philanthropy ( joining the donors with doers)

Shaping philanthropy 

Local  funding,          global impact

The Legatum Foundation, the 

philanthropic arm of Legatum, 

a Dubai-based investment giant, 

has made a name for itself by 

creating dynamic collaborative 

funds targeting a range of social 

issues from modern slavery, 

neglected tropical diseases, and 

out-of-school children.

Now building on more than a                                  decade of impact through                                                the Freedom Fund, the End Fund,                                  and the Luminos Fund, Legatum 

is 

launching a fourth vehicle, 

the Resilio Fund, dedicated 

to providing microgrants to 

frontline NGOs working 

humanitarian settings.

Resilio, which is due to be 

officially launched in 2025, aims 

to mobilise US$100m in its first 

five years to support grassroots

organisations based in a range 

or crisis zones including Somalia,

Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar, the

Philippines, and Lebanon.

The idea, explained Legatum

 Foundation's president, GuyCave, 

in an interview with Circle’s 

podcast, Shaping Philanthropy, is 

to target humanitarian response 

directly to affected people, rather 

than rely on funding to trickle 

down through institutions.

“We’re supporting a very local 

approach that’s looking at 

getting behind what communities 

are already doing to help them-

selves,” he said. “These micro-

grants are totally what we would 

call ‘trust based’ - they can spend

however they think is right.”

Resilio, like Legatum’s other fund

s, was tested first as a pilot in 

2021. Since then it has worked 

across half a dozen countries, 

including Myanmar, where village

 communities displaced by aerial

 bombardments were able to 

receive cash for food within 24 

hours, and in Sudan, where youth

volunteers have mobilised to 

help communities affected by 

violent conflict.

“At a practical level, it’s fast and

 efficient, because with cash 

people can buy things locally,” 

Cave said. “It also means they 

have a real sense of ownership, 

and it gives them dignity.” And he 

added that post-grant evaluations 

had also shown how many 

recipients had used first grants 

to fund survival but then moved 

towards strengthening their 

resilience to be better prepared 

for future disasters.

During the interview, recorded at

 Legatum’s HQ in Dubai 

International Financial Centre 

(DIFC), Cave also talked about 

how another of the Foundation’s 

pilot programmes, a justice 

initiative targeting people stuck 

in pre-trial detention, was helping 

to reduce overcrowding in 

Ugandan prisons.

Other topics explored in the inter-

view include the importance of

measuring impact (not just 

"input") and how good partner-

ships are key to 

effective collaboration.

"We have a big focus on impact. I think often                                                             philanthropy people talk about  input and how                                                    much is given... But we really want to look at                                                              what (positive) impact the  money has had.                                                            What is the return on investment impact?" 

 

Guy Cave, president,                          Legatum Foundation

A community clean-up operation 

after flooding in Marikina, in the 

Philippines, which was supporte

d by the Resilio Fund. 

Photo: Legatum Foundation.