OUR STRATEGIC PLAN:
At the Kamvalethu Foundation, we do things a little differently and here’s why…
South Africa is faced with many complex social issues which cannot be solved in isolation. We have brought people together in the corporate and NPO spaces to try and find collaborative solutions. We believe that by using our sustainable dividend income model, we can contribute to change in a key strategic area: Early Childhood Development (ECD).
We are committed to understanding and implementing best practice in the work that we do and believe that the business and project partner relationship is equal.
We both need and serve each other. We journey with a small group of project partners and rely on referrals that are directly related to our strategy.
We Believe That...
Early Childhood Development is a critical area of investment for societies to make.
Partnership and collaboration are the only way to achieve sustainable development.
we neeD to measure our outcomes to ensure that our interventions remain relevant.
OUTCOME-BASED FUNDING
We determined early on that we wanted to keep our operations lean and flexible, and to distribute most of our funds to project partners.
We had been providing funding on a project basis, but were finding that as soon as a partner had received the funding, reporting was no longer a priority and it was a struggle to obtain information.
We wanted to move towards unrestricted funding, to free our partners up to utilise funds where they were most needed
We fundamentally believe that the organisations with whom we partner must be the experts in implementation. Our role is to draw alongside our partners, to assist them in achieving the required outcomes and to provide an external strategic sounding board.
We wanted to work towards more effective collaboration. Many people talk about partnership and collaboration, but we have heard of very few success stories.
STEPS IN OUR FUNDING PROCESS
APPLICATION PROCESS
We have a phased application process to ensure that we align with project partners in selection criteria, vision, strategy, and potential funding gaps. This process is a two-way street and we encourage potential partners to question our approach, answering any questions on values and reporting.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)
The most important step in the process is setting up the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). We complete a comprehensive MOU with all of our project partners, which includes:
• Our funding agreement and timeline
• Our communication plan
• The project schedule
• A risk management plan
• The outcomes (2 to 3 max) with related targets and evidence markers
It is critical that the outcomes, targets and evidence markers are well defined, as these will be used to determine whether an outcome has been achieved, or if it is on track to being achieved. It is not our intention to be punitive in our approach.
FUNDING AND REPORTING
Project partners complete two feedback reports in a 12-month cycle. Reporting is central to the funding process, as the achievement of the outcomes is directly related to funding received. Our funding is done in three tranches:
• Half of the financial commitment is transferred on signing the MOU
• Upon analysis of the mid- year report, the second half of the funding is released
• (Bonus) – If outcomes are exceeded, partners qualify for a bonus (roughly 10% of the grant) at the end of the year
It is critical that the outcomes, targets and evidence markers are well defined, as these will be used to determine whether an outcome has been achieved, or if it is on track to being achieved. It is not our intention to be punitive in our approach.