What Arise Foundation does

Arise Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2022 and headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, that operates as the dedicated corporate social responsibility arm of ARISE Group, an industrial and infrastructure developer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its stated mission is to expand the positive impacts of ARISE Group's industrial operations by developing community-centred initiatives focused on poverty reduction, climate resilience, health, and education, with the goal of reaching marginalized populations at the last mile in countries where ARISE Group has a presence.

The foundation delivers its work through three integrated programs: ARISE UP (poverty reduction via skill and enterprise development, vocational training, and social enterprise financing), ARISE VERT (climate resilience via GHG assessments, carbon-neutrality certification, ecosystem restoration, and ESG reporting), and ARISE CARE (health and education via equipment donations, school reconstruction, scholarships, and health campaigns). It supplements these programs with targeted international partnerships — notably with the Yale Young African Program (a minimum $50,000 commitment to the Yale Fund for Francophone Africa), the Missouri Botanical Garden (a 2-hectare arboretum in Nkok, Gabon), and Eisenhower Fellowship (an annual Africa-to-USA skills exchange on climate projects). Operating geographies span Gabon, Togo, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, DRC, Benin, Chad, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.

The foundation's revenue model is donation- and grant-based rather than commercial: it provides grants, donations, technical assistance, and low-interest loans to communities and social enterprises, funded by ARISE Group, philanthropic organizations, corporate partners, and government agencies. Governance is led by a council chaired by Gagan Gupta (President), with Bhavin Vyas as council member, Leyla Mouli as Executive Secretary, and Sarah Adnane as Chief Communications Officer. The foundation employs approximately 6 staff and relies heavily on community-based organizations and partner networks for last-mile delivery of programs such as school reconstruction (e.g., Adetikope Centrale Public Primary School in Togo) and environmental initiatives within ARISE Group industrial zones (GSEZ in Gabon, GDIZ in Benin).

Name

Arise Foundation

Legal name

Arise Foundation

Website

https://foundation-arise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arise Foundation is a Rwanda-based non-profit and the dedicated CSR arm of ARISE Group, delivering poverty reduction, climate resilience, and health/education programs across 10 African countries through three branded programs (ARISE UP, ARISE VERT, ARISE CARE) and international partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit community development foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Poverty reduction initiatives
• Climate resilience programs
• Corporate social responsibility
• Health education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit organization, Arise Foundation relies on donations, grants, and contributions from ARISE Group and partners to fund community development initiatives in poverty reduction, climate resilience, health, and education.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arise Foundation is a non-profit organization delivering community development programs across African countries where ARISE Group operates. Its core offering consists of three integrated programs: ARISE UP (poverty reduction through skills training and enterprise development), ARISE VERT (climate resilience through GHG assessments, carbon neutrality certification, and ecosystem restoration), and ARISE CARE (health and education access through equipment donations, school reconstruction, and scholarships). The foundation provides grants, donations, technical assistance, and low-interest loans to local enterprises, communities, and beneficiaries free of charge.

Product overview

Arise Foundation is a non-profit organization operating as a unified platform for community development initiatives, structured around three core programs: ARISE UP (poverty reduction through skills training and enterprise development), ARISE VERT (climate resilience through environmental sustainability initiatives), and ARISE CARE (health and education access). These programs are complemented by specific partnerships including the Eisenhower Fellowship for professional exchanges, the Missouri Botanical Garden for arboretum construction, and the Yale Young African Program for educational scholarships. The foundation positions itself as a one-stop shop for sustainability programs of ARISE Group, providing grants, donations, technical assistance, and low-interest loans to empower local communities across African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARISE UP

