Go to the Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group's website and click on the word "Membership" in the red toolbar. On the next page click on the highlighted "Membership Eligibility" button in red. Read through the basic guidelines and then click on the red highlighted button that reads "AGA Membership Packet."
Go over the eligibility requirements to make sure you qualify to be a member. You must have a grant-making entity that provides grants and scholarships to individuals in Africa. If you are a U.S.-based company, you must set aside $50,000 per year for African grants. If you are a European entity, the amount is $25,000 per year.
Fill out the membership application inside the packet and indicate your category, whether you are an institution, an individual representing an institution or fund, or a community foundation based in Africa.
Provide information about prior funding in Africa; indicate what organizations you have worked with, what regions you have funded and what specific countries you have funded. If you have never funded an African project, contact the New Member office at 202-756-4835 and talk to a representative, who will help you fill out the African portion of the application. Indicate the amount of funding you have budgeted for African projects and your amount of interest in the area.
Complete the membership fee invoice. Dues are paid in January and are not prorated if you join at any other time during the year. They can be paid with a credit card. Brand new organizations with no previous funding in Africa pay $600 a year for a maximum of two years. At that point they must increase their funding and member level. Sustaining organizations in the program pay up to $25,000 a year.
Make your check payable to Tides Center/AGAG and send the check and all application materials, including the invoice form, to Niamani Mutima, Executive Director, Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group, 1776 I Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C., 20006. If you have any questions about your specific eligibility or have difficulty filling out the application, you can call the director at 540-878-5015. You can also email all the information if you use a credit card to pay to [email protected].
Allow your membership to be listed on the mailing list on the website. This, in turn, allows funding seekers to find your organization and apply for funding from you using a project proposal. At that point, you will be responsible for reviewing applications and indicating to which individuals or projects funding will go and in what amounts. To maintain member eligibility, you must provide funding to multiple individuals or projects each year.