About the Foundation

TY Danjuma Foundation is a private independent philanthropic grantmaking organisation committed to improving the quality of life of Nigerians, by supporting health and education interventions implemented by Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) registered and working in Nigeria..

The Foundation was established in 2009 by Lt. Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, GCON – a retired Nigerian Army Chief of Staff, an astute and successful businessman. The Foundation is based in Abuja, Nigeria with state offices in Taraba and Edo.

Mission

The TY Danjuma Foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life of Nigerians by supporting initiatives that improve access to health and educational opportunities.

Vision

To contribute to building a Nigeria where all citizens have access to affordable quality health care, education and equal opportunities to realize their potential.

Main Goals
  • Enhance community health care by providing free medical services to rural communities which lack adequate medical facilities;
  • Improve the quality of education of children and young people; and
  • Alleviate the extreme poverty in communities across the country by providing humanitarian assistance, clean drinking water, and encouraging the empowerment of women.
Values

The Foundation operates with the following core values:

  • Informed and responsive grant making
  • Community involvement
  • Government participation
  • Accountability to beneficiaries
  • Learning and innovation
  • Promoting philanthropy in Nigeria
Focus Areas
How the Foundation Works

TY Danjuma Foundation works mainly through Non-Governmental Organisations (NCOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in Nigeria. Our strategy of working through partnerships is intended to build institutional capacity of groups, supporting innovation and ensuring that the funding provided meets the needs of the target beneficiaries and is culturally relevant. In doing so, the Foundation encourages its grantees to forge collaborations and partnerships with local, state and national government agencies to enhance sustainability of the projects.

The Foundation also seeks collaboration with other grant makers and international agencies working in its target areas. Where necessary, the Foundation will leverage additional funding from other sources to support partners’ initiatives.

An important component of the Foundation’s work is the dedication to documenting, analysing and learning from the projects we fund to assist in strengthening our future grantmaking and contribute in influencing policies and practice in the areas we operate.

Grantmaking

The Foundation’s grantmaking approach is catalytic, We work with partners to better understand challenges faced by communities where we work to design actionable solutions to address identified needs. Our grantmaking process is two-pronged – Annual and Discretionary Grants.

Annual Grants

This is the primary funding scheme of the Foundation through which grants are awarded once annually after a careful screening process by Management and the Board of Trustees. Every year, a Call for Concept Notes is published, requesting qualified organisations based in Nigeria to apply for funds to implement projects in the Foundation’s focus areas of Health and Education.

The Foundation’s annual grantmaking process is split into main grants and community funds.

Main Grants

The Foundation supports initiatives across Nigeria by inviting NGOs to apply for funding to implement projects within its focus areas of Health and Education. Interventions under this grant can be implemented in any state in Nigeria.

Community Funds

Taraba and Edo states are the home states of the founder’s family. As a result, the Foundation annually supports special initiatives to be implemented in these states through its community fund schemes for grassroot organisations based and working in these states. The Taraba Community Fund was launched in February 2011, while the Edo Community Fund was launched in February 2012. The Community fund brings funding closer to the communities and makes it possible for less formally constituted organisations to receive support.

The Community Fund provides small grants to small NGOs and CBOs to carry out innovative development activities geared towards addressing the social-economic challenges within rural communities. It also provides technical and institutional assistance as a way of addressing organisational development and enhancing community engagement in targeted social initiatives. Interventions under this grant can only be implemented in Taraba and Edo States by organisations registered and based there.

Discretionary Grants

The Grant is administered all year-round to facilitate rapid response to people facing humanitarian emergencies in Nigeria and for interventions determined to be within the Foundation’s focus areas.

Partnership and Collaboration

The Foundation employs networking and partnership building as tools to expand its reach. We work towards establishing a wide array of collaborative relationships aimed at leveraging additional human and material resources to maximise our impact.

Resource Partners

These are institutions or persons that are able, ready, and willing to put resources in cash or kind to support project ideas as the basis for collaboration. Resource partners envisaged include persons interested in our work, other Foundations, National and International Development Partners.

Network Partners

The primary value in Network partners is in co-creating and amplifying the work of partnerships. These include associations and coalitions that the Foundation belongs to either nationally, regionally, or globally. These partners co-contribute to network events and activities. An example in this category is the African Philanthropy Forum (APF)

Learning Partners

These are partnerships for mutual learning. This type of partnership currently exists between TV Danjuma Foundation and the Foundation Center in New York.