Global Partners for Development

What Global Partners for Development does

Global Partners for Development (GPFD) is a California-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Francisco (EIN 94-2537375). The organization implements community-led development programs in East Africa—primarily Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—with a philosophy that local communities should drive change in their schools and neighborhoods. Programs span water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure; education support and scholarships (including the EWIDA girls' scholarship); women's and youth entrepreneurship through the Grassroots Fund; CBO capacity building via the CBO Partnership Program; and climate resilience. The flagship initiative is Vineyards to Villages (V2V), launched in 2012 in partnership with David Stare and the Sonoma County wine industry, which funds clean water infrastructure at East African schools. Since 2014 GPFD has tracked outcomes through an internal M&E system and reports benefiting more than 3 million people.

Name

Global Partners for Development

Legal name

Global Partners for Development

Website

https://gpfd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Partners for Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs community-led development programs in water/sanitation, education, health, and women's entrepreneurship across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, funded primarily by donations and corporate grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Community Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Global Health (HLAJAOAD), International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Water sanitation hygiene
• Nonprofit consulting services
• Educational scholarships
• Grassroots capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Petaluma, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: GPFD operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 94-2537375) that relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization accepts charitable contributions to fund community development projects in East Africa.
2. Consulting Services: GPFD offers Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) consulting services to other organizations to help evaluate and improve their programming. This represents a fee-for-service revenue stream.
3. Travel and Tours: GPFD organizes experiential travel trips to East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) for donors and supporters. Trip pricing was $4,550 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, and safari packages.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Partners for Development (GPFD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and implements community-led development programs in East Africa, with a primary focus on clean water infrastructure (Community WASH Program and Vineyards to Villages initiative), education (Community-Led Development & Education program, scholarships), women's income generation, and capacity building for grassroots community-based organizations through the Grassroots Fund and CBO Partnership Program. It also sells Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) consulting services to other organizations and offers donor travel experiences to East Africa.

Product overview

Global Partners for Development (GPFD) is a nonprofit organization that advances community-led initiatives improving education and public health in East Africa. The organization operates as a portfolio of interconnected community development programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Community-Led Development & Education (CDLE) program, the Grassroots Fund for entrepreneurs, the CBO Partnership Program, Community WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programs, the Vineyards to Villages water infrastructure initiative, Monitoring/Evaluation/Learning (MEL) consulting services, and educational scholarship programs. These programs work together to support locally-led change in schools and communities across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vineyards to Villages (V2V): A unique partnership between the Sonoma County wine industry and African communities, turning wine into water by funding clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education in East Africa.
• Grassroots Fund
• Community-Led Development & Education (CDLE)
• CBO Partnership Program
• Community WASH Program

