Introduction
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation is a South African nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, communicating and extending the values and legacy of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu and Nomalizo Leah Tutu.
Founded in 2011, the Foundation is the official legacy organization of Archbishop Tutu and his lifelong partner, Leah Tutu. It uses their example of moral courage, justice, reconciliation, compassion and Ubuntu to inspire new generations of leaders and strengthen efforts to address discrimination, prejudice, conflict and social division.
Based in Cape Town, South Africa, the Foundation works through education, exhibitions, leadership development, dialogue, public advocacy, archival heritage and programs promoting societal healing.
Its principal areas of work include:
- Moral and ethical leadership.
- Peace and reconciliation.
- Human rights.
- Democracy and active citizenship.
- Youth leadership.
- Social justice.
- Anti-discrimination.
- Historical education.
- Dialogue and conflict resolution.
- Ubuntu and shared humanity.
- Heritage preservation.
- Public advocacy.
- Education for children and young people.
Rather than functioning primarily as a conventional grantmaking foundation, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation raises charitable resources to implement its own educational, leadership, advocacy and legacy programs.
For more information, visit the official Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation website.
History and Background
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation was established in 2011 to preserve and advance the values represented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Leah Tutu.
The organization emerged from decades of work by the Tutus in human rights, democracy, peacebuilding, reconciliation and social justice.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu became internationally recognized as one of the leading moral voices against apartheid in South Africa.
Born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, he became a teacher before entering the Anglican ministry and ultimately rising to senior leadership positions within the church.
His public leadership became increasingly prominent during the struggle against apartheid.
Important milestones in Desmond Tutu’s public life included:
- Serving as the first Black Anglican Dean of Johannesburg.
- Serving in leadership at the South African Council of Churches.
- Advocating internationally against apartheid.
- Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
- Becoming Archbishop of Cape Town.
- Serving as Chairperson of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- Campaigning for human rights, peace and justice internationally.
- Becoming the first Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.
Alongside him, Leah Tutu played an important role in social justice and community activism.
She championed improved working conditions for domestic workers and helped establish the South African Domestic Workers Association.
Together, Desmond and Leah Tutu became associated with a model of leadership based on courage, compassion, dignity, nonviolence and the African philosophy of Ubuntu.
From Peace Centre to Legacy Foundation
The Tutus’ institutional peacebuilding work predates the current Foundation.
The Desmond Tutu Peace Centre was launched in Cape Town in 2000 and developed programs promoting leadership and peace.
An Emerging Leadership Programme followed in 2003.
As Archbishop and Mrs Tutu increasingly withdrew from public life, preserving their intellectual, moral and historical legacy became more important.
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation was subsequently created as the institution responsible for carrying that legacy forward.
Following Archbishop Tutu’s death on 26 December 2021, the Foundation entered a new phase in which its responsibility shifted from working alongside the Arch to ensuring that his values and lessons remain relevant for future generations.
Mission and Purpose
The Foundation seeks to nurture the courage required to heal societies affected by:
- Discrimination.
- Prejudice.
- Conflict.
- Inequality.
- Injustice.
- Historical trauma.
- Social division.
Its broader purpose is to help nurture moral leadership and create opportunities for dialogue, reconciliation and social healing.
The organization uses the stories, archives, writings and public example of Desmond and Leah Tutu as tools for education and leadership development.
Its work is based on the idea that today’s major social challenges require more than technical solutions.
They also require leaders and citizens who demonstrate:
- Courage.
- Compassion.
- Integrity.
- Accountability.
- Empathy.
- Justice.
- Human dignity.
- Ethical leadership.
- Willingness to engage across differences.
Ubuntu and Shared Humanity
The African concept of Ubuntu is central to the Foundation’s work.
Ubuntu is often associated with the principle that human beings exist through their relationships with one another.
Archbishop Tutu frequently used Ubuntu to explain the interdependence of people and communities.
Within the Foundation’s programs, Ubuntu informs discussions about:
- Leadership.
- Justice.
- Reconciliation.
- Democracy.
- Community.
