Spark Microgrants

Spark believes in the collective power of people. Yet too often, communities facing poverty are sidelined by the very programs meant to uplift them. Spark updates the development model, from prescriptive to community-led, so that every village can define their own future. Spark's key innovation the facilitated collective action process, or fcap pairs a village planning process with a seed grant to facilitate cooperative solutions to poverty. Research shows that the fcap results in families doubling the meals they eat and a sevenfold increase in women engaging in leadership roles. More than 80 percent of communities create inclusive village councils that last. Since 2010, Spark has reached more than 500,000 people in eight countries, including through its flagship program with the government of rwanda. Over the next three years, Spark will accelerate its impact by scaling the national program in rwanda and expanding to two new countries, producing new research on community-led development, and curating a global community of practice. Today, Spark trains partner organizations and works with governments to scale the fcap as the system of choice to advance social and economic development, improve lives, and secure lasting change. Spark has offices in kigali, kampala, and new york and operates in six countries in east and west africa.