Our Projects
Advancing Opportunity Through Collaboration and Partnership
South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges are too complex for any single organisation to solve alone. As Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, we believe that lasting impact depends on collaboration, bringing together the right partners, resources, and expertise around a shared purpose.
This is reflected in the projects and programmes we drive directly, as well as the partnerships we choose to align ourselves with because they speak to our values and mandate.
Our own initiatives, the Sinika Project and the Thari Programme, are designed to create tangible opportunities for learners, entrepreneurs, women, and communities across the country.
Beyond our own initiatives, we are proud to participate in FLOAT, an initiative dedicated to enhancing literacy and numeracy for Grades R–3 in South Africa, and to be signatories to the IPASA Climate Change Pledge, a pioneering commitment helping local funders integrate climate action into their core missions. Together, these partnerships reflect our commitment to working alongside others who share our vision for a more equitable and sustainable South Africa.
Project
Thari Programme
The Thari Programme supports women and children affected by domestic violence by strengthening shelters, supporting child-focused services and expanding community awareness initiatives.
Working with partner organisations and shelters across South Africa, the programme helps create safer environments for survivors while providing psychosocial support, education and pathways toward long-term stability.
Impact highlights include:
Children registered with the Thari Programme
Safe Park support services delivered to vulnerable children
People reached through awareness campaigns
Family members benefiting indirectly from programme support
Impact figures as at 31 May 2026
Through these initiatives, the Thari Programme helps protect vulnerable children, strengthen families and build safer communities.
Project
Sinika
Sinika is a staff led giving initiative at Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation. It brings employees together to create meaningful change in communities.
Driving this effort is the Sinika Committee, a dedicated group of staff members who identify, plan and support giving projects. Their work ensures that every contribution is directed where it can make a real difference. Through these collective efforts, Sinika has reached over 500 beneficiaries. Achievements include building jungle gyms at 12 early childhood development centres, hosting educational workshops on health, sanitation and sexuality education, and establishing a food garden at a school in Alexandra.
Each month, a minimum of R50 is deducted from staff members’ salaries; these contributions go directly to the projects delivered under Sinika.
Through this initiative, staff also qualify for a Section 18A certificate, allowing them not only to make a lasting difference in the lives of others but also to receive a potential tax benefit.
Project
Climate Pledge
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation has signed the South African Climate Philanthropy Pledge, joining a growing coalition of funders committed to addressing the urgent climate crisis through more intentional, climate-focused giving. This collective effort, coordinated by the Independent Philanthropy Association of South Africa (IPASA), represents the first climate philanthropy pledge on the African continent and the 10th globally, marking a bold step forward in advancing local solutions to a global challenge.
The pledge outlines eight key commitments, including integrating climate considerations into philanthropic strategies, educating stakeholders on climate intersections, investing responsibly, and advocating for climate resilience, especially within the South African context. IPASA will support signatories with an implementation framework, translating these ambitions into real-world impact.
But for the Foundation, climate action is not a new conversation. It is an evolving journey. For over two decades, Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation has worked to foster inclusive and empowered communities through education and small business development. As climate change increasingly affects the very communities the Foundation serves, whether through floods, drought, or rising food insecurity, the Foundation has expanded its lens to include climate resilience as part of its broader development mission.
While climate change is not the Foundation’s core mandate, it is already embedded in many of its initiatives. Through Adopt-a-School Foundation, the Foundation is delivering climate-smart infrastructure such as solar-powered boreholes, waterless sanitation systems, and eco-classroom designs, transforming under-resourced schools into resilient learning spaces. Through Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET), the Foundation supports 49 students in environmental science, engineering, and agriculture, while also training youth and women in sustainable farming through the Green Earth Organic Farming Project. Through Black Umbrellas, the Foundation helps climate conscious entrepreneurs scale, including Tevin Memla whose renewable energy training business grew from one employee to 18, equipping youth with green skills for South Africa’s just energy transition.
The Foundation’s climate journey is rooted in its belief that true transformation lies in empowering people to shape their own futures. Whether through a solar-powered school, a green skills workshop, or a university scholarship in environmental science, each intervention is a building block toward a more just and sustainable society. By signing the Climate Philanthropy Pledge, the Foundation reaffirms its commitment to working collaboratively, investing wisely, and deepening its impact in response to South Africa’s climate realities.
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Climate project entities
Project
Float
South Africa continues to face a serious crisis in foundational education. The latest PIRLS report revealed that 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, while 63% of Grade 5 learners lack basic numeracy skills. These figures are more than statistics. They are a clear call to action.
This is why Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation is proud to be part of the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Donor Collaboration Group. The Foundation serves on the steering committee of this unique multi-donor partnership, which brings together 15 organisations working in education. The collaboration aims to implement large-scale foundational literacy and numeracy programmes over a period of three to five years in partnership with provincial governments.
Through this initiative, the Foundation is contributing towards improving foundational learning outcomes at scale across South Africa.
With a long-standing track record in education, Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation recognises that no single organisation can address these challenges alone. This collaborative approach creates an opportunity for funders to pool resources, share risk, and learn from one another’s expertise and experience. Through partnership and collective action, the Foundation believes meaningful and lasting impact can be achieved.
More info: Zenex Foundation | Trialogue Knowledge Hub | IPASA
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Join Us in Strengthening Impact
With over two decades of programme development, strong governance, and established implementation partners, Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation offers a credible platform for collaborative development.
If you are a donor institution, government department, civil society organisation, or corporate partner seeking measurable and sustainable outcomes, we invite you to connect with us.