- Human dignity.
- Social responsibility.
This philosophy encourages participants to recognize that individual wellbeing and collective wellbeing are closely connected.
Governance and Structure
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation operates as a Non-Profit Company in South Africa and holds Public Benefit Organisation status for tax purposes.
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors responsible for strategic oversight, institutional sustainability and accountability.
Its governance model combines experience from:
- Civil society.
- Business.
- Finance.
- Human rights.
- Communications.
- Leadership.
- Social development.
Niclas Kjellström-Matseke serves as Chairperson of the Board.
He is a Swedish-South African business leader and investor with experience in sustainability, philanthropy and international development.
Other directors bring backgrounds in areas including finance, governance, communications, human rights and organizational leadership.
Executive Leadership
Janet Jobson serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
She joined the Foundation in 2022 after senior leadership experience in South African social development.
Her role includes leading the Foundation’s strategic direction and ensuring that the values represented by Desmond and Leah Tutu are translated into practical programs relevant to contemporary society.
The Foundation also maintains professional teams working across:
- Program development.
- Finance.
- Operations.
- Advocacy.
- Communications.
- Education.
- Leadership development.
- Advancement and fundraising.
- Heritage and exhibitions.
Funding and Financial Model
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation is primarily funded through charitable support rather than functioning as a traditional open-call grantmaking organization.
Funding sources include:
- Individual donations.
- Philanthropic contributions.
- Institutional funders.
- Corporate partners.
- International supporters.
- Fundraising campaigns.
- Program sponsorship.
- Tutu Legacy Fund contributions.
South African donors may be eligible to receive Section 18A tax certificates where applicable.
International supporters can also contribute through approved philanthropic mechanisms, including arrangements supporting U.S.-based tax-deductible donations.
Tutu Legacy Fund
The Tutu Legacy Fund was established to help secure Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s values and example for future generations.
The Fund provides financial support for work that keeps the Tutus’ legacy active rather than treating it solely as historical memory.
Its purpose includes supporting:
- Educational programs.
- Leadership programs.
- Exhibitions.
- Public dialogue.
- Youth engagement.
- Heritage preservation.
- Social healing initiatives.
A major fundraising campaign associated with the Fund was the 90@90 campaign.
The campaign sought to raise R90 million around Archbishop Tutu’s 90th year to strengthen the long-term sustainability of his legacy work.
Be the Light Campaign
The Foundation has also developed the Be the Light campaign to encourage supporters to help continue the values represented by Desmond and Leah Tutu.
Support for the campaign contributes to areas including:
- Learning from Legacy.
- Truth to Power exhibition.
- Courageous Conversations.
The campaign frames the Tutus’ legacy not simply as something to commemorate, but as a source of action for people confronting contemporary injustice, division and inequality.
Does the Tutu Legacy Foundation Provide Grants?
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation should primarily be understood as a program-operating and legacy organization, rather than a conventional grantmaking foundation.
Its website does not present a general, continuously open grants program for NGOs.
Instead, charitable resources are primarily used to finance the Foundation’s own:
- Educational programs.
- Leadership initiatives.
- Exhibitions.
- Advocacy activities.
- Dialogue platforms.
- Heritage work.
Organizations seeking financial support should therefore not assume that the Foundation accepts unsolicited grant proposals unless a specific partnership or funding opportunity is announced.
Major Programs and Initiatives
The Foundation organizes its programmatic work around three major pillars:
- Learning from Legacy.
- Advocacy for Societal Healing.
- Leading for Humanity.
These pillars translate the Tutus’ historical legacy into contemporary educational, leadership and social-change programs.
Learning from Legacy
Learning from Legacy uses the life, work and values of Desmond and Leah Tutu as educational tools.
The program engages:
- School students.
- Teachers.
- Young children.
- Families.
- Visitors.
- Community groups.
- Members of the public.
Its purpose is to help people understand South Africa’s history while encouraging them to reflect on contemporary questions of justice, democracy and personal responsibility.
