Common Purpose South Africa promotes effective leadership in complex and multicultural situations through leadership development programs. Its programs, offered in Johannesburg and Cape Town, include the Meridian, Matrix, Navigator, and International Navigator, and offer leadership development to established and emerging leaders. These programs aim to enhance better decisionmaking, more effective solutions to common problems, more engaged and active citizens, and to develop a new generation of leaders who lead beyond their authority. All the programs include participants from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Past support enabled Common Purpose to subsidize the participation of nonprofit sector leaders in its programs, who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost of the programs. This grant renewal will support the continued participation of nonprofit sector leaders in the leadership development programs offered by Common Purpose South Africa.

The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. It is largely rural, with high levels of unemployment resulting in migration to bigger cities for employment opportunities. Ikhala Trust works in poor communities of the Eastern Cape province to support small community-based initiatives through small grants and relevant training support. Over the last two years, the small grants program provided support to these communities for various issues including health promotion, home-based care support, and the promotion of entrepreneurial activities. This grant will continue to support poor communities in the Eastern Cape province to implement community development programs. The grantee will make an average of 25 grants per year to deserving organizations. The grantee will also train community-based organizations in the province and educate community members about their rights and how to access services from government departments.

This grant will provide partial support to the Youth Transition Funders Group, a project of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. This network of grantmakers was formed in 2001 to focus specifically on working to improve the transition of youth into adulthood as productive members of society. The group provides a forum for foundations to network and develop complementary grantmaking strategies to create opportunities for youth in transition. Key activities in 2010 will include supporting funder collaborations, increasing field collaborations, and raising awareness on cross-cutting issues.