In many ways, the Segal Family Foundation is an anomaly within the world of philanthropy.
For one thing, it’s one of the few U.S.-based funders to give the bulk of its grants internationally rather than domestically. And unlike major international funders such as the Ford Foundation, which focus on a broad range of regions, the Segal Family Foundation’s grantmaking is narrowly concentrated on sub-Saharan Africa, where it has become a top funder.
Though its grants are relatively small, Segal focuses on volume. It trails only the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in terms of the number of grants given to sub-Saharan Africa. That’s especially notable considering that Segal employs only about 20 people compared to nearly 2,000 at Gates.