Products and services

• Community-Led Development & Education (CDLE) A core community development program in which GPFD collaborates with East African communities to enhance education and infrastructure, improving school attendance and skills while expanding access to essential services like water and health.
• Grassroots Fund A seed funding program providing capital and capacity support to local community-based organizations and entrepreneurs in East Africa who are implementing solutions to public health and educational challenges in their communities.
• CBO Partnership Program A program partnering with grassroots East African community-based organizations to assess and strengthen their organizational health, providing operational support, capacity building, and grant writing assistance to help them attract funding and operate more effectively.
• Community WASH Program A water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program that works with local leaders to develop effective and sustainable WASH solutions at schools and communities in East Africa, including boreholes, distribution lines, handwashing sinks, latrine construction, and hygiene education.
• Vineyards to Villages (V2V) A partnership initiative between the Sonoma County wine industry and African communities that funds clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education at East African schools that previously had no clean water source.
• MEL Consulting Services Fee-based Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) consulting services offered to other nonprofit and development organizations that need external expertise to evaluate and improve the impact of their programming.
• Africa Travel Experience Donor and supporter travel program offering organized trips to Kenya and Tanzania, including accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, safari packages, park entrance fees, and on-tour GPFD staff guidance, in partnership with Hoopoe Safaris.
• Educational Scholarship Programs Academic scholarship programs supporting East African students, with a focus on girls' education through the EWIDA program, helping recipients fulfill career goals and achieve economic independence.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ people benefited from GPFD projects since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dry Creek VineyardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founded by Dave Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard is the driving force behind the Vineyards to Villages initiative. Dave Stare serves/served as Board President of GPFD. The partnership connects the wine industry's water needs (essential for growing grapes) with African communities' water scarcity.
• Sonoma County Wine IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Vineyards to Villages (V2V) initiative was developed in 2012 led by David Stare, founder of Dry Creek Vineyard. Members of the Sonoma County wine industry came together to fund clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education in East Africa. The wine industry 'turns wine into water' by supporting schools in East Africa that previously had no clean water source.
• Open StartupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn NGO co-founded by Dr. Houda Ghozzi that bridges education and entrepreneurship in North Africa and the Middle East. Open Startup connects students and recent graduates with industry stakeholders and promotes entrepreneurial culture through public-private partnerships.
• Lwala Community AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Kenyan organization co-founded by two brothers (Fred and Milton Ochieng') in response to the HIV epidemic and maternal/child mortality. Lwala operates a community-led health model partnering with the Kenyan government to improve health systems. Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa are noted supporters.
• MalaicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA digital health platform focused on maternal care in East Africa, founded by Dr. Lorraine Muluka (CEO). Malaica connects pregnant women to personal nurse midwives via WhatsApp, providing clinical consultations and support. Co-founded with Pascal (Swiss) and Isis (Kenyan, founder of MumsVillage), and Victor (CTO).
• Menya AcceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn EdTech entrepreneurship program for youth in Burundi. GPFD supported their first camp and continues to support entrepreneurial ideas in fish farming and digitized healthcare. Menya Accelerator provides education in IT and agriculture to young Burundians.
• Madaraja FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn organization in Uganda empowering young women and girls through access to reproductive health resources and education. Projects include Links for Her and the CARE Group Project bridging contraceptive access gaps and supporting teen mothers.
• Kadana FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA foundation partnered with GPFD's GCLD Fund to empower women entrepreneurs in Kenya. Supports practical projects including Achae Rach, Bi Kendi, and Seje Friends and Progress Women Groups.
• She Screens UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn organization pioneering cervical cancer screenings in rural Uganda, in partnership with GPFD. Aims to create a society free from cervical cancer through awareness, essential screenings, and partnership.
• Hoopoe SafarisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAward-winning eco-tourism company (won Condé Nast Ecotourism award in 2004) that GPFD partners with for donor travel experiences to East Africa. Provided travel services for Bill and Chelsea Clinton's 2015 Tanzanian philanthropic tour.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Large international NGO focused on water, sanitation and hygiene across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Overlaps with GPFD's WASH programming and East African footprint, but operates as a global incumbent with government and multilateral partnerships rather than grassroots CBO-led model.
• BRAC: Large international development organization operating across multiple continents with programs in education, health, and economic empowerment. Comparable mission breadth but vastly larger scale and geographic footprint than GPFD.

Direct peers

• Lwala Community Alliance: Kenyan community-led health organization (also a GPFD partner) that partners with government to improve health systems and address maternal/child mortality. Comparable in size, geography, and community-led health philosophy.
• Heifer International: International nonprofit supporting smallholder farmers and communities through livestock and sustainable agriculture programs in East Africa. Comparable community-led economic empowerment model to GPFD's Grassroots Fund and women's entrepreneurship work.
• Tostan: Nonprofit pioneering a community-led development model rooted in African villages, emphasizing local empowerment and community-driven change. Closely mirrors GPFD's locally-led development philosophy and grassroots capacity-building approach.
• charity: water: Nonprofit focused on funding clean water and sanitation projects in developing countries, including East Africa. Highly comparable mission and beneficiary geography to GPFD's V2V and Community WASH programs, but operates at vastly larger scale with proprietary tech-driven donor reporting.
• Evidence Action: Evidence-based international development nonprofit operating health and education programs across East Africa, including Kenya. Comparable scale, evidence-driven approach, and regional presence to GPFD's MEL-backed programming.

Others

• Every.org: Tech-enabled fundraising platform for nonprofits that simplifies online donations and donor experience. Relevant as a digital fundraising infrastructure peer/partner for small nonprofits like GPFD.
• GlobalGiving: Global crowdfunding marketplace connecting donors with nonprofits working in international development. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem partner/distribution channel relevant to GPFD's fundraising strategy.

Regional players

• Malaica: Digital maternal health platform operating in Kenya (and a GPFD partner). Operates in the same East African geography as GPFD but focuses specifically on maternal health via WhatsApp-enabled nurse midwife support rather than multi-sector community development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/GPFDev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMy5TYMY-OlWm6rYrLu2NKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobalPartnersforDevelopment/?ref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-partners-for-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalpartnersfordevelopment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Global Partners for Development