Ethos

Invested Philanthropy

On the impact that matters to us, we seek meaningful, long-term solutions by working with partners who are equally committed to making a real difference. As a philanthropic partner, we aim to be thoughtful, transparent, and supportive throughout the partnership journey. Our approach to impact and partnerships is reflected in how we work: with a strong focus on impact alignment, systems thinking, sustainability, and true partnership. Our partners recognise our approach as ‘invested philanthropy1, a grantmaking craft we keep honing!

Effective partnerships thrive on shared goals and aligned vision yet remain dynamic. Octava embraces continuous learning while holding out for data-informed schemas, adapting its strategies to maximize impact while staying responsive to evolving needs.

We envision operating at a level below systems change – we seek alternative propositions within micro-systems. These can include families, classrooms, community programs—spaces where outcomes and impact are targeted at direct relationships, behaviors and practices. Systems thinking informs the way we offer our funds as risk capital to models that provide the system with an alternative way of doing things.

We believe that funding alone may not be enough to drive impact. ‘Driving’ impact requires strengthening both organizational capacity and programmatic effectiveness for partners to ensure sustainable growth and adaptability.

We want to be partners, not just funders and are committed to building a deep, collaborative relationship and giving our grantees the resources to access expert advice to grow and sustain their impact.

1 We commissioned our partners at Research for Impact (RFI) to undertake this partnership survey in 2024, where grantee partners identified Octava’s partnership beliefs and working style. The RFI team coined this approach broadly as ‘invested philanthropy’.