Why Blood:Water Was Named “Leader in Partnership” at the 2026 Catalyst Now Awards
At Blood:Water, we have always believed a fundamental truth: that local leaders are the true architects of lasting change in their own communities.
Hosted by Catalyst 2030, a global movement of social innovators and funders accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Catalyst Now Awards recognize donor partners who reject traditional top-down hierarchies in favor of true, trust-based collaboration.
Moving Beyond Transactional Philanthropy
For international development to create permanent impact, global funding models must evolve. Historically, only 10-14% of international donor funding reaches local organizations directly. Too often, grantmaking remains short-term, transactional, and burdened by rigid metrics dictated from afar.
The Leader in Partnership award celebrates funders who work against those power dynamics. It honors organizations that:
- Listen directly to what systems-change leaders need on the ground.
- Provide both targeted financial and non-financial support.
- Co-create flexible funding structures that respect local autonomy.
- Simplify compliance to build authentic, relational trust.
Blood:Water was selected for its pioneering 20+ year commitment to trust-based philanthropy, marked by 8-year funding commitments delivered exclusively to African-led community organizations, alongside deep partnership and strengthening investments that ensures the long-term health of frontline organizations and their leaders.
What True Partnership Looks Like in Practice
Rather than dictating how grants are spent, Blood:Water’s model pairs long-term programmatic investment with partner-driven organizational strengthening.
Through a clear separation between programmatic work and self-directed organizational health, our partners set their own growth priorities, whether that means expanding water and health systems, strengthening financial governance, or creating their organization’s very first dedicated HR department.
During the awards ceremony in London, Julius D. W. Mbeya, co-founder of Kenya’s Lwala Community Alliance and a Blood:Water board member, shared what this approach meant during his organization’s earliest days:
“I remember very early on making a bet on our organization and being the first investors and funders that saw our idea come to life. Throughout the years, we have worked in refining the model of support and partnership… The unique thing about this is the fact that this is partner-driven, where partners decide on what organizational capacities they want to build.”
Guided by Purpose
Accepting the award on behalf of Blood:Water, our Executive Director Nadia Kist reflected on what keeps our movement grounded when global change feels slow or difficult:
“A North Star that we’re moving towards unapologetically… is a future of durable health and authentically sustainable development to be African-led. Change is slow and hard, but it is happening… and what keeps us going are our partners, who graduate out of our relationship and turn into our board members to shape our vision and shape our future.”
As a faith-based organization, our work is rooted in a purpose-driven calling to love, serve, and walk alongside our neighbors. Scriptural wisdom reminds us in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 that “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” We know that true transformation only happens when we honor the wisdom, dignity, and leadership of those closest to the work.
Above all, we give our highest praise and glory to God, whose grace sustains this mission. We extend our warmest congratulations to our fellow Catalyst Now Award honorees, VélezReyes+ (Leader in Trust), H&M Foundation (Leader in Field Building), Imago Dei Fund (Leader in Transformative Compliance), and Gary Lubner of This Day Foundation (Special Recognition), who are demonstrating what radical collaboration looks like in action.
Most of all, we offer our deepest gratitude to our extraordinary African partners. Your leadership, resilience, and vision inspire everything we do.
Stand With Communities. Follow Their Lead.
Want to help expand long-term support for African-led organizations? Then click the link to support our Giving Tuesday and Go and do Likewise
You can also watch the full 2026 Catalyst Now Award ceremony here:
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