Daraja Partners
Daraja Partners is led by Solomon Makuza and Jessie Cronan. As accomplished and award-winning professionals with more than 20 years of combined experience in nonprofit leadership, we have sat on both sides of the table – leading and growing nonprofit organizations and serving as funders with a focus on impact, innovation, and equity.
At Daraja Partners we work with locally led nonprofits and with foundations, family foundations, and individuals who are interested in expanding their charitable giving to support locally-led organizations and/or increasing the support they currently provide.
There is ample evidence to demonstrate that when we empower local nonprofits we see results that are timely, sustainable, and cost effective. There is also widespread consensus that the time has come for a shift in the way that global philanthropy operates in order to move more capital into the hands of local social entrepreneurs and nonprofits that are tackling systemic issues. In practice this shift can be complex and, at times, messy. We are here to help our clients navigate these complexities while remaining true to your own missions, values and priorities.
Daraja, the Swahili word for bridge, represents our desire to bridge existing gaps in resources, trust, and proximity, to allow organizations on all sides of the philanthropic ecosystem to soar, flourish and thrive.
“There is growing consensus from both funders and nonprofits around the critical importance of investing in locally led development, but often the “how” of this shift can feel complex and overwhelming. Jessie and Solomon can help. They are competent, compassionate, and bring joy to the work. They’ve been at this a while - 20 years altogether - so they bring the lived experience on both sides of the donor-doer dynamic that is required to navigate complexity. You’ll want to work with them to dream up and dare to do great things.”
— Andy Bryant, Executive Director, Segal Family Foundation
