Mission Statement
To be the leading corporate donor in South Africa, growing an informed understanding of the country's developmental challenges to apply the resources at its disposal to maximum effect in supporting and adding value to practical interventions creating new opportunity and addressing urgent social needs.
Headline Achievements
The Anglo Chairman's Fund is a dedicated instrument through which Anglo American Group companies channel their social investment giving in South Africa. It was renamed and formed as an independent entity, on 1 July 1998, following the termination of the Anglo American and De Beers Chairman's Fund (in existence since the early 1970s) as a result of the restructuring and changes within the companies. It is a registered tax-exempt entity governed by its Trust Deed and a Board of Trustees.
- HIV/AIDS Partnership
Anglo American embarked on a new community HIV/AIDS initiative in partnership with loveLife, which shows Anglo American's support to enhance and accelerate the provision of comprehensive HIV/AIDS services in government clinics. In this partnership, The Anglo Chairman's Fund will provide funding of R30 million over a period of 3 years to loveLife – South Africa's national HIV prevention programme for youth – to accelerate the roll-out of loveLife's national adolescent friendly clinic initiative in communities associated with Anglo American operations in South Africa.
- CSI Handbook Awards
The Anglo Chairman's Fund was voted the leading corporate grantmaker in six out of seven categories of corporate social investment (CSI), by major players in the non-profit (NPO) sector, in a survey released in CSI Handbook 2003. The Anglo Chairman's Fund was applauded by NPOs for their long-term commitment to the sector, through which it has created excellent and ongoing relationships. It was also credited as being approachable, professional, easy to access in times of need and understanding of the vision of the development sector.
The CSI Handbook has consistently tracked corporate social investment reputation over the last five years. Throughout this time, Anglo American has been rated in the top three for all the categories by their peers in all industries.
- Rural Schools Programme
The Anglo Chairman's Fund runs a dedicated programme that focuses on the specific needs that face rural schools across the country. The Rural Schools Programme provides support for the classroom building activities of local communities.
The Programme's primary objective is to address the problem of overcrowding, which is faced by many schools. It reaches into areas of great educational need where little other support is available. The Programme is run in partnership with provincial departments of education in school building projects. In 2003, these public-private partnerships secured matching government grants for schools involved in the programme of R10,9 million.
- Maths and Science Awards
The Maths and Science Awards honour schools in disadvantaged communities that have shown exemplary performance and participation in the fields of Maths and Science, in an environment of limited resources. It is one of a number of initiatives in Maths and Science supported by The Anglo Chairman's Fund. This programme works in partnership with the national Department of Education. The Anglo Chairman's Fund chose to focus on Maths and Science as it is a critical national challenge – South Africa is simply not producing enough quality passes on the higher grade to meet the skills demand of a successful nation.
Over the last few years the Fund has made significant contributions to charitable causes and community projects:
- 1999 - 670 projects amounting to R30,6 million
- 2000 - 630 projects amounting to R37,7 million
- 2001 - 610 projects amounting to R59,2 million
- 2002 - 550 projects amounting to R63,4 million
- 2003 - 450 projects amounting to R73,5 million
The fund's philosophy is a commitment to making effective and sustainable use of limited resources to create an environment enabling ordinary people to assume greater control of their lives. The Fund supports a wide variety of causes and diverse programmes recognising the varied socio-economic and educational needs facing South African communities.
Sectors of the Fund
Education receives the largest share of financial support. The Chairman's Fund assists schools, often in remote rural areas, to secure basic facilities. It supports projects for learners with special needs, pioneering new forms of learning for individuals of all ages and abilities for whom formal schooling has not traditionally catered. The Fund also promotes structured programmes for improved performance at schools in the key disciplines of mathematics, science and English.
Other areas attracting the Fund's support include community health (with a special concern for HIV/AIDS), skills training and income generation, environmental stewardship and care for the elderly, the very young and others isolated from established support and relief networks.
By supporting and helping to strengthen the net of common endeavour through which South Africans from all parts of the country are working, in big ways and small, to bring new hope and opportunity to others in need, the Anglo American Chairman's Fund's carefully targeted and informed giving is able to secure enhanced social benefit.