The program uses stories of resistance, courage, reconciliation, hope and Ubuntu to encourage participants to consider their own capacity for social action.
Truth to Power Exhibition
One of the Foundation’s most important initiatives is the permanent exhibition Truth to Power: Desmond Tutu and the Churches in the Struggle Against Apartheid.
The exhibition is housed at the historic Old Granary building in Cape Town, which also serves as the Foundation’s home.
It was developed in partnership with the Apartheid Museum and opened to the public in 2022.
The exhibition explores Archbishop Tutu’s:
- Religious leadership.
- Anti-apartheid activism.
- Advocacy for sanctions.
- Human-rights work.
- Leadership during South Africa’s democratic transition.
- Role in reconciliation.
- International activism.
It also recognizes the essential role of Leah Tutu alongside her husband.
Purpose of Truth to Power
Truth to Power is intended to be more than a museum exhibition.
The Foundation uses it as a platform to encourage visitors—particularly young people—to think about:
- Ethical leadership.
- Courage.
- Democracy.
- Justice.
- Reconciliation.
- Active citizenship.
- Personal responsibility.
The exhibition asks visitors to consider how the moral courage associated with Archbishop Tutu can be applied to current social problems.
It therefore serves simultaneously as a:
- Heritage project.
- Educational resource.
- Leadership tool.
- Public-history initiative.
- Social-justice platform.
Schools Programme
The Foundation’s Schools Programme was launched in September 2022.
The program integrates themes from the Truth to Power exhibition with the South African school curriculum.
Learners explore subjects including:
- Oppression and resistance.
- Apartheid history.
- Justice.
- Democracy.
- Active citizenship.
- Leadership.
- Human rights.
The objective is not merely to teach historical facts.
Students are encouraged to think critically about their own agency and their ability to respond to injustice.
The Foundation serves thousands of school learners through educational engagement associated with this program.
TUTUtots
The Foundation also reaches younger children through TUTUtots.
This early-childhood initiative introduces key ideas associated with Archbishop Tutu through age-appropriate stories and creative activities.
The program draws inspiration from children’s books and stories connected to Tutu’s belief in:
- Kindness.
- Difference.
- Friendship.
- Love.
- Shared humanity.
The aim is to introduce values such as empathy, inclusion and Ubuntu from an early age.
Leading for Humanity
The Leading for Humanity program focuses on developing a new generation of values-driven leaders.
The program nurtures and trains aspiring leaders to make decisions and take action based on:
- Inclusion.
- Humanity.
- Courage.
- Compassion.
- Justice.
- Ethical responsibility.
Its central principle is that societal repair is connected with personal reflection and development.
Participants are therefore encouraged to examine both their internal lives and the external systems they hope to change.
Leading for Humanity Leadership Programme
The Foundation runs an immersive leadership program bringing together diverse emerging leaders from different sectors and backgrounds.
The program combines:
- Residential learning.
- Online engagement.
- Peer-to-peer exchange.
- Storytelling.
- Personal reflection.
- Courageous conversations.
- Leadership practice.
- Access to thought leaders.
The program works from the principle that leaders seeking to improve society must also engage in meaningful self-reflection.
Participants explore questions around:
- Identity.
- Power.
- Responsibility.
- Courage.
- Purpose.
- Humanity.
- Social change.
2025 Leading for Humanity Cohort
The 2025 cohort represented the third cohort of the Leading for Humanity Leadership Programme.
Participants included individuals from a diverse range of professional and social backgrounds.
The program primarily engages emerging leaders in the approximate 25–40 age range, although individual program requirements may change.
The 2025 program included an intensive eight-day residential component.
Its South African and Pan-African orientation also attracts participants from elsewhere on the African continent.
Courageous Leadership Course
The Foundation also offers a Courageous Leadership Course under its Leading for Humanity work.
The initiative develops practical understanding of leadership inspired by values associated with Desmond and Leah Tutu.
Themes may include:
- Moral courage.
- Ethical decision-making.
- Empathy.
- Accountability.
- Human dignity.
- Difficult conversations.
- Values-based action.
