The Rift Valley Institute is one of twelve non-profit organisations to be awarded an Open Society Foundation New Executive Fund grant in 2017. The grant, which is intended to assist newly appointed leaders to implement their vision for change, has been awarded to RVI’s Executive Director, Mark Bradbury, who has been in post since January 2017. Mark explained: 

‘I am delighted to receive this grant for RVI. The Institute was founded in 2001 by its former Executive Director, John Ryle, and works in several countries in Rift Valley region in social research, education and public information. We intend to use the grant to take forward the Institute’s organisational strategy, which involves moving the centre of gravity of the Institute to Africa and the region from where it takes its name. We will engage in research that responds to locally defined needs, and refocus our education work towards training and the transfer of skills to regional researchers and organizations. We will expand the physical and digital forums for the exchange of knowledge and dissemination of public information, bringing to the fore African voices and local knowledge. And, we will do this through investing in more South-South collaborations and partnerships.’

The New Executives Fund is an initiative of the Open Society Fellowship that aims to support newly appointed executive directors and chief executive officers. The full list of recipients can be found on the OSF website. The recipients represent a wide array of organizations focused on open society concerns, including but not limited to harm reduction, refugee and asylum rights, arts education, and independent journalism.