When you talk to Gauthier, you immediately sense his passion. Through his organization, Karibu , he is committed to promoting equal opportunities for children. “We provide a wide range of after-school activities to a huge number of schools—and, by extension, to children. It’s really all about talent development: giving children the chance to try new things. We focus our efforts primarily on neighborhoods where access is more limited and opportunities are fewer.”
Still, that’s not always easy. In the social sector, securing funding is often complex and time-consuming. “It’s a slow process, and you have to know the ropes.” “Thanks to 2MakeItHappen, we have more time to do what we do best: ensuring that every child, no matter where they come from, can discover what they’re good at.”
The partnership with 2MakeItHappen
Gauthier came into contact with 2MakeItHappen through a joint project in Rotterdam. “We got in touch through the Halt Foundation. They suggested that 2MakeItHappen might be a good fit for us. And they were right. They’ve been a huge help.”
One of the first projects was the SLIM grant, which focuses on learning and development within organizations. “That grant is intended to empower colleagues through training or innovation. We use it to strengthen our workforce. It’s great that it’s just taken care of.”
What stands out most to him is the convenience. “They literally take all the work off our hands. Everything involved in applying for, submitting, and following up on grants—they handle it all. That allows us to focus on what we do. “They’re really an extension of our organization.”
New Steps: Thinking on a European Scale
With the help of 2MakeItHappen, Karibu is now confident enough to take bigger steps. “We’ve just submitted our first European application. That’s much more difficult and time-consuming, but thanks to them, we’re making it work. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say it’s 90 percent 2MakeItHappen and 10 percent me. Maybe even 95 percent.”
He laughs: “That says it all, doesn’t it?”
Trust and realism
Working with 2MakeItHappen gives Gauthier a sense of peace of mind. “They take a huge amount of work off my hands. That allows me to focus on what matters to me.”
He smiles: “If I were to spend 40 hours on a grant application, I’d be better off investing 10 hours in 2MakeItHappen. The result is better, and the chances of success are higher.”
When asked to sum up the collaboration in three words, he doesn’t have to think twice:
