The purpose of the Foundation is to make donations "to or for the benefit of any public benefit organisation approved by the Commissioner: South African Revenue Services in accordance with section 10(1)(cN) read together with section 30 of the Income Tax Act of 1962, as amended.”

A ‘public benefit organisation’ means any organisation of a public character which is a company formed and incorporated under section 21 of the Companies Act, 1973 (Act No. 61 of 1973), or a trust or an association of persons; and of which the sole object is subject to certain conditions, to carry on one or more public benefit activities in a non-profit manner in the Republic of South Africa.

In short, South African law entitles us to fund any of the following activities which, having regard to the needs, interests and well-being of the general public, have been determined by the Minister of Finance to be of a philanthropic or benevolent nature for the purposes of Section 30 of the Income Tax Act.

Within these fields, the Foundation directs its grantmaking to those areas that it identifies as being of interest. We currently make grants, on a selective basis, to:

• Higher education institutions with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on business education;
• medical education and training;
• cultural affairs and the performing arts;
• conservation and the environment; and
• human welfare with a particular focus on the poor and needy in the South African Jewish community.

General Notes:

All of the Foundation’s grantmaking has a South African focus. Whilst we do not fund organisations outside South Africa we do co-operate with international organisations that have an interest in the region. We recognise the importance of internationalisation and globalisation but, sadly, Southern Africa’s needs are such that even if we had infinitely more resources than we do local needs could never be met.

The Foundation is absolutely clear about its priorities so as to save prospective grantees from wasting their valuable time and scarce resources in preparing proposals for rejection.

We neither encourage nor generally consider unsolicited proposals. Should you feel compelled to ignore this reality, a short letter setting forth the need, the nature, and the amount of the request and the justification for it would, as a matter of courtesy, be considered. Applicants must recognise, however, that the Foundation is proactive and we have our own programmes and projects. We are not reactive and it is very rare that we make a grant in response to an unsolicited proposal, even if it falls within our defined areas of interest.

What we do not fund:

• We do not fund individuals, no matter how deserving. We cannot offer assistance to individuals for medical care, study, scholarships or fellowships even if their applications fall within our defined areas of interest.
• We do not fund the organisation of conferences, seminars or symposiums nor do we fund travel thereto or attendance thereof.
• We do not support fundraising events. Banquets, Golf Days, Dinners, Premieres and the like may be an excellent way for NGOs to raise funds from the general public and non-traditional donors but we do not participate in them.
• Similarly, we do not support centralised or generic fundraising or service organisations. Whilst we respect the work of Community Chests, Rotary, Round Table, Lion’s, Bnai Brith and the like, we feel that they should focus their efforts on the general public rather than tap into the relatively small pool of funds in South African foundations, whether corporate or private.
• We do not fund sports events, sporting facilities or sports clubs except for sports for the disabled.
• We do not fund adult literacy or numeracy training programmes.
• We do not fund organisations dealing with issues related to land or housing.
• We do not contribute to endowment funds.
• We do not make any loans nor do we fund micro-lenders.
• We do not assume the duties of the government. Whilst we co-operate with the state we believe that our grantmaking should be supplemental and enhance or add value to their expenditure. Consequently, we do not build schools or fund primary health care. Were we to do so we would, in effect, be paying secondary voluntary taxes and undermining the foundations of accountability upon which a functioning civil society rests.
• We are prepared to operate at the cutting edge and to consider pioneering projects that would, perhaps, be too risky for the government to fund with public money.
• The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa enshrines the world’s finest Bill of Rights. In terms of section 9(3) of the Constitution we would not support an organisation that unfairly discriminates, directly or indirectly, against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.