Commissioned by: Rootical and Purpose Foundation
Contract value: USD 2,000–3,000, all inclusive
Period: approximately November to December 2026, with active work concentrated in about one month.
Location: East Africa based
Applications to: Anna Maganga, talent@rootical.co.tz, until November 1st, 2026.
1. Background
Steward ownership is a family of ownership structures built on two principles:
Self-determination, meaning the company cannot become an object of speculation, and control stays with people closely connected to its mission, rather than with external capital;
Purpose orientation, meaning profits are a means to an end and serve the company’s mission, development, or charitable activities, rather than being extracted as private wealth by owners.
The model is well documented in Europe and North America and barely documented in East Africa. That does not mean nothing comparable exists. A recent Purpose Foundation report on Latin America began from the same starting point, found almost no companies that met the formal definition, and instead examined cooperatives, indigenous-led initiatives and a nonprofit-owned hospital – concluding that many of them were substantially steward owned in practice, without ever having used the vocabulary.
We want to develop the same for East Africa: a short, narrative publication that looks at existing East African organisations through the steward ownership lens.
Read more about steward ownership here, here and here.
2. Purpose of the assignment
To identify East African organisations whose ownership and/or governance carries elements of steward ownership, to research and interview a selected group of them, and to produce a first narrative draft that the commissioners will edit into the final publication.
The framing question is not "How many formally steward-owned companies exist in East Africa?" but rather "Which organisations have stories that illuminate steward ownership in practice?"
3. Scope of work
Task 1 – Selection criteria
Propose criteria for what makes a strong case for this publication: which features of ownership, governance, capital structure or founding intent we should be looking for, and what makes a story worth telling. Criteria to be validated with the commissioners before proceeding.
Task 2 – Longlist
Build a longlist of 10-15 East African organisations against those criteria, drawing on the consultant's own knowledge of the regional business context. For each entry, develop: a short description, ownership and governance structure as far as it is known, and one or two lines on what is interesting about it from a steward ownership perspective.
Candidate types include, but are not limited to: NGO-owned or foundation-owned businesses, cooperatives, community or indigenous-led enterprises, faith-linked institutions, and public or semi-public utilities.
Commercially operating businesses are of more interest than grant-dependent projects.
Task 3 – Shortlist and desk research
Agree a shortlist of four cases with the commissioners. Conduct desk research on each before interviewing, sufficient to produce case-specific interview questions rather than generic ones.
Two further cases held by the commissioners will be covered separately and are outside this scope.
Task 4 – Interviews
Arrange and conduct interviews with people running or closely involved in each shortlisted organisation, ideally at day-to-day and leadership level rather than communications staff. A Purpose Foundation representative may join interviews to help push for depth. Two to three interviews per case is a reasonable expectation, fewer where access is limited.
Task 5 – Narrative draft
Deliver one coherent narrative draft covering all four cases. Per case: the story of the organisation, how it came to be owned and governed the way it is, what has been difficult, and what has held. Followed by a short section reading the case through the steward ownership lens – which principles are in place, which are partial, which are absent.
Alongside interview transcriptions (where possible) and notes, this draft is source material.
The commissioners will rework it substantially into the final publication, and the consultant is not expected to produce publication-ready prose. Clear, factual, well-organised writing with the reporting done properly is what matters.
4. What this assignment is not
Not a legal or regulatory analysis. Separate legal work on steward ownership in Tanzania and Uganda already exists and will be referenced.
Not a proposal of legal structures for any organisation.
Not an exhaustive, country-by-country mapping.
5. Deliverables
Selection criteria, 1–2 pages (Week 1)
Longlist of 10–15 organisations with angles (Week 2)
Shortlist agreed, interview guides per case (Week 3)
Interviews completed, notes and/or transcripts shared (Week 5)
Narrative draft, approximately 8–12 pages (Week 6)
One round of revisions on commissioner feedback (Week 7)
6. Profile
Required:
Based in East Africa, with exceptional working knowledge of the business and civil society landscape in at least Uganda or Tanzania
Able to work independently and reach organisations through your own, strong networks
Demonstrated research and interview experience
Clear narrative writing in English; writing samples required
Desirable:
Familiarity with cooperative, NGO-owned or community-owned business models
Prior exposure to steward ownership, purpose trusts or alternative ownership models
Journalism, case study or impact storytelling background
A legal background is not required and is not the primary consideration.
7. Fee and terms
Total fee of USD 2,000–3,000 inclusive of all costs, including any travel and communications. Payment in two instalments: on acceptance of the longlist, and on acceptance of the final draft.
Interview subjects will be told the material is intended for a joint publication and will be given the chance to review how they are described. The publication will be released openly under the two commissioning organisations, with the consultant credited.
8. Reporting
The consultant reports to Hannes and Anna (Rootical) on contracting and process, and works with Lilly (Purpose Foundation) on editorial substance. Criteria and shortlist are both approval points.
9. How to apply
Please send:
A short proposal, maximum two pages, covering approach, any organisations you would immediately put on the longlist, and availability
CV or profile
Two writing samples
Confirmed fee within the stated range
Annexes to be supplied to the selected consultant
Purpose Foundation LATAM report (format and method reference)
Uganda and Tanzania steward ownership studies and practical guide
Introduction to steward ownership principles
Project brief
Submit to talent@rootical.co.tz until November 1st, 2026.
