Research and Consulting for African NGOs and Consulting Firms

Who do we work with?

• NGOs and civil society groups in Africa that need research, stronger systems, or proposals and reports that follow each donor’s rules
• Consulting firms bidding on donor-funded work that need proposal writing support, compliance sections, or a subcontracting partner
• US nonprofits with programs in Africa that raise money in the US and manage grants that fund work overseas

What services do we offer?

These services connect. An assessment often feeds a program design, the design becomes a proposal, and the award brings reporting and evaluation. Working with one team across those steps keeps the evidence, the logframe, and the budget consistent from start to finish.

Research and assessments

We run needs assessments, baseline and endline studies, sector and market research, and desk reviews. That includes designing surveys and interview guides, managing data collection, and writing reports people can act on. We agree on the questions, methods, and sample with you before any data is collected.

Monitoring and evaluation

We build M&E frameworks with indicators you can actually measure, plus the data collection plans behind them. We also carry out midterm and final evaluations, and we write them to answer the donor’s evaluation questions directly.

Strategy and building your organization

We help you set direction and build the systems to deliver it. That means strategic plans, capacity assessments, board governance, written policies, financial systems, and a fundraising plan. The goal is an organization that donors trust with larger awards.

Program design

We design programs from the problem up: theory of change, activities, partnerships and consortium roles, and a budget that matches the plan. A good design makes the later proposal much easier to write. Our guide to theory of change vs logframe explains the tools donors ask for.

Proposals for international donors

We write concept notes, full proposals, logframes, and budgets for the EU, UN agencies, bilateral donors, and private foundations. Each donor has its own forms, rules, and budget lines. So we work from the call for proposals itself, not a generic outline. We build the logframe and the budget together, so every activity in the narrative has a budget line and an indicator. See how to write a concept note for the first round of an EU or UN call, where NGOs in Africa can find grants, and our weekly list of open calls for proposals. If you’ve already drafted a concept note, our concept note review scores it against the call’s grid before you submit.

Donor compliance and reporting

After the award, we prepare financial and narrative reports and help you get ready for donor audits. We also draft budget revisions and the requests that go with them. Each award gets a reporting calendar, so deadlines don’t depend on one person’s memory.

Access to US foundations

Many US foundations fund work in Africa, and their US tax filings show where. Private foundations list the grants they paid on Form 990-PF, with each recipient’s name and address, so we can find the ones that have already given in your country and your field. Then we help you approach them, and set up a US partner or fiscal sponsor when a funder requires one. Our guide on how to find grants shows how the filings work.

RFPs and tenders

We bid on requests for proposals and tenders for research, assessments, evaluations, and other consulting assignments. Depending on the assignment, we bid on our own, lead a team, or join one as a partner. If you’re issuing an RFP or building a roster of consultants, we’re glad to hear about it. Our guide to donor tenders in Africa covers UNGM, the EU, the World Bank, and the AfDB.

We also write tender responses for clients: expressions of interest, technical and financial proposals, team CVs, and the forms that show you meet the procurement rules. Tenders are strict about format and deadlines, so we build a compliance checklist from the terms of reference before writing anything.

Teaming with consulting firms

We join bids as a subcontractor or help a firm write its own bid. We can also write the compliance sections, such as the budget notes, financial management, and reporting plans.

How do US foundations give to organizations outside the US?

US tax law adds a step when a private foundation gives to a foreign organization that isn’t a US public charity. One option is “expenditure responsibility.” The foundation makes sure the grant is spent only for its purpose, gets full reports from you, and reports to the IRS (26 U.S.C. 4945(d)(4) and (h)). The other is an “equivalency determination.” The foundation gets written advice from a qualified tax adviser and decides, in good faith, that your group is equivalent to a US public charity (26 CFR 53.4945-5(a)).

Both take work on the foundation’s side. In our experience, some foundations would rather give through a US charity. That’s where a US partner or fiscal sponsor comes in. It’s a US public charity that takes the grant and backs your work under a written agreement. We help you work out what each funder needs, and we prepare the papers for both sides. Our guide to equivalency determination vs expenditure responsibility explains what each route asks of you.

How do engagements work?

Most work is either a fixed fee for a defined piece, such as one proposal or one report, or a monthly engagement for ongoing support. We usually don’t work for a percentage of the award; our post on what a grant writer costs explains the trade-offs. We quote after a short call about scope.

When an assignment needs expertise we don’t have in-house, such as a particular sector, country, or method, we hire specialists or partner with other firms and local consultants. You still deal with one point of contact.

Most work is done remotely. When a project needs in-person meetings, fieldwork, or workshops, we travel, and the travel costs are included in the quote.

Frequently asked questions

References: 26 U.S.C. 4945 (taxable expenditures, including grants to foreign organizations); 26 CFR 53.4945-5 (grants to organizations).