big Win Philanthropy Leadership in Action - https://www.bigwin.org/work/
5. Charity Commission Register - Big Win Philanthropy (1162036) - https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1162036&subid=0
6. AMALI: African Mayoral Leadership Initiative - https://amalicities.africa/
7. "You can't achieve development by working around government, says Big Win's Jamie Cooper" - https://www.bigwin.org/articles/you-cant-achieve-development-by-working-around-government-says-big-wins-jamie-cooper/
8. African Development Bank Press Release: “African Development Bank, Big Win Philanthropy, Dangote Foundation launch ambitious plan to improve child nutrition, fight stunting” - https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/african-development-bank-big-win-philanthropy-dangote-foundation-launch-ambitious-plan-to-improve-child-nutrition-fight-stunting-18789
9. "Banking on Nutrition: $2.3 billion allocated to 'nutrition-smart' projects" - https://www.bigwin.org/blog-posts/banking-on-nutrition-2-3-billion-allocated-to-nutrition-smart-projects/
10. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Big Win Philanthropy Inc (820843080) - https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organisations/820843080