Community Chest’s annual assessments are complete and the NPO Impact Partners and grant allocations have been confirmed for the 2022/2023 financial year. 98 NPO Impact Partners will be supported by Community Chest, which is eight more than the 2021/2022 year. There were 15 new applications and five organisations that did not reapply.
The reason for an NPO Impact Partner falling away is twofold – either they have not complied with the due diligence process laid out by Community Chest or they are now self-sufficient with a reliable source of funds and no longer need our support. As our vision is to empower and enhance, NPOs becoming self-sufficient is the ultimate goal as it allows us to focus on other areas of need and growth.
According to Community Chest director, Gordon McDonald, we did expect more applications as a result of the aftermath of COVID and the riots. “Fortunately, we have been able to increase our annual funding allocation from R11 473 908 to R14 013 600 which has enabled us to accommodate the additional eight NPOs,’’ explains Gordon.
“Sadly, the KZN floods will increase the financial, infrastructure and manpower pressures on these NPOs and we will need to work hard to raise funds through corporate and individual appeals, and our campaigns such as Day of Caring and the Comrades Superheroes Race4Charity,’’ concludes Gordon.
The R14 013 600 is divided amongst the following fields of service according to the percentage specified:
Child Protection Services - 23.9%
Independent Children’s Homes – 19.6%
Street Children’s Shelters – 0.9%
Abused Women & Children – 1.5%
Early Childhood Development – 8.1%
Special Needs – 5.5%
Disabled– 7.7%
Elderly– 8.6%
Job Creation – 0.5%
Substance Abuse – 2.9%
Child Assessment – 4.5%
Chronic Illness / AIDS Organisations – 11.3%
Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation – 0.8%
Youth Work – 1.9%
STEM – 2.1%
For the first time, funds have been allocated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). R300 240 will be divided between three NPOs that focus on developing skills that are not only needed to help youth become more employable but addresses the shortage of these skills in South Africa. These three NPO Impact Partners are Numeric, PROTEC and Innovate Durban.
According to Numeric, only 2% to 3% of children finish matric with a solid understanding of mathematics and the skills required to access tertiary studies in Maths and Science.
Numeric’s approach solves this problem through a two-prong approach - by focusing on Grade 7 learners through running after-school Maths classes as well as taking pre-service teachers through a year- long teaching internship. These programmes are implemented in low-income areas with the view of establishing strong mathematics foundations for scholars and creating passionate teachers for the public school system.
Founded in 2011, Numeric partners with 45 schools, has 98 active coaches and have impacted 2 400 learners. Community Chest Durban shares Numeric’s ethos of building communities by adding value to its people.
PROTEC (Programme for Technological Careers)is an independent, non-profit organisation that provides holistic, high-quality education and career support programme development in the fields of Mathematics, Science, Technology, and English, as well as work and life skills training. They also run an impactful teacher support programme in many of their programme's feeder schools. They focus on improved learner performance, enhanced teaching quality and increased career access and success.
Established in 1982 by a group of concerned engineers from the South African Institute of Civil Engineers, PROTEC runs an excellent programme for disadvantaged learners that has the potential to change the course of their lives.
In 2020, Innovate Durban established the first township innovation centre, known as The Innovation Co-Lab, in Cato Manor. The Co-Lab aims to provide access to innovation-related tools, information and resources. It is designed to empower people to become more innovative in problem-solving, create opportunities for new businesses, create jobs, and tackle social issues in their community.
Community Chest is proud to partner with Innovate Durban in connecting those in need with real opportunity, by providing practical tools, training, access to resources and support for self-improvement, business start-ups and community-building and upliftment.