Highlighted Projects
The Liberia Philanthropy Secretariat:
In 2009, a philanthropic secretariat was established as a special unit within theOffice of the President of Liberia under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to align philanthropic investments with Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. The secretariat is funded solely by foundations and individual donors and seeks to help Liberia transition from 14 years of brutal conflict to lasting, sustainable peace. The Secretariat is the first model of its kind for philanthropy in a post-conflict society and is widely thought to be a cutting-edge model worth replicating in other countries similarly transitioning from war.
A3A served as a strategic advisor to the Philanthropy Secretariat during its two year start-up phase. Brought in by Humanity United and Global Philanthropy Forum, the scope of work included strategic advisory services on catalyzing and amplifying philanthropy; engaging and strengthening key stakeholders, raising awareness on Liberia’s post-conflict challenges and social investment opportunities. The second phase of work included strategic advising on the stewardship and cultivation of key philanthropic investors; fostering and building donor collaboration; and guidance on an initial philanthropic delegation to assess social investment opportunities and to encourage support for Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors:
At the request of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), A3A was asked to devise a strategic giving plan for an anonymous donor seeking to make a significant investment on human rights issues in West Africa. A3A developed a tailored Theory of Change model, conducted a field scan on human rights funders and trends in West Africa as well as authored a white paper entitled, “Funding Human Rights in West Africa: A Strategy for Giving.” The giving strategy was a culmination of research, interviews and issue-specific analysis which was calibrated to match the donor’s interests.
Elders Project:
The Elders project, conceived by Richard Branson and incubated by Virgin Unite, brought together a preeminent group of influential global leaders to collectively address the world’s most urgent human security problems and to offer a moral compass for humanity going forward.
A3A was retained to conduct the initial investment analysis and due diligence for Humanity United using a “human rights lens” as they considered investing as founding partners in The Elders project. The scope of work included advisory services to Humanity United and management of high-level strategic partnerships as well as strategic advisory services to Virgin Unite during the inception and launch phase of The Elders project.
A3A worked with Virgin Unite at a second phase to provide substantive advice on specific human rights issues as well as to provide logistical coordination of high level intelligence briefings for the public launch of The Elders project.
