The Other Foundation is an African community foundation that advances the human rights, equality, freedom and wellbeing of LGBTI and gender-diverse people across Southern Africa. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, it works as a fundraiser, participatory grantmaker and movement-building organisation.
History and Background
The Other Foundation emerged from efforts to establish a sustainable regional fund supporting LGBTI organisations, activists and social-change initiatives in Southern Africa.
The Atlantic Philanthropies and Hivos supported its early development, while a regional Board of Trustees was established through a public nomination and selection process. Its first participatory grantmaking round concluded in April 2014, when the Foundation approved 32 grants across five Southern African countries, distributing approximately ZAR 3.1 million.
The Foundation was created to address the limited funding available for locally led LGBTI human rights work and to ensure that Southern African activists have a meaningful role in deciding how philanthropic resources are distributed.
Mission and Purpose
The Foundation’s primary purpose is to expand the resources available to defend and advance the:
- Equality and freedom of LGBTI people
- Social and economic inclusion
- Physical and emotional wellbeing
- Protection of human rights
- Development of sustainable LGBTI movements
- Acceptance of sexual and gender diversity
It supports work that challenges discrimination, violence, exclusion, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in laws, institutions, workplaces, families, communities and religious organisations.
Governance and Structure
The Other Foundation operates as an African trust governed by a regional Board of Trustees with experience in human rights, philanthropy, organisational development, law, research, activism and social justice.
The Board holds ultimate responsibility for grantmaking decisions, strategy, financial oversight and organisational accountability. The Chief Executive Officer and staff manage operations, fundraising, partnerships, research and grant administration under delegated authority.
The Foundation’s grantmaking model is participatory. Peer reviewers from eligible Southern African countries assess proposals and recommend projects for funding, while the Board makes the final grant decisions.
Funding and Grantmaking
The Other Foundation is a non-endowed community foundation. It raises money from private and public donor agencies, philanthropic institutions, businesses and individual supporters in Africa and internationally.
Funding is distributed to eligible individuals, informal groups and registered organisations working in:
- Angola
- Botswana
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Grants support work that advances or defends the freedom, equality, social inclusion and wellbeing of LGBTI and gender-diverse people. Grant allocations are made in South African rand.
Types of Grants
The Foundation offers different forms of financial support to meet the needs of individuals, emerging groups and established organisations.
Namaqualand Daisy Grants support individual activists, artists, researchers and other people developing relevant initiatives.
Honey Bee Grants support smaller or emerging organisations implementing projects or establishing their work.
Fish Eagle Grants support more established organisations seeking project funding or organisational support.
Mosu or Umbrella Tree Grants provide core support to anchor organisations working nationally or regionally.
The Foundation may also provide discretionary emergency grants, donor-advised grants and research funding. Unregistered groups may be eligible for some grant categories if they work through an approved fiscal sponsor.
Major Programmes and Initiatives
The Other Foundation funds and facilitates work in several priority areas, including:
- Legal and psychosocial assistance
- Human rights advocacy
- Strategic litigation
- Documentation of violations
- Organisational capacity building
- Public education
- Faith and religious inclusion
- Arts, culture and media
- Economic inclusion
- Health services
- Research and knowledge development
- Alliance and movement building
The Foundation has supported engagement between LGBTI organisations and faith communities to challenge religiously supported discrimination and promote more inclusive religious responses.
It has also developed partnerships with media organisations, businesses and civil society groups. These include support for journalism addressing LGBTI issues, online safety engagement and the development of networks promoting safe and equitable workplaces.
Research and Knowledge Development
Research is an important part of the Foundation’s movement-building work.
It has published nationally representative studies examining public attitudes toward homosexuality, gender diversity and social inclusion in Southern African countries.
Research publications include:
- Progressive Prudes, examining public attitudes in South Africa
- Open Arms, Closed Doors, focused on Botswana
- A House Divided, focused on Eswatini
- Fear and Fairness, focused on Mauritius
- Under Wraps, focused on Malawi
- Admission Reserved, examining changing attitudes in South Africa
These studies provide activists, policymakers, donors, researchers and civil society organisations with evidence about public attitudes and opportunities for social change.
Impact and Examples of Supported Work
The Foundation’s first participatory grantmaking round received 114 proposals and funded 32 projects worth approximately ZAR 3.1 million.
Supported initiatives included:
- LGBTI-inclusive religious education
- Film and cultural programmes
- Archives documenting LGBTI histories
- Transgender and gender-identity advocacy
- Strategic litigation
- Community organising
- Human rights documentation
- Health and psychosocial support
- Organisational development
Its participatory funding approach gives regional activists and community members a direct role in assessing proposals. Peer reviewers are selected to represent different countries, identities, professional skills and perspectives, helping make grant decisions more transparent and responsive to community priorities.
Conclusion
The Other Foundation is an important Southern African human rights funder supporting LGBTI and gender-diverse communities.
Through participatory grantmaking, fundraising, research, movement building and strategic partnerships, it directs resources toward locally led organisations and activists working for equality, safety, dignity and social inclusion.
Its community foundation model is particularly significant because it places people directly affected by discrimination at the centre of philanthropic decision-making and helps strengthen sustainable human rights movements across Southern Africa.
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