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Empowering Local Solutions. Driving Last-Mile Impact

The Umbrella Fund provides catalytic funding to local organizations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to deliver high-impact, data-driven solutions that strengthen systems and achieve measurable outcomes for underserved populations.

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About the Umbrella Fund

Established in 2024, the Umbrella Fund is an initiative of Dev-Afrique Development Advisors, with catalytic funding and strategic guidance from the Gates Foundation. It accelerates systemic change through locally led interventions, supporting initiatives that harness data and innovation to address critical development challenges.

Our Core Principles

Catalyzing high-potential, scalable solutions

Empowering local leadership and ownership

Advancing data-driven, evidence-based decision-making

With centralized governance and oversight, the Fund supports interventions across sectors beginning with health, with the flexibility to respond to evolving needs over time.

Our First Intervention: Geospatial Interventions

Strengthening Geospatial Data Ecosystems

The Fund's inaugural intervention focuses on strengthening geospatial data ecosystems to improve public health service planning, delivery, and monitoring. This initiative builds on critical gaps and opportunities identified through Geospatial Value Pipeline assessments conducted in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022.

Through this intervention, the Fund supports local organizations to address four strategic investment areas:

Geospatial Capacity Strengthening: Embedding sustainable geospatial expertise within established institutions

National Geospatial Data System Strengthening: Developing coordinated data systems that enhance national integration

Subnational Geospatial Data System Strengthening: Building local technical capacity and systems for geospatial data

National Geospatial Policy Operationalization: Translating policy frameworks into practical applications

While health is the initial focus, the geospatial foundation being built will enable broader applications across development sectors.

Current Country Engagements

The Fund is currently active in:

Nigeria

Supporting curriculum institutionalization with institutions like NASRDA, Bayero University Kano, and University of Maiduguri

Developing subnational geospatial data systems in priority states including Anambra, Kebbi, Kano, and Niger

Democratic Republic of Congo

Supporting Kinshasa School of Public Health and provincial universities in sustainable training programs

Partnering with ANICNS for development of national geospatial data repository

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