Guy Cave

Shaping Philanthropy

Guy Cave, president of the Legatum Foundation, joins the podcast to tell us about Legatum's new humanitarian initiative.
The Resilio Fund, which is due to be officially launched in 2025, aims to mobilise US$100m in its first five years to support grassroots organisations based in a range of crisis zones including Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Lebanon.

The idea, explained Guy in this interview with Anissa Punjani, is to funnel cash directly to people in humanitarian need, rather than rely on money to trickle down through institutions.

“We’re supporting a very local approach that’s looking at getting behind what communities are already doing to help themselves,” he said. “These microgrants are totally what we would call ‘trust based’ - they can spend however they think is right.”

Resilio, like Legatum’s other funds, was tested first as a pilot. Beginning in 2021, it has been active across half a dozen countries, including Myanmar, where village communities displaced by aerial bombardments were able to receive cash for food within 24 hours, and in Sudan, where youth volunteers have mobilised to help communities affected by violent conflict.

“At a practical level, it’s fast and efficient, because with cash people can buy things locally,” Guy said. “It also means they have a real sense of ownership, and it gives them dignity.” And he added that post-grant evaluations had also shown how many recipients had used first grants to fund survival but then moved towards strengthening their resilience to be better prepared for future disasters.

During the interview, recorded at Legatum’s HQ in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Guy also talked about how another of the Foundation’s pilot programmes, a justice initiative targeting people stuck in pre-trial detention, was helping to reduce overcrowding in Ugandan prisons.
Other topics explored in the interview include the importance of measuring impact (not just "input") and how good partnerships are key to effective collaboration.

Send us a text

Circle is a partnership between Philanthropy Age and the Pearl Initiative. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.