Capacity Building for Development

About this grant

According to the international comparative study of the nonprofit sector by Johns Hopkins University published in 2002, there are nearly 99,000 nonprofit organizations in South Africa, with 640,000 full-time workers. However, the study also found that while the nonprofit sector was large and vibrant, less than half of the organizations received adequate funding. Fifty-three percent of those nonprofits were less formalized, community-based rural organizations mostly led by black women. These organizations play a crucial role in poverty alleviation and were very effective in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic at the local level, but received virtually no funding.Multiyear funding will support the development of a cost-effective, nationally accredited training and capacity-building course for community-based workers. The goal of the course is to help women leaders develop competency in leadership, project planning, financial management, resource mobilization, and monitoring and evaluation.The Sustainability Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides educational programs focusing on sustainability issues.