Founded in September 2024, Cadence was born out of frustration with the existing social development sector that centered ‘expertise’ and dismissed the lived experience of intended communities. Top-bottom structures and ineffective program design are the essence of what prompted the establishment of Cadence.

We asked simple questions: where is the return of billions of dollars already spent on international development? What if we designed development programs differently? What if intended communities were the ones who decided which organizations and programs were funded? The sector would be entirely revolutionized!

This is exactly what Cadence is doing.

Cadence supports donors, philanthropic institutions and philanthropists make smart investments by partnering with intended communities. Through partner academic institutions grounded in local contexts, cultures and realities, we orchestrate a series of community roundtables to select grantees based on community feedback.

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Marrian H. Gebreselassie
Founder, Cadence