Region: Africa*
Closing Date: October 13, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
Type: Individual Consultant
Duration: 20 days
Scope of work: Donor and competitor mapping; funding opportunities analysis

Background

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that foreign aid from official donors rose to an all-time high of USD 204 billion in 2022, up 13.6% in real terms from USD 186 billion in 2021 as developed countries increased their spending on humanitarian aid and on processing and hosting refugees.

The key driver of this increase was support to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and ongoing war of aggression. Paradoxically, in least developed countries, foreign direct assistance (FDA) has been decreasing as countries in the Global North focus on the refugee crisis occasioned by the Ukraine war, the immigration crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic recovery.

The rise of nationalism and right-wing governments in the Global North, and the insistence on trade instead of aid has also seen a further reduction on FDA. In Africa, this reduction has affected the amount of bilateral and multilateral support available to support development priorities. This has in turn affected civil society organization’s ability to mobilize adequate resources to address development challenges in Africa. Hivos is no exception. There’s thus a need to deepen Hivos’ knowledge of the donor landscape in Africa, review funder priorities and their alignment to the Hivos’ impact areas as well as diversify the Hivos’ funder portfolio in Africa.

Approach and scope of work

To ensure balanced, sustainable and sufficient resourcing across our impact areas in Africa, Hivos is looking to develop a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of current funding sources available for initiatives falling within its focus areas.

Hivos is seeking a consultant to undertake a thorough donor (public and private) mapping and analysis of funding opportunities related to the Hivos’ three impact areas within the larger East, West and Southern African regions. The consultant shall analyze and document donor trends and priorities as well as gather intelligence on donor funding cycles and concrete business development opportunities for Hivos to capitalize on. The consultant shall further provide an in-depth analysis of opportunities in the commercial tender market, private foundations, philanthropies, High Net Worth Individuals as well as the traditional grant market and all what remains in between.

Finally, the consultant shall conduct a competition analysis to provide Hivos with insights of who else is competing for the same available fund basket.

Activities and deliverables

1. Review relevant Hivos strategic documents
2. Compile a long list of potential donors and reach agreement with Hivos on who to target
3. Desk research on donor priorities and funding opportunities and trends
4. Interview selected donors according to semi-structured surveys while ‘lightly’ positioning Hivos
5. Based on that, map donors’ interest and committed funds to Hivos focus areas
6. Perform a competitor scan
7. Present a high-quality report documenting the key findings. Ideally, this report should include:
   1. A short-list of priority funders and their cycles
   2. Priority areas as aligned with Hivos strategy
   3. List of key interlocutors (including position and contact details) working for priority donors
   4. Actionable linkages
   5. Clear recommendations on how to position Hivos towards them.

Management and support

The consultant will report directly to the Business Development Unit and will be assigned a direct contact point within the team. The provisional number of chargeable days anticipated is a maximum of 20 days.

Budget

The total budget available for this assignment is USD 8,000.

Qualifications

1. University degree in development studies, international relations, or social sciences or any other relevant qualification (A master’s qualification in the above areas is preferable)
2. Prior demonstrated experience in partnerships development/management, fundraising and proposals development; Donor intelligence gathering, international donor engagement acumen.
3. Previous experience working in Africa with specific understanding of the political and economic context at national and sub-national levels including on issues around Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Climate Justice, and Civic Rights.
4. Proven ability to work in a multi-stakeholder and multi-cultural setting and sensitivity to gender equality and diversity.
5. Demonstrated strong writing skills in English and demonstrated ability to adapt writing style to diverse audiences including funding agencies.
6. Access to relevant experts and networks.
7. Flexibility to adapt to any subsequent changes in the scope of work and general terms of reference.

Expression of Interest

Interested consultant(s) should share a technical proposal that includes the following:

• A short 1/2-page proposal that reflects your own understanding of the assignment
• Indicative timelines for delivery of the main activities
• Financial proposal for the assignment
• Profile and CV of the consultant(s)
• Overview of relevant assignments in the last 5 years
• At least 3 references client organizations and key contact persons (include name; email address and mobile number)

How to apply

The Expression of Interest (EoI) should be submitted via e-mail with the subject line: Donor and competitor mapping consultancy to: eastafricajobs@hivos.org by close of business on October 13, 2023

Questions or requests for clarifications should be directed to: awafula@hivos.org

Proposals will be evaluated on a rolling basis based on technical and financial feasibility. Hivos reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.

 

* This excludes North Africa