New Fund Director Appointed

A native of Côte d’Ivoire, Fanta is an accomplished international development professional with over 15 years of experience working to strengthen the resilience of poor and marginalized communities and to promote social justice. Fanta is passionate about creating a world where there are no limits to what women and girls can accomplish.

Fanta brings a wide range of skills, from grant management to donor relations, to the Girls First Fund. Her leadership will enable the fund to accelerate impact, bring more money to the issue of child marriage, and achieve its mission of ensuring that all girls have the opportunity to realize their full rights and potential.

“We are thrilled to have Fanta leading the Girls First Fund,” said Jody Myrum, Director of the NoVo Foundation’s Initiative to Advance Adolescent Girls’ Rights and chair of the Girls First Fund board committee. “Her fierce commitment, unwavering values, collaborative leadership style, and deep expertise will ensure that the fund supports and advances girl-centered and gender-transformative work taking place at the community level.”

Most recently, Fanta worked at the World Bank for 10 years, where she managed a $250 million portfolio of grants and technical assistance, managed a team of technical experts across various disciplines, and worked with partners to design, deliver, monitor, and evaluate social protection interventions.

“I am pleased to bring my skillset to the Girls First Fund team to aid in its efforts to support communities to end child marriage,” Fanta said. “I am impressed with the team’s success so far and am honored to lead them on their journey to help girls create better futures for themselves.”

Prior to the World Bank, Fanta worked as a program officer for the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and as a program officer for African Development Solutions, where she contributed to the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning of several projects.

“Fanta has a wonderful background and passion for supporting girls and community-based organizations,” said Doug Balfour, Geneva Global’s CEO. “Her rich experience makes her the perfect person to lead the Girls First Fund as we set out to co-create the fund’s strategy and approach with the fund members and grantees.”

The Girls First Fund is a philanthropic fund of Capital for Good USA, a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity with services provided by Geneva Global.

About the Girls First Fund

The Girls First Fund is a donor collaborative supported by the world’s leading philanthropic organizations that have come together to champion community-led efforts so that all girls can live free from child marriage and create their own future. The fund focuses on girls, families, and communities because they are in the best position to create lasting, local change and address the causes of child marriage at their roots.

About Capital for Good

Capital for Good USA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity that provides donors with an independent, transparent, and tax efficient platform to reach their philanthropic goals. Capital for Good USA forms pooled philanthropic funds, manages charitable initiatives, and operates programs in a variety of sectors, including social and economic welfare, education, disaster relief, health crisis response, and health advocacy.

About Geneva Global

Geneva Global is a philanthropic consulting company that fuses art and science to deliver performance philanthropy for its clients. The company provides a full range of advice and services to help individuals, foundations, corporations, and nonprofits in their social change initiatives. On behalf of its clients, Geneva Global’s work has directly benefited more than 100 million people through 2,000 projects in over 100 countries and influenced over $1 billion in giving.