Quantifiable outcome

• 2800 school children received educational kits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Yale Young African Program (Yale University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISE Foundation has established a partnership with the Yale Young African Program to support pre-university students from Francophone African countries to attend the prestigious Yale Young Global Scholar program. The foundation contributes academic support and one-on-one mentoring to increase participation of young francophone Africans in YYGS. Arise Foundation committed to contribute a minimum of $50,000 to the Yale Fund for Francophone Africa at YYGS and YYAS.
• Missouri Botanical GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISE Foundation partnered with Missouri Botanical Garden to build an arboretum in Nkok, near Libreville, Gabon. The 2-hectare arboretum will feature tree nurseries with endemic and endangered species, a 3km visitor walkway, and serve conservation, educational, and recreational purposes. The site runs along a river to the mouth of a mangrove.
• Eisenhower FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISE Foundation partnered with Eisenhower Fellowship for a skills exchange program between professionals in Africa and the USA. Each year, a young African leader is selected for the Africa batch of the Global Fellowship program. The selected fellow develops a climate change project and gains leadership skills through interactions with business leaders from various sectors and countries over four-to-five weeks in the United States.
• ARISE GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISE Foundation is the dedicated CSR arm of ARISE Group, a major industrial development company operating across 10 African countries. The foundation receives support and alignment with ARISE Group's industrial operations to implement community development programs. ARISE Group's industrial zones provide the operational base for foundation activities including GSEZ in Gabon (Africa's first carbon-neutral certified industrial zone) and GDIZ in Benin.
• Community-Based OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local community organizations that have deep understanding of challenges facing their communities. These organizations help ensure solutions come from those closest to the problems and enable grassroots-level implementation of programs.
• Corporate BusinessesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with companies committed to reducing their carbon footprint and promoting equitable and sustainable practices. Corporations work with the foundation to implement social and environmental programs within their operational areas.
• Government AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with government agencies to promote policies and programs advancing sustainable development goals. The foundation maintains regular working sessions with government ministers, including sessions with the Minister of State for Development.
• Philanthropic OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with other foundations and non-profit organizations to amplify impact and maximize benefits of collective efforts. The foundation collaborates with organizations sharing its vision for sustainable community development in Africa.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mo Ibrahim Foundation: Africa-focused foundation emphasizing governance, leadership, and sustainable development. Comparable as a high-profile African philanthropic platform, though focused more on governance and prize-based leadership than direct service delivery.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Africa-based corporate foundation that runs enterprise development, skills training, and entrepreneurship programs across multiple African countries. Directly comparable as an African corporate foundation combining poverty reduction with capacity building for local communities.
• Dangote Foundation: Leading African corporate foundation focused on health, education, and economic empowerment across Nigeria and West Africa. Comparable as a pan-African foundation funding health and education infrastructure from corporate parent profits.
• Africa Climate Foundation: Dedicated climate grantmaking vehicle for Africa, funding resilience, adaptation, and mitigation across the continent. Directly comparable to ARISE VERT's climate-resilience remit and the foundation's blended climate-plus-development model.
• Olam Group Foundation: Corporate foundation of Olam/ofi running rural community development, education, and health programs across multiple African origins. Comparable as an agri-industrial corporate foundation implementing community programs in countries of corporate operations.
• Acumen: Impact investor and grantmaker deploying patient capital to social enterprises across East and West Africa. Comparable to ARISE UP's enterprise development and low-interest loan model for underserved African communities.

Broad incumbents

• Rockefeller Foundation: Major global foundation running large-scale climate resilience, health, and economic inclusion programs with significant Africa footprint. Comparable in the climate, health, and education pillars, though at vastly greater scale and global remit.
• Mastercard Foundation: Large foundation running youth education, skills, and economic inclusion programs across Africa, including the Young Africa Works strategy. Comparable in education and youth employability focus, but operates at substantially larger scale and broader geographic remit.

Others

• Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group: Peer network and convening body for philanthropic organizations funding African development. Comparable as the ecosystem / funder community in which Arise Foundation operates, useful for benchmarking against peer foundations.

Regional players

• Econet Foundation: Corporate foundation of Econet Wireless running environmental sustainability and community development programs across Southern Africa. Comparable as an industrial corporate foundation anchoring community programs to telecom/infrastructure presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-arise

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arise Foundation