We seek to build high-trust nations by fostering cultures of integrity. We believe that governments are the most powerful forces in determining a country's well-being. We promote cultures of integrity through good governance and smart policies for national governments.

To cultivate cultures of integrity, we engage in three areas of work:

1. We work with reform-minded governments and civil society groups to adopt and implement commitments that advance cultures of integrity;
2. We work with and through International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to advance cultures of integrity;
3. We launch and support our own network of organizations and initiatives to build strong and well-governed nations.

The Chandler Foundation partners with reform-minded governments in Sub-Saharan Africa to build cultures of integrity as a foundational step toward better governance.

The Chandler Foundation works to build strong and prosperous nations through partnering with national leaders on governance and justice programmes. Our approach is to inspire, support, and empower government leaders to build cultures of integrity. An effective government must have the integrity, skills, and capabilities to implement policies, deliver public services efficiently, and respond to the needs and aspirations of its citizens.

Building Cultures of Integrity includes but goes beyond adopting and following laws and regulations. It involves building institutional cultures of integrity one at a time, as well as a societal commitment to ethical values and moral principles that shape behavioral norms. This includes promoting honesty, transparency, accountability, fairness, and impartiality, recognizing that these values underpin effective governance, fair marketplaces, and healthy communities.

In Malawi, we work with the Office of President and Cabinet as well as civil society organizations to develop and implement a National Action Plan on open government that advances cultures of integrity and good governance. Our partners include government bodies such as the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau, Malawi Law Commission, Ministry of Justice, Parliament of Malawi, Registrar of Political Parties, Malawi Human Rights Commission, Department of EGovernment, Ministry of Mining, Malawi Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Malawi Office of the Ombudsman, and Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.

In Zambia, we work with multiple government bodies and an alliance of civil society organizations to prepare for Zambia’s joining of the Open Government Partnership and the development of a related National Action Plan to advance cultures of integrity and good governance. Our government partners include the Ministry of Justice, Anti-Corruption Commission, National Prosecuting Authority, and Cabinet Office.

The Chandler Foundation also partners with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to elevate and advance cultures of integrity and good governance. IFIs possess the influence and resources to help governments accelerate cultures of integrity and other good governance reforms.

For example, we are founding donors to the World Bank Governance & Institutions Umbrella Program, along with Hewlett Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. Through this partnership with the World Bank we were able to align Malawi’s open government commitment on beneficial ownership transparency with World Bank funding so that the government received a US$ 6.5 million grant to implement the reform.  

We are working with civil society partners to develop local assessments for monitoring governments’ progress on the IMF’s Governance Diagnostic recommendations.

The Chandler Foundation also partners with bilateral agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We joined with Amazon and BHP Foundation to support the first Countering Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge for Development, focused on powering a just energy transition.   We also collaborate with USAID’s Democracy Delivers initiative to spotlight cultures of integrity developments in Malawi and Zambia.