Connection, insight, and shared purpose: Highlights from Small Foundation’s 2026 Partner Gathering

For two days early last month, Small Foundation’s 2026 Partner Gathering brought together over 100 participants from across our ecosystem. We are grateful to have been able to convene our partners, from banks and funds to networks and research institutions, as well as peer funders, members of our Board, and our entire executive team.

This year’s gathering had a special focus on our networks practice. It was defined by a strong sense of shared purpose and openness, withs one person reflecting, “The energy in the room was open and honest, with everyone thinking about collaboration.”

A convening grounded in values and collaboration

Throughout the gathering, the importance of knowing and holding to our values, building trust, and developing relationships were key themes that we noted enable meaningful impact. “Values underpin resilience because they enable us to persevere in pursuit of the bigger picture,” a participant shared.

Discussions around resilient leadership were particularly engaging. Openness translated into tangible outcomes. Attendees left with new connections and concrete actions or opportunities for collaboration, in addition to new insights.

Key insights

Throughout the two days, we held sessions around sector challenges in finance, technical assistance, coordination, policy and operating environment.

• • Discussions delved deep into how we understand impact. Participants unpacked the ways in which impact emerges from within systems, through the interaction of people, capital, and relationships over time. We can advance our understanding of impact by looking at the system level, moving beyond project-specific impact measurement.
  • Discussions about systems change revealed new ways that we and peer funders can work closely with local funders, leaders, investors and innovators to achieve relevant, resilient and long-term impact.
  • Conversations about SME finance ecosystems explored the tension that the constraints are not strictly capital, but system design, including misaligned incentives, weak infrastructure, and under-activated networks.
  • We noted that there is ‘invisible infrastructure’ such as leadership, data systems, and relational work that are critical but under-appreciated.
  • Networks themselves are a core engine of impact, requiring intentional coordination and ongoing engagement to unlock systemic change.

These conversations underscored a shift from engaging with isolated interventions toward strengthening the systems that enable sustainable change

The power of self-organised sessions

For the first time, the gathering included Unconference sessions, and these created space for participant-led dialogue and deeper exploration of shared challenges. Feedback consistently pointed to the richness of these conversations and the authenticity of the connections formed.

A Rapid Coordination session, focused on how individuals can support each other’s work, was highly valued as well. We experimented with facilitating this coordination via an online tool, which helped to capture asks and offers for longer-term.

Participants valued the lack of formal presentations and panels, enabling everyone to engage in meaningful, peer-driven exchange.

With this year’s gathering emphasising  Small Foundation’s network practice, a dedicated session explored shared perspectives on impact and how to communicate the value of networks. Building on this, participants will lead upcoming sessions focused on best practices in network governance, decision-making, legal structures, and management tools. These conversations continue to build on Small Foundation’s belief that networks are an effective and efficient means for creating systemic change.

Strong response and continued momentum

Feedback from the gathering was overwhelmingly positive. The intentional sessions, the time to connect and the space to dive deep were all appreciated.

Participants consistently highlighted the quality of connections, diversity of perspectives, and depth of discussion. Many reported leaving with concrete next steps, new partnerships, and renewed clarity on how to collaborate more effectively within the ecosystem.

Feedback also pointed to opportunities for refinement, including opting for simpler sessions and allowing even more time for going deeper into technical discussions.

The 2026 Partner Gathering reaffirmed the importance of bringing together diverse actors with a shared commitment to impact, and the role that intentional, well-designed convening plays in strengthening the systems that support rural-impacting businesses. We are grateful to all who participated and we would also like to take this opportunity to warmly thank:

• • Carri Munn, Nono Sekhoto and Oggy Nduka at Circle Generation
  • Sam Whelan-Curtin, Anthony Odamo and Vincent Owino on photography and videography
  • Alice Chapple at Impact Value, who supported our knowledge capture
  • Shamba Events for hosting us