About Us

GAFIS is:

A special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Managed by Bankable Frontier Associates

The mission of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is to help donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. The organization, a 501-(c)-(3) nonprofit, was developed by the Rockefeller family as its private philanthropy service, and traces its antecedents to John D. Rockefeller, Sr., who in 1891 began to professionally manage his philanthropy “as if it were a business.” RPA provides research and counsel on charitable giving, develops philanthropic programs, and offers complete program, administrative and management services for foundations and trusts. It also operates a charitable gift fund through which clients can make gifts outside the United States, participate in funding consortia, and operate nonprofit initiatives. The organization is governed by a 17-member board of directors representing the fields of philanthropy, finance, venture capital, education, the arts, broadcasting and medicine (list available upon request, or via http://rockpa.org/about_rpa/).

RPA currently serves more than 160 donors in advising on giving to more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America. As a whole, the organization has facilitated over $3 billion in grant making and advised last year on nearly $180 million. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is one of the world’s largest philanthropy services, with 40 full-time staff in our New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. We also work with a group of carefully-selected expert affiliates. Our senior staff members offer an average of 20 years each in grant making experience with major foundations, both U.S. and international, including the Ford Foundation, the Levi-Strauss Foundation, the SmithKline Beecham Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, the New York Community Trust, the Wallace Fund and the John A. Hartford Foundation. Senior staffers are frequent speakers and are quoted often in national publications and media.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor initiative, which is working with a wide range of public and private partners to harness technology and innovation to bring quality, affordable savings accounts and other financial services to the doorsteps of the poor in the developing world. The foundation believes that setting aside small sums in a safe place allows people to guard against risks, build assets, and provide opportunities for the next generation.

Bankable Frontier Associates LLC

Bankable Frontier Associates LLC (BFA) is a niche consulting firm which focuses on providing clients with high quality advice on strategy, policy and implementation of financial sector development in emerging markets. BFA has undertaken several projects for the Gates Foundation Financial Services for the Poor group in the past three years. Besides the Gates Foundation, BFA clients include a number of leading public agencies such as the World Bank Group and innovative private financial providers such as international NGOs, international banking groups and mobile network operators.

BFA focuses on the questions and opportunities created by financial sector development, and it has completed assignments for clients based in Europe, Asia, Africa, the US and Latin America. With a core team based in Boston, MA (USA), BFA draws on expertise in specialist areas from a range of skilled associates across the globe.

GAFIS is governed by a Program Advisory Committee (PAC). In addition to representatives from the three entities described above, GAFIS benefits from the strategic advice of three independent advisors, each a leading thinker and/or practitioner in the financial services field, who serve on GAFIS' PAC.

Program Advisory Committee

Name
Chris Page (RPA)
Walter Sweet (RPA)
Evelyn Stark (Gates Foundation)
David Porteous (BFA)
Jennefer Sebstad (independent)
Henry Jackelen (UNDP, but in private capacity)
Peter Tufano (Harvard Business School, but in private capacity)

For further information or to engage around a potential opportunity, contact: Jeff Abrams, Program Manager, BFA, jabrams@bankablefrontier.com, +1 617 628 0711