Rural Smiles Foundation has formalized a one-year fiscal sponsorship agreement with The New Africa Fund, a United States-based public charity supporting grassroots organizations and social enterprises across Africa. The agreement, signed on 13 October 2026, represents an important milestone in Rural Smiles Foundation's efforts to diversify funding opportunities, strengthen international philanthropic engagement, and mobilize sustainable resources for community-led development initiatives.

Through this partnership, Rural Smiles Foundation joins The New Africa Fund's fiscal sponsorship network, enabling individuals, philanthropic institutions, and other supporters to make financial contributions through the Fund specifically designated to support Rural Smiles Foundation's work.

About The New Africa Fund: Investing in African-Led Solutions

Founded in 2021 by two former United States Peace Corps volunteers, The New Africa Fund is a registered United States public charity established to support local initiatives in Africa and foster sustainable, community-driven change. Initially focused on supporting projects in Togo, the organization has progressively expanded its partnerships to more than a dozen African countries, working with grassroots organizations, community-based initiatives, nonprofit institutions, and social enterprises addressing diverse development challenges.

The New Africa Fund was established around a central belief: sustainable development is most effectively achieved when local organizations and community leaders have the resources, flexibility, and decision-making authority to address the challenges affecting their communities.

Unlike traditional development financing models that often restrict funding to narrowly defined projects, The New Africa Fund emphasizes flexible and unrestricted financial support. Its approach recognizes that grassroots organizations require institutional stability, operational flexibility, and long-term investment to respond effectively to evolving community priorities.

Beyond grantmaking, The New Africa Fund provides fundraising capacity development, learning opportunities, and fiscal sponsorship arrangements that help African organizations strengthen their financial sustainability and build relationships with international supporters. Its Africa Fundraising Incubator programme, for example, supports participating organizations to develop individual donor fundraising strategies, strengthen resource mobilization capabilities, and explore sustainable approaches to financing their work.

A Partnership Grounded in Locally Led Development

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening African-led organizations and ensuring that communities remain at the centre of development decisions. Since its establishment in 2022, Rural Smiles Foundation has pursued an inclusive, participatory, and rights-based approach to addressing challenges affecting vulnerable and underserved populations.

Working primarily in Uganda while developing regional partnerships, the organization advances interventions across five interconnected thematic priorities: health and health rights; digital rights and internet freedom; economic rights and empowerment; social inclusion and civic space; and renewable energy and climate resilience.

These interventions recognize that challenges such as inadequate healthcare, digital exclusion, limited economic opportunities, discrimination, and climate vulnerability are interconnected and require integrated, community-driven solutions. The New Africa Fund's emphasis on supporting locally designed solutions therefore complements Rural Smiles Foundation's commitment to empowering communities to identify their priorities, participate meaningfully in decision-making, and contribute to sustainable change.

Expanding International Giving Opportunities

Under the signed agreement, individuals and organizations interested in supporting Rural Smiles Foundation can make donations to The New Africa Fund with their contributions designated specifically for Rural Smiles Foundation.

Donations received through this mechanism will be transferred to Rural Smiles Foundation, subject to applicable third-party processing and banking charges. As a registered United States public charity, The New Africa Fund provides an established philanthropic giving channel through which eligible United States donors may make tax-deductible contributions in accordance with applicable law.

For Rural Smiles Foundation, the arrangement creates an additional opportunity to engage international supporters, build relationships with philanthropic partners, and strengthen resource mobilization for initiatives benefiting underserved communities. The agreement provides fiscal sponsorship for an initial period of 12 months, renewable by mutual consent, without an annual sponsorship fee.

Strengthening Accountability and Sustainable Partnerships

The fiscal sponsorship agreement also establishes financial accountability and reporting requirements to support the responsible management of donated resources. Rural Smiles Foundation will maintain proper financial records, confirm funds received through the arrangement, and provide periodic reporting in accordance with the agreement.

These commitments complement the organization's existing financial management, governance, and accountability systems. The partnership also provides a foundation for strengthening institutional relationships with international philanthropic actors interested in supporting locally led development.

Looking Ahead: Mobilizing Resources for Community Impact

As Rural Smiles Foundation continues expanding its interventions and partnerships, sustainable resource mobilization remains central to its long-term institutional development. The fiscal sponsorship arrangement with The New Africa Fund offers an additional pathway to connect international philanthropy with community priorities, strengthen organizational resilience, and support initiatives that advance health, inclusion, economic opportunity, digital rights, and climate resilience. Rural Smiles Foundation looks forward to building on this partnership while maintaining its commitment to community ownership, accountability, innovation, and measurable development outcomes.

We welcome individuals, philanthropic organizations, development partners, and supporters who share our vision of inclusive and sustainable development to explore opportunities to support Rural Smiles Foundation's work.