So, about geographic funding restrictions: a few weeks ago, @Haroon Yasin from @Taleemabad dropped by our office. He’s a stellar operator in Pakistan with a scalable solution to a big problem. But he keeps hearing funders say, “Sorry, we don’t fund in Pakistan.”
We understand why funders often choose to restrict their funding to a relatively few geographies. Here are some reasons to reconsider:
1. Great ideas—and operators—happen where they happen.
If we want to create change at scale, we need to find and fund the best. The way to get everyone served is to find the solutions that can scale up. Mulago will go wherever there's a great idea that might change the lives of the poor.
2. Important places are neglected arbitrarily.
Pakistan is a good example. It's geopolitically vital to all of our interests, there are great opportunities, it needs attention more than India and nobody funds there. For no good reason.
3. You’re not going to change the game in a given geography.
Neither we nor other small-to-mid size funders (or even bigger ones, really) are single-handedly going to “fix” any region, so it's not clear to me why it makes sense to restrict our range.
4. Restricting geography lowers the bar.
When funders limit scope, they often settle for what’s there rather than what’s best. That’s not how you drive impact.
5. You don’t know that place as well as you think you do.
You might think you’re a better funder because you “know” a country. It’s the doer who needs to know the place—your job is to make sure they do. I know a good idea and operator when I see one, but what do I really know about anywhere other than maybe California? When visiting places, I've always found it safest to assume vast ignorance. I do what I'm told.
Some of our wisest colleagues have staff from and situated in countries they fund in, like Kenya, and of course they know infinitely more about those locales than I ever could. But even then—the world is a big place, and I'm always struck by regional differences.
Here's the safest approach:
Find great operators with great ideas, make sure THEY know the place, and fund them.
Wherever they are.
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