- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Special Initiatives
- Grant Amount $50,000
- Grant Period April 1, 2007–March 31, 2009
- Location Cape Town, South Africa
- Geographic Focus South Africa
About this grant
The Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust focuses on fostering debate and discussion, especially as this relates to the strengthening of civil society as a critical and independent voice in promoting democracy in South Africa. The sector’s preoccupation with leadership and succession issues, in addition to facing funding shortfalls, has unfortunately meant that not much debate or discussion is taking place on the challenges that it needs to confront as the country enters the second decade of its nonracial democracy. Mott’s prior grant to the Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust provided support for it to host talks on these critical issues, creating a space for policymakers, academics, civil society activists, and government officials to discuss and exchange ideas on the key questions relating to the building of democracy in South Africa and the role of civil society. The grant further supported the dissemination and publication of these talks and debates to ensure the involvement and participation of a wider and more diverse audience. This grant will continue to support the work, activities, and programs of the grantee, including an evaluation which will look at how effective it has been and the impact it is having.