Gatsby Africa

What Gatsby Africa does

Gatsby Africa is a UK-registered charitable foundation (charity number 1168223, company number 09360833) backed by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts established by Lord David Sainsbury. It operates as a philanthropic funder-implementer focused on sector transformation in East Africa, working across six labour-intensive sectors — Aquaculture, Commercial Forestry, Textiles & Apparel, Livestock, Water, and Tea — to drive competitive, inclusive and resilient growth. The organization engages with East African governments, private sector firms, industry associations and development partners to catalyse sector-wide change at both firm and national levels, while improving employment and incomes for small-scale producers and workers.

The organization was founded in 2015 and established branch offices in Kenya (registration CF/2015/185025) and Tanzania (registration 130926) alongside its London headquarters at The Peak, 5 Wilton Road. In 2022-2023 it integrated Kenya Markets Trust and Msingi into a single unified organization, consolidating their long-running East African sector work into a philanthropic entity under Lord David Sainsbury. Its operating footprint now extends beyond Kenya and Tanzania into Rwanda, and it has taken on additional programme leadership and active job and tender postings through 2025-2026.

Gatsby Africa is not a commercial enterprise and does not sell products or services; its revenue model is grant and endowment funding from The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, supplemented by co-funding arrangements with development finance institutions and impact investors. Notable capital deployments include a cornerstone commitment to the EUR 41.7 million Aqua-Spark Africa fund (a Sub-Saharan aquaculture vehicle anchored alongside KfW, AgriFI and the Livelihood Impact Fund), trusteeship of The Forestry Development Trust in Tanzania, and provision of funding support to The Wood Foundation's tea programme. Its go-to-market approach is partnership-led: it convenes governments and sector stakeholders, publishes research and insights (including the East Africa Trends Report, January 2026), and implements programmes through in-country teams rather than distributing any product.

Name

Gatsby Africa

Legal name

Gatsby Africa

Website

https://gatsbyafrica.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Gatsby Africa is a UK-registered Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust that funds and implements sector transformation programmes across East Africa, working with governments, private firms and development partners in Aquaculture, Commercial Forestry, Textiles & Apparel, Livestock, Water and Tea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Sector transformation programmes
• Philanthropic development funding
• Economic development consulting
• East Africa sector development
• Non-profit grant funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gatsby Africa is a philanthropic foundation that implements sector transformation programmes across East Africa, primarily in Kenya and Tanzania. It works at firm and national level across six sectors — Aquaculture, Commercial Forestry, Textiles & Apparel, Livestock, Water, and Tea — partnering with governments, private sector firms, industry associations, and development partners to catalyse competitive, inclusive, and resilient sector growth. Outputs include sector development programmes, policy and benchmarking work, investment facilitation, and knowledge products such as the East Africa Trends Report.

Product overview

Gatsby Africa is a philanthropy organization (charity and company limited by guarantee registered in England, company number 09360833, registered charity number 1168223) funded and supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation. It is not a product company. Rather than offering commercial products or services, Gatsby Africa implements sector development programs focused on economic transformation in East Africa, working across six sectors: Aquaculture, Commercial Forestry, Textiles & Apparel, Livestock, Water, and Tea. The organization funds programs, publishes research reports and insights, and facilitates partnerships to drive sector-wide change. Its primary outputs are sector development initiatives, policy engagement, and knowledge products (reports, benchmarking studies, trend analyses) rather than commercial software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of people benefitting from economic transformation through integrated approach of Gatsby Africa, Kenya Markets Trust, and Msingi.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kenya Markets TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenya Markets Trust (KMT) merged into Gatsby Africa as part of organizational integration. KMT had been a partner organization focused on sector transformation in Kenya.
• MsingicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMsingi merged into Gatsby Africa as part of organizational integration. Msingi had been a partner organization working with governments and sector stakeholders in East Africa.
• The Forestry Development TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGA provides funding support and is a trustee of this Tanzanian trust, which focuses on forestry sector development.
• Kenya Markets TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGA is a member of Kenya Markets Trust alongside providing funding support. KMT is a Kenyan organization working on sector transformation.
• MsingicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGA is a member of Msingi alongside providing funding support. Msingi is a Kenyan organization focused on sector transformation.
• Adili AfricaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGA uses Adili Africa as an external whistleblowing service provider, offering secure reporting channels for stakeholders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TechnoServe: Non-profit focused on economic development through sector-level enterprise programs in agriculture, textiles, and other labor-intensive industries in Africa and Latin America. Most directly comparable to Gatsby Africa's sector-transformation model and government/private-sector engagement approach.
• FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank): Development finance institution that invests in private sector projects in developing countries. Directly comparable to Gatsby Africa's role as a co-investor in the Aqua-Spark Africa fund and its broader impact investment activities in East Africa.
• Acumen: Uses philanthropic capital to build and support early-stage social enterprises in Africa and South Asia, with a focus on agriculture, energy, and water. Comparable in its use of patient capital and impact investing to drive sector change in East Africa.
• Dalberg: Global advisory firm focused on international development, social sector, and impact investing across emerging markets. Comparable in its work with governments, foundations, and sector stakeholders on economic transformation strategy.
• Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: Works with governments on economic transformation and policy reform, including in Africa. Closely comparable to Gatsby Africa's government advisory and institutional capacity-building work, particularly its focus on industrial policy implementation.
• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Dutch development organization operating sector transformation programs in agriculture, water, and renewable energy across Africa and Asia. Comparable multi-sector, multi-country development portfolio structure with similar donor-funded operating model.

Emerging players

• Global Development Incubator (GDI): Incubates and launches new initiatives and organizations in international development. Comparable in its work launching and supporting sector-focused development initiatives, though more focused on startup creation than long-term program implementation.
• Shell Foundation: Charity-backed organization focused on catalyzing transformational sector solutions in energy, mobility, and food systems across Africa and Asia. Comparable in its sector-transformation approach and use of philanthropic capital to seed market-based solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian and development organization with significant programs across multiple sectors in East Africa. Comparable in scale and geographic focus, though broader in scope including humanitarian response alongside economic development.

Regional players

• The Wood Foundation: Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust that implements the Gatsby Africa tea sector portfolio in East Africa. Closely related as a sibling organization within the Sainsbury family trust network and a direct implementation partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/gatsbyafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuXI-WN_OJtTWdSH864m_jQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/gatsbyafricacf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gatsby-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Gatsby Africa