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African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF)

Unlocking Catalytic Philanthropic Capital To Invest in Africa’s Social Innovators
Beyond Remittances
African Diaspora Innovation Fund
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Executive Summary

Despite Africa’s immense potential, entrepreneurs across the continent and in the diaspora continue to face high unemployment, limited access to capital, and systemic barriers to scaling their solutions.

The African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF) is a bold initiative by the African Diaspora Network (ADN) in partnership with Myriad USA. Together, we aim to mobilize philanthropic capital to support African and African-descendant social entrepreneurs with grants of up to $25,000.

AfDIF bridges the gap between remittances and long-term investment, transforming diaspora generosity into scalable, sustainable impact across Africa and its global diaspora.

Who Benefits from AfDIF

AfDIF is developed to enable high impact social entrepreneurs and changemakers by providing early-stage catalytic funding.

Primary Beneficiaries

The initial pipeline will be selected from ADN’s flagship programs. However, our longterm goal is to broaden the pipeline to select visionary African social entrepreneurs within Myriad USA networks as well.
ABLE 24 cohorts
entrepreneur-greenhouse
Entrepreneurs selected through ADN’s flagship programs include those participating in:
  • Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) – Africa-based innovators solving development challenges.
  • Accelerating Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE) – U.S.-based entrepreneurs of African descent creating social and economic impact.

Sectors of Impact

Education

Healthcare

Youth empowerment

Climate resilience

Where the Funds Go

AfDIF is built on a high-impact, transparent funding model:

  • 90% of contributions go directly to entrepreneurs in the form of unrestricted grants.
  • 10% supports administration—ensuring effective program delivery, transparency, and impact tracking.

Donor Participation

AfDIF democratizes giving by making it easy and meaningful for individuals to contribute.

Anyone can give—every contribution counts.

Donors giving $500 or more receive:

  • An invitation to participate in a donor voting process to help select the annual grantees.
  • An opportunity to shape community-driven funding decisions that not only support entrepreneurs with capital but also connect them to mentorship and additional resources for growth.

Why AfDIF Matters

With over 170 million people in the African diaspora and more than $100 billion in annual remittances, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to go beyond basic needs and invest in sustainable, generational impact.

For more information, please contact us at: Afdif@africandiaporanetwork.org

African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF): Fund Structure & Regulatory Compliance

The African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF) is designed to support high-impact African and diaspora-led social entrepreneurs while maintaining the highest standards of transparency and accountability. Below are the key highlights of the fund:

Fund Oversight & Compliance

  • Administered by Myriad USA, a registered U.S. charity specializing in Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs).
  • Operates under rigorous U.S. and international regulatory standards to ensure transparency, accountability, and donor confidence.
  • Offers tax-deductibility for contributions made through the fund.
  • Social entrepreneurs are guided through compliance steps to increase their eligibility for philanthropic capital.

Inclusive & Donor-Driven Giving Model

  • AfDIF democratizes philanthropy by enabling anyone—regardless of giving level—to donate to the fund.
  • All donation amounts are welcome. Donors contributing $500 or more will:
  • Be invited to vote on the selection of social entrepreneurs to receive funding.

  • Participate in a transparent, community-driven grantmaking process.

Support for Social Entrepreneurs

  • Selected entrepreneurs may receive grants of up to $25,000 to scale their social ventures.
  • Focus on ventures that advance solutions in health, education, climate, youth empowerment, and other high-impact sectors.
  • Funding recipients will be vetted for both compliance and social mission alignment.

Broader Impact

  • By mobilizing the African diaspora and friends of Africa, AfDIF directly contributes to:
  • Strengthening social innovation ecosystems.
  • Promoting economic development and sustainability.
  • Supporting visionary leaders working on the frontlines of change across Africa and the diaspora.

Myriad Ways to Give:

Wire Transfer

Use Myriad USA’s wire transfer instructions here and kindly note “African Diaspora Innovation Fund” in the memo section of the wire transfer

Checks

To donate via check, please make your check payable to Myriad USA and include “African Diaspora Innovation Fund” in the memo section or on an enclosed letter. Send your check to:
Myriad USA551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400, New York, NY 10176

Donor Advised Funds

To give to Myriad USA from a donor-advised fund (DAF) at a community foundation or other donor-advised fund sponsor, recommend a grant to Myriad USA (EIN: 58-2277856) and recommend “African Diaspora Innovation Fund” as the beneficiary.

Credit Card

U.S.-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions to the African Diaspora Innovation Fund on Myriad USA’s platform on Every.org. Please note that a credit card processing fee applies. This fee can be avoided by selecting the ACH/bank wire transfer option or one of the options listed above.

Stock Donations

To make stock donations, consider donating through cryptocurrency, life Insurance, retirement plans, and other assets. For a comprehensive list of options, please click here. A friendly reminder to note “African Diaspora Innovation Fund” in the memo section of your contribution.

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