The course extends the Foundation’s leadership methodology beyond its intensive cohort-based program.
TUTUtalks
TUTUtalks creates opportunities for discussion around important leadership and social issues.
These conversations help connect the historical lessons of Archbishop Tutu’s life with contemporary challenges.
Topics can involve:
- Leadership.
- Democracy.
- Justice.
- Reconciliation.
- Social cohesion.
- Human rights.
- Global conflict.
Public dialogue forms an important part of the Foundation’s effort to keep the Tutus’ values relevant rather than fixed in history.
Advocacy for Societal Healing
The Foundation’s Advocacy for Societal Healing work addresses social wounds created by conflict, discrimination, inequality and historical injustice.
Its approach recognizes that legal and political change does not automatically create reconciliation.
Societies may continue to struggle with:
- Trauma.
- Racism.
- Inequality.
- Polarization.
- Historical grievances.
- Distrust.
- Exclusion.
The Foundation therefore creates spaces for honest discussion and reflection.
Courageous Conversations
Courageous dialogue is an important tool within the Foundation’s societal-healing work.
The organization convenes conversations intended to allow people to engage difficult subjects without ignoring conflict or inequality.
These discussions are influenced by Archbishop Tutu’s experience leading South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Topics can include:
- Race.
- Reconciliation.
- Historical injustice.
- Gender.
- Social inequality.
- Democracy.
- Conflict.
- Human dignity.
The objective is not to avoid disagreement, but to create conditions in which difficult truths can be addressed constructively.
Truth and Reconciliation Legacy
Archbishop Tutu’s role as Chairperson of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) remains central to the Foundation’s identity.
The TRC was created after apartheid to examine gross human-rights violations and provide a national platform for victims and perpetrators to give testimony.
Its work became internationally influential in discussions around:
- Transitional justice.
- Reconciliation.
- Truth-telling.
- Restorative justice.
- Post-conflict healing.
The Foundation draws on this experience when engaging contemporary questions of societal repair.
Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture
The Foundation has also been associated with the Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture.
The lecture has brought internationally recognized leaders and thinkers into conversations about:
- Peace.
- Justice.
- Leadership.
- Human rights.
- Global cooperation.
Previous speakers have included prominent international leaders, activists and public figures.
The lecture extends Archbishop Tutu’s tradition of bringing moral perspectives into public debates about global challenges.
Archival and Heritage Work
Preserving historical material is another important component of the Foundation’s mission.
The Foundation curates and uses archival heritage connected with Desmond and Leah Tutu to support:
- Education.
- Exhibitions.
- Research.
- Public programs.
- Historical interpretation.
Archival material provides future generations with primary evidence of struggles involving:
- Apartheid.
- Human rights.
- Democracy.
- Reconciliation.
- Religious activism.
- Social justice.
Preserving these records helps ensure that the Tutus’ work remains accessible to researchers, educators and the broader public.
The Old Granary
The Foundation is based at the historic Old Granary in Cape Town.
The building has deep historical significance, including connections with South Africa’s colonial and slave history.
By transforming the site into a space for education, dialogue, exhibitions and social healing, the Foundation seeks to turn a building associated with difficult history into a place focused on:
- Learning.
- Memory.
- Justice.
- Hope.
- Reconciliation.
The Truth to Power exhibition forms a central part of this heritage environment.
Impact and Examples of Work
The Foundation’s impact is primarily generated through education, leadership development, public dialogue and preservation of the Tutus’ legacy.
Examples include:
- Thousands of school learners engaging with leadership and democracy education.
- Young leaders participating in intensive values-based leadership programs.
- Children learning principles of Ubuntu through age-appropriate programs.
- Public audiences accessing the Truth to Power exhibition.
- Dialogues addressing reconciliation and social division.
- Preservation and interpretation of historical archives.
- International engagement around ethical leadership.
Rather than measuring impact solely through grants distributed, the Foundation focuses on changing how people understand leadership and their own capacity to respond to injustice.
Impact on School Learners
School programming is one of the Foundation’s most direct forms of youth engagement.
