In the early 2000’s, the Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay was confronted with the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS crisis that was so disproportionately affecting Eastern and Southern Africa. At a time when testing and treatment options were not affordable or widely available on the continent, palliative care, clean water, sanitation and hygiene were core strategies to improve the quality of life and slow disease progression for persons living with HIV. Established in 2004, as a philanthropic organization Blood:Water exists to see the end of the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. We do this by partnering with African leaders and their community’s vision for change. Through grantmaking, we support community-based HIV and WASH initiatives that are concurrently paired with organizational strengthening. Since inception to date, Blood:Water has raised $40 million U.S., supporting work in 12 countries on the continent.
In the earlier years, Blood:Water partnered with a diverse range of organization types and sizes, which allowed for experiential learning to refine grantmaking strategies for the greatest impact. In 2015 following an extensive technical strategy review, Blood:Water adapted its model to position its flexible and sizable grant funding exclusively to grassroots African-led and community-driven civil society organizations (CSOs).
Driven by data, the strategy shift took into account the irrefutable body of evidence generated over the decades prior which attribute grassroot community movements and organizations as the most effective, innovative and sustainable drivers of social change. Our partnership posture further upholds that highly impactful development solutions are already being resourced and implemented by communities, independent of external partners. The Blood:Water partnership is therefore intended to be catalytic for communities to leverage existing strategies and resources for amplified impact and expanded reach.
The Blood:Water model is designed with relational depth as a core tenant of meaningful partnership; acknowledging that institutional health processes require time and trust. For this reason Blood:Water’s grant portfolio is designed for focused support to a maximum of 10 partners annually and for up to 8 years. Our grants are applied in two-year grant cycles, with funding ranging $50,000 to $150,000 annually. Inextricably paired with grants is an organizational strengthening (OS) process that invests additional funding and resources into partner organizations holistically across systems, people, policies, and practices. Central to this model, is the hypothesis that strengthened CSOs with improved institutional health provide communities with higher impact interventions and will be positioned to do so with longevity.