With our strong track record in global development consultancy and fund management, MannionDaniels was instrumental in the set-up and incubation of AmplifyChange, the multi-donor fund to support civil society advocacy on some of the most challenging aspects of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR):

• Eliminating gender-based violence
• Removing barriers to safe abortion
• Challenging stigma and discrimination
• Improving sexual health of young people
• Increasing access to comprehensive reproductive health.

In 2014, we partnered with the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and Global Fund for Women (GFW) to launch this ambitious fund to support groups working in the most challenging settings where sexual and reproductive health and rights remain out of reach.

Since then, AmplifyChange has established a unique place within the global SRHR architecture – no other platform specifically supporting civil society SRHR advocacy has the reach or range of AmplifyChange.

What did we do?

• Fund set-up and strategy: with our strong track-record in SRHR and fund management expertise, we facilitated the development of the culture, approaches, values, tools and processes of AmplifyChange
• Fund management: key to the success of AmplifyChange was our rigorous approach to fiduciary risk management, due diligence and safeguarding. We ensured proportionate yet stringent financial processes
• Donor engagement: we were able to increase donor commitment to funding small grassroots organisations. The benefits are clear – power is in the hands of local communities. Under our stewardship, funding increased almost 8-fold
• Branding and communications: grantees relied on our innovative communication approaches. These included  widespread use  of digital platforms, online learning resources and communities of practice
• Organisational strengthening: strengthening the organisations we supported and connecting them through networks, coalitions, partnerships, convenings or digital platforms was a vital element of our approach to bring about better laws, policies and services for SRHR
• Knowledge management: our strong learning orientation put grantee experience and learnings at the centre of all we did. Our pragmatic tools and guidance support applicants and grantees in their advocacy planning, implementation and reporting. We were well placed to analyse, aggregate and amplify grantee voices to advocate for SRHR.

In the first phase of AmplifyChange, we did the following:

• Ran 43 funding rounds
• Supported almost 900 grants
• Disbursed over €98m, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Our grantmaking and capacity development supported community-based groups working on some of the most neglected areas of SRHR. Many of these groups had never before received external funding
• Achieved an almost 8-fold increase in donor commitments
• Supported the development of 98 coalitions, across 44 countries
• Catalysed more than 30 significant policy and law changes, across 24 countries plus the SADC region
• Increased grantee capacity to successfully apply for, and manage, larger grants – across the portfolio 20% of grants from eligible funding rounds graduated to a higher level of grant
• Innovated to provide unique support to small local organisations, working on the most challenging issues including an increasing focus on peer-to-peer technical support.

Under phase 2:

We maintained support to AmplifyChange as it transitioned to become an independent organisation. We continued to strongly endorse AmplifyChange’s added value. AmplifyChange’s ability to engage and fund grassroots organisations, amplify their voices and support the wider SRHR movements globally is essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.