The Philanthropy Secretariat of Liberia

"Liberia has reached a critical juncture where both philanthropic dollars and private investment are needed to leverage President Sirleaf’s visibility and commitment to sound policies for sustained success.

A failure to act now would be a failure to reward good policy when the rest of Africa is watching."

– Humanity United, NoVo Founation, Daphne Foundation, McCall MacBain Foundation, Global Philanthropy Forum, and TrustAfrica in their Coming Together for Liberia’s Future CGI Commitment
“[Foundations] have the ability to form a partnership with the Government and revolutionize the country.”

– President William J. Clinton (The Clinton Foundation)
“We want to demonstrate that change is possible and that progress can be made in post-conflict countries. We stand alongside the people of Liberia and their leaders as they work to build a new future.”
– Coming Together for Liberia CGI Commitment
“Liberia is a place where one can make a difference”

– George Soros (Open Society Institute)
“Liberia is the only country we are involved in and we are impressed by the top level leadership.”

– John McCall MacBain (McCall MacBain Foundation)
“There is a new role for philanthropists to play between post-conflict governments and multilaterals. Foundations have the opportunity to cross the public, social, and private sectors to achieve goals.

This is a unique moment in time where Liberia’s development can create a ripple effect, inducing positive growth for the region.”

– Pam Omidyar (Humanity United)
“Foundations can have a significant impact with less money since the country is so small.”

-Abigail Disney (Daphne Foundation)

Welcome to the Philanthropy Secretariat Website

After 14-years of devastating civil conflict, Liberia is at last on the move. Formidable development challenges remain, but the country’s dynamic leadership – Harvard-educated economist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first female elected Head of State – and small scale presents a unique opportunity for philanthropic organizations to have a measurable impact on its development. Recognizing this, a number of foundations are already making significant contributions toward rebuilding the country.

To amplify the effect of philanthropic support in the country, the Government of Liberia (GoL) and its foundation partners established the Philanthropy Secretariat in 2009. The Philanthropy Secretariat works closely with philanthropic actors engaged in Liberia by helping to identify opportunities for support and improving information sharing between the GoL, foundations, and implementation partners. Find out more about the Philanthropy Secretariat and the services we provide in our About Us section.

This website is intended to be a key resource for foundations and individual philanthropists supporting Liberia. Within the site you can:

Learn about Liberia’s current philanthropic partners, what they are supporting, and opportunities for collaboration in our Philanthropic Partners database;
Research foundation-supported projects in our Projects database;
Discover which international and local NGOs operate in Liberia in our NGO directory;
Find documents relevant to Liberia and the causes you are interested in supporting in our Documents section.

How to Support Liberia

We are available to work with you in identifying projects in Liberia that align with your particular philanthropic interests and goals.

We have also highlighted a few easy and effective mechanisms through which you can support Liberia’s development. Learn More

New Announcement

The Philanthropy Secretariat is looking for a Government of Liberia (GoL) Liaison/Project Coordinator. Learn more on our Announcements page.

Feature Story: Liberia’s Better Light Solar Project

25 Aug 2009