Guidelines for Applicant Organisations

How does Kgolo decide what to support?
  • The applicant organisation must be operating within the media industry in South Africa, and must be run by PDI and benefiting PDI's, of whom 50% must be female.
  • It must be secular organisation (i.e., not religion-related, or a political party)
  • It must be non-governmental
  • It must have good organisational capacity
  • It must show professional quality in its field of work
  • It must be output and results-driven
  • It must have a sound financial plan

The maximum funding per organisation per annum given to any successful applicant organisation is R20,000. Any applications exceeding this amount will be assessed on a case by case basis. The trust reserves the right to visit the premises of the applicant organisation to assess appropriateness of funding and legitimacy of organisation, before funding is made.

For each purchase exceeding a value of R3,000, three competitive quotations shall be obtained from reputable vendors in the area of operation. The trust shall review the quotations and appoint a vendor to supply the goods. The trust shall deposit payment directly into the bank account of the successful vendor. The trust reserves the right to appoint another vendor if the quotations submitted are deemed to be uncompetitive or obtained from vendors with questionable reputation.

The trust reserves the right to select the most appropriate training program for any applicant organisation.

How does Kgolo monitor funded organisations?
Within the first 6 months of the funding, the managing trustee or an evaluator appointed by the trust will visit the recipient on site, reviews periodic financial and narrative reports, shares them with other trustees occasionally with a lawyer, auditor for review. The grantee may be asked to attend meetings the trust convenes to discuss current and future program strategy. Monitoring is designed to ensure that the funds or assets purchased by these funds are used for approved and lawful purposes, and to see whether the funding is contributing to progress toward media related projects within previously disadvantaged communities

Kgolo also helps with the creation of Web sites for the exchange of ideas.

Funding to Organizations
Before a request is made for funding, a brief letter of inquiry is advisable to determine whether the trust's present interests and funds permit consideration of the request.

The letter should include:

  • The purpose of the project for which funding is being requested
  • Problems and issues the proposed project will address
  • Information about the organisation conducting the project
  • Estimated overall budget for the project
  • Qualifications of those who will be engaged in the project

After receiving the letter, the trustees may ask the applicant organisations to submit a formal proposal. There is no grant application form. The proposal should include:

  • The organization's current budget
  • A description of the proposed work and how it will be conducted
  • A description of how the proposed work will benefit PDI's
  • The names and curricula vitae of those engaged in the project (including certified copies of South African ID Books)
  • Up to 2 years financial information (balance sheet and income statement)
  • A detailed project budget
  • Present means of support and status of applications to other funding sources
  • Legal and tax status

In some instances, the trust requires the applicant organisation to match the trust's funding with funds from other sources. The opportunities that prospective applicant organizations provide for black women and other previously disadvantaged groups are considered in evaluating proposals.

Applications are considered throughout the year, provided the trust has sufficient available funds. Normally applicants may expect to receive within six weeks an indication of whether their proposals are within the trust's objectives and budget limitations. If the proposal is being considered for funding, the approval process is generally completed within two months.

Please note:

  1. Funding to individuals will only be made in exceptional cases and at the discretion of the trustees.
  2. The trust does not give cash grants to individuals or organisations, funding is in the form assistance with the purchase of fixed assets, mentoring and training for applicant organisations.

Download in pdf format:
Scorecard: Bursary applications [64kb]
Scorecard: Applications [63kb]