Students visiting the Truth to Power exhibition learn about:
- South Africa’s apartheid history.
- Resistance.
- Democracy.
- Archbishop Tutu.
- Active citizenship.
Educational workshops encourage learners to connect history with contemporary issues.
This creates an opportunity to ask an important question: What does courageous citizenship look like today?
Impact Through Leadership Development
The Leading for Humanity program seeks to develop people capable of addressing complex challenges without losing sight of human dignity.
Participants do not focus only on conventional management or leadership techniques.
They are encouraged to engage with:
- Personal values.
- Social responsibility.
- Ethical tensions.
- Historical injustice.
- Relationships.
- Difficult conversations.
This model reflects the Foundation’s belief that effective leadership requires both technical capacity and moral courage.
Keeping Desmond Tutu’s Legacy Relevant
A major challenge for any legacy organization is preventing its work from becoming solely commemorative.
The Foundation therefore seeks to transform historical memory into contemporary action.
Archbishop Tutu’s legacy is applied to issues such as:
- Racism.
- Inequality.
- Global conflict.
- Democracy.
- Ethical leadership.
- Social polarization.
- Human rights.
The goal is for his example to function as a living resource for current and future generations.
Honouring Leah Tutu’s Contribution
The Foundation also emphasizes the contribution of Leah Tutu.
Her work included advocacy for domestic workers and support for stronger protections and working conditions for marginalized women.
The Foundation recognizes the Tutus as partners whose shared commitment to justice shaped their public contribution.
Programs and exhibitions therefore seek to avoid presenting Archbishop Tutu’s achievements in isolation from the family, relationships and communities that helped make his work possible.
Partnerships and Collaboration
The Foundation works with organizations across fields including:
- Education.
- Museums and heritage.
- Civil society.
- Philanthropy.
- Leadership development.
- Human rights.
- Research.
- Social justice.
One important partnership involved the Apartheid Museum, which helped curate the Truth to Power exhibition.
The Foundation also works with schools, universities, funders and community organizations to extend its educational and public impact.
Why the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Matters
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation occupies a distinctive place within South African civil society.
It combines:
- Historical preservation.
- Human-rights education.
- Leadership development.
- Reconciliation.
- Advocacy.
- Youth engagement.
- Public dialogue.
This model recognizes that the struggle for justice does not end when discriminatory laws are abolished.
Societies must continue addressing:
- Historical trauma.
- Inequality.
- Exclusion.
- Prejudice.
- Polarization.
- Failures of leadership.
The Foundation uses the Tutus’ lives as an example of how moral courage and compassion can coexist with strong opposition to injustice.
Relevance to NGOs and Civil Society
For NGOs, educators, youth organizations, peacebuilders and human-rights advocates, the Foundation offers useful models in areas such as:
- Moral leadership education.
- Reconciliation programming.
- Heritage-based learning.
- Youth leadership development.
- Dialogue facilitation.
- Peacebuilding.
- Human-rights advocacy.
Its experience demonstrates how historical legacy can be transformed into practical educational and social-change programming.
Conclusion
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation is the official legacy organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the values of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Nomalizo Leah Tutu.
Founded in 2011 and based at the historic Old Granary in Cape Town, the Foundation works to ensure that the Tutus’ commitment to justice, peace, reconciliation, democracy, compassion and Ubuntu continues to influence future generations.
Its work is organized around three major program areas:
- Learning from Legacy
- Advocacy for Societal Healing
- Leading for Humanity
Through initiatives such as the Truth to Power exhibition, Schools Programme, TUTUtots, Leading for Humanity Leadership Programme, Courageous Leadership Course and public dialogue activities, the Foundation turns historical memory into contemporary action.
Its funding comes principally from donations, philanthropic partnerships, campaigns and initiatives such as the Tutu Legacy Fund, rather than from a conventional model of distributing open-call grants to external NGOs.
By engaging school learners, young leaders, community members and global audiences, the Foundation seeks to cultivate a new generation prepared to challenge injustice while recognizing the humanity of others.
For more information, visit here.
