Pockets of Hope: A Campaign for Haiti
Summary
In 2023, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and its partners committed to providing $90 million in philanthropic investment in Haiti through the Pockets of Hope campaign over the next three years. Through the Pockets of Hope campaign, these financial resources will bolster and scale collaborative, Haitian-led programs with a proven record of success. These programs include efforts to expand a whole child education model, promote maternal and child health through a long-term accompaniment model, and to support the strengthening of food systems to fight food insecurity, among other impactful initiatives. Through this effort, these partners endeavor to prove a new paradigm for systems change in Haiti that is centered on a long-term, holistic approach guided by locally led initiatives as opposed to failed historical models of philanthropic investment in the country that have been short-term, piecemeal, and externally led.
Approach
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is Haiti’s largest private funder. Initially focusing on leadership development in the 1950s, WKKF expanded its investments in Haiti over the years and dramatically stepped up its commitment to the country after the 2010 earthquake. In 2011, Haiti became one of the foundation’s priority places, with a dedicated team of program officers and other staff.
WKKF has dedicated itself to being an anti-racist organization, and the current work in Haiti integrates the themes that make up the foundation’s DNA: racial equity, community engagement, and leadership development. WKKF investments also target three distinct but highly interrelated program areas – education, health, and income generation opportunities – which are all pillars of human and community development that reinforce systems-level change. According to the Human Capital Index, a child born today in Haiti with access to quality education and healthcare will be over 200% more productive than a child born in Haiti that does not (World Bank, 2023) , demonstrating the amplification power of addressing these areas in tandem.
In furtherance of its dedication to Haiti, WKKF will leverage its experience, expertise, and partnerships to scale up its investments through a commitment of $30M and a call to partner funders to collectively make a double match of $60M over the next three years in new funding to be made available to vetted, proven Haitian-led initiatives that are already implementing systems-level change within their communities.
By partnering with WKKF, funders will have an opportunity to invest in a whole child education model developed in Haiti and informing development of similar programs elsewhere, to promote maternal and child healthcare through long-term accompaniment, and to support the strengthening of food systems to fight food insecurity, among other impactful initiatives.
To facilitate this integrated approach, WKKF will also serve as a convener – both between and amongst donor and grantee organizations – to align and deepen commitments, share insights, increase local capacity, and showcase and scale successful models.
Action Plan
For the Pockets of Hope campaign, WKKF will engage with its grantees, community partners in Haiti, and prospective fellow funders to determine key objectives, deliverables, and timelines for the work targeted by expanded investment. The ways in which they will implement, and benchmark will be determined by participants, in adherence to the value of supporting local leadership. WKKF’s larger framework, however, will involve a quarterly focus on fund development, engagement, and impact related to our collective goals. Through this process, WKKF will assess how local organizations have translated funding into greater impact and detail how that has contributed to an overall improvement in the lives of children, families, and communities. This knowledge will help the Kellogg Foundation and its funding partners adapt and refine their approaches to philanthropic engagement in Haiti.
Throughout all stages, WKKF is committed to working with CGI and other donors to leverage the collective capabilities of all engaged parties in order to ensure overall coordination and effectiveness.
WKKF proposes the following quarterly timeline and deliverables for the next three years:
Year 1, Q1:
Development by the WKKF Haiti team and Pockets of Hope grantees of documents describing key objectives, deliverables and timelines for the work targeted by the campaign. Subsequent quarterly reports will show progress toward what is laid out in each of these documents.
Ramping up of WKKF communications, including media outreach, op-ed placement, social media, and public calls for expanded philanthropic investment.
At least one cross-sector funder meeting.
A goal to recruit additional funder partners for a collective commitment of at least $3M.
Activities for each quarter over the three years:
Ongoing communications and funder engagement.
A report on progress toward goals.
A goal to recruit additional funder partners.
A goal to establish a funder partner commitment of at least $3M (depending on overall progress toward an annual goal of $20M from funder partners) .
Background
For too long, philanthropic commitments to Haiti have been guided by a paradigm whereby investments are largely externally led, piecemeal, and insufficient. The failures of this framework have contributed to a narrative portraying Haiti as hopeless which, in turn, has fueled disinvestment.
Following a significant uptick in aid to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake, investments and donor funds have fallen sharply. Tracking by Candid, the foundation clearinghouse, indicates that the number of foundations investing in Haiti, the number of grants made, and the number of grant recipients all declined significantly from 2015 to 2019. With data still coming in for 2020 onward, the downward slide appears to be continuing. Just a few foundations have borne a growing share of the burden of supporting essential services for children, families, and communities in Haiti. This at a time when the need has increased, with the COVID-19 pandemic, political and economic instability, a resurgence of cholera, and a deteriorating security situation.
Not only is the narrative of hopelessness damaging; it also belies the reality. Despite increasingly challenging circumstances, locally led organizations continue to design and implement innovative programs to build a stronger future for Haitian communities. A long-term, holistic, and integrated investment model centered on scaling these Haitian initiatives is the missing ingredient to bringing about systemic change that can unlock Haiti’s true and full potential.
Progress Update
The overall goal of the Haiti Pockets of Hope campaign CTA is for the Kellogg Foundation to secure commitments for $60 million in three years to leverage its $30 million commitment to support impactful local initiatives in Haiti. Five foundations have made commitment for more than $30 million in the first year.
Partnership Opportunities
WKKF is seeking funding partners – philanthropic, private and public sector – who will commit $60M over the next three years to deliver transformative community-led change throughout Haiti, and who will join them in changing a damaging narrative – from one too often talked about communities of color to one that recognizes Haitian hard work, integrity and innovation.
Although WKKF is primarily seeking philanthropic funding, they acknowledge the possibilities of impact investment and social entrepreneurship, as well as that each partner will contribute a unique set of skills, knowledge and experience to the coalition that will help amplify the impact of the whole., A Pockets of Hope partnership offers access to rare opportunities.
The Kellogg Foundation overall stands out for its dedication to leadership development, racial equity and community engagement, so a partnership with us means access to a wealth of learnings, networks and relationships in these areas. Related to our Haiti work specifically, we offer knowledge, expertise and longstanding relationships with Haitian communities, leaders, and organizations.
With a deep understanding of the local context in Haiti, grounded in decades of experience, WKKF will guide funding partners through the practical challenges of philanthropic giving in the country. Meanwhile, with an impressive number of Haitian organizations working to build a stronger future for their communities, potential funders have a chance to support promising initiatives in Haiti and form new alliances with Haitian communities. By doing so, you will be part of a philanthropic movement dedicated to the country’s self-determined growth.