SADC TFCA Financing Facility
Client
SADC TFCA Financing Facility — a regional grant-making and biodiversity financing initiative administered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (IUCN ESARO). The facility supports sustainable financing and capacity building for Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Project Overview
Brainsum’s objective was to design and launch the official SADC TFCA Financing Facility website, functioning as a dynamic information hub, resource repository, project showcase, and engagement platform for stakeholders including governments, NGOs, communities, and conservation partners.
The site supports:
- Program overview and objectives
- Funding mechanisms
- Project profiles
- News and calls for proposals
- Access to guidance and resources
This platform reinforces transparency, accessibility, and knowledge sharing for financing conservation across multiple countries.
Scope of Work
Design & Development
- User-centric layout aligned with IUCN & SADC branding
- Responsive, accessible interface suitable for low-bandwidth regions
- Intuitive navigation with clear sections for About, What We Do, Resources, News, and Contact
- Integration of image galleries, project content, and external links to grants portals and partner platforms
- SSL setup and secure hosting guidance
Content Management
- Built on a flexible Drupal 10 to enable easy updates
- Structured content types (projects, news, resources) using Paragraphs
- Search engine optimization (SEO) foundations
- XML sitemap generation for improved indexing
All deliverables were defined in the procurement terms and documented in the request for proposals.
Design Principles Applied
Accessibility First
- Compliance with accessibility standards
- Screen reader-friendly interface
- A design built for adapting quickly to new initiatives and communication goals from high levels within the organization.
Performance & Reliability
- Minimal design overhead for bandwidth efficiency
- Fast load times through optimized assets and caching
- Secure, encrypted browsing
Outcome & Impact
✔ Creating Positive Perception: The regional fund's purpose is to be "a tool for creating positive perceptions in the mind of the public/donor."
✔ A component-based page approach using the Drupal Paragraphs module provides editors with flexibility while maintaining visual coherence.
✔ Cost-efficient, yet reliable and resilient hosting for long-term financial sustainability: Cloudflare + Siteground.
✔ A professional, user-friendly web presence
✔ Improved stakeholder access to resources and updates
✔ Easier access and support for grant-making transparency
✔ Central hub for project impact communications
✔ Core Web Vitals: Excellent Performance, Accessibility and SEO scores on Lighthouse audit.
The platform now plays a key role in informing conservation actors, promoting grant opportunities, and documenting financed projects across multiple countries and partners. Brainsum is proud of this collaborative effort with the SADC TFCA FF and the work they are doing in their area.
