Our Programmes
Advancing Development Through Specialised Entities
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation advances its mandate by establishing and funding dedicated development entities. Each operates with its own governance and leadership structures while aligning strategically with the Foundation’s mission and standards of accountability.
This model enables focused expertise, operational independence, and measurable long-term impact. The Foundation provides strategic oversight, funding support, and partnership development, ensuring that each entity is positioned to deliver sustainable and scalable outcomes.
Together, these entities address systemic challenges in education, youth development, entrepreneurship, and social cohesion across South Africa.
Programme
Adopt-a-School Foundation
Adopt-a-School implements a holistic Whole School Development model to strengthen under-resourced public schools. The model addresses governance, academic performance, leadership, infrastructure, learner well-being, and community engagement in an integrated way.
Working in partnership with government, private sector stakeholders, and communities, Adopt-a-School develops tailored action plans for each school, ensuring that interventions respond directly to local needs.
Programme Approach
Strategic development planning with school leadership
Infrastructure upgrades, including classrooms, sanitation, and libraries
Educator development and leadership training
Learner health support, including eyesight and hearing screenings
Community and social welfare initiatives that strengthen the broader school ecosystem
Impact highlights include:
Adopted schools across South Africa
Learners supported through education programmes
Educators developed through professional training initiatives
Eyesight tests conducted for learners
Learners provided with spectacles
SMEs supported through school infrastructure programmes
Temporary jobs created
Impact figures as at 31 May 2026
The model has contributed to sustained improvements in school performance and strengthened community ownership of education outcomes.
Programme
KST
KST is a collaborative education initiative between Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation and Kagiso Trust. It extends the Whole School Development model to achieve systemic improvement at district level.
Working in partnership with provincial education departments, KST aligns infrastructure upgrades, curriculum support, leadership development, and social services across multiple schools within a district.
Programme Approach
District-wide curriculum and academic performance support
School leadership and governance strengthening
Infrastructure development
Data-driven performance monitoring
Multi-stakeholder partnerships with government and private sector contributors
Impact highlights include:
Contributed to significant improvements in district matric performance
Districts previously ranked among the lowest nationally have achieved results above 90 percent in National Senior Certificate examinations
Expansion in partnership with the Anglo American School Advancement Programme to 110 additional schools across Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the Northern Cape
Impact figures as at 31 January 2026
By focusing on systemic district transformation, KST demonstrates how coordinated intervention can elevate outcomes across entire education systems.
Programme
Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust
The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust provides holistic support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursuing tertiary education.
Beyond financial assistance, the programme integrates mentorship, career guidance, psychosocial support, life skills development, and workplace exposure. The objective is not only graduation, but long-term professional success and leadership development.
Programme Approach
Financial assistance for university and vocational studies
Structured mentorship and life skills programmes
Career readiness and work exposure opportunities
Ongoing psychosocial and academic support
Impact highlights include:
Students supported since inception
Youth currently supported
Graduates who have completed their studies
Young people supported through additional skills development programmes
Eyesight test conducted
Eye spectacles provided
Tertiary Youth Supported by CRET Alumni
Impact figures as at 31 May 2026
CRET helps break cycles of intergenerational poverty by equipping young people with the tools to succeed academically and professionally.
Programme
Black Umbrellas
Black Umbrellas is an enterprise incubation organisation supporting 100 percent Black-owned small businesses. It provides structured incubation, mentorship, business development training, and access to procurement networks and funding opportunities.
The programme is designed to help entrepreneurs build competitive, sustainable enterprises that contribute to economic growth and job creation.
Programme Approach
Business incubation and mentorship
Skills development and enterprise training
Market access and procurement linkages
Access to networks and funding opportunities
Virtual incubation platforms to extend geographic reach
Impact highlights include:
Businesses since inception
Businesses supported in 2025/2026 FY
Businesses currently in BU programmes
%
Completion rate in 2025/26 FY
%
% of youth-owned businesses currently incubated
%
% of women-owned businesses currently incubated
Impact figures as at 31 May 2026
Black Umbrellas strengthens South Africa’s small business ecosystem by enabling entrepreneurs to formalise, grow, and compete effectively.
PARTNER WITH US
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.
