Oppenheimer Memorial Trust

We were thrilled to be featured in South Africa’s oldest newspaper – Makhanda’s Grocott’s Mail! Read the article below to find out what Rhodes University’s Faculty of Education is planning to do with the funding we gave it to boost education, research and student learning. A 2024 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization report on the global teacher shortage shows that South Africa needs to produce approximately 29 000 additional teachers each year to meet educational demands effectively. This investment will empower the faculty to enhance opportunities to use digital technologies to enhance the training of pre-service and in-service Bachelor of Education Foundation Phase students. Since 1999 we have contributed more than R6-million to the university, funding journalism programmes, its Department of Fine Art, community engagement projects, financial aid and bursaries for students, and the Centre for Higher Education Research Teaching and Learning. Read more here: https://brnw.ch/21wQ0NB #OMT #HigherEducation

It’s all systems go! Our board recently approved funding for the Hold My Hand organisation’s campaign to ensure that every child and teenager has access to enough resources – food, health, education, safety, a loving and nurturing environment, and community support – to grow to their full potential. The campaign supports South Africa’s draft National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC), a collaborative initiative led by the Presidency. Developed over 12 months by technical teams from various government departments and civil society members, the NSAAC establishes a shared set of national priorities designed to transform the lives of children and shape the future of our nation. By working alongside local communities and building on their strengths, Hold My Hand seeks to ensure that children and teens have access to the resources and support they need to thrive. You can read all about it here: https://brnw.ch/21wPXdD #OMT #HoldMyHand #ECD

OMT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship for Honours programmes at SPU are now open for the 2025 academic year. Students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and are interested in pursuing careers in academia, research, development or other related fields may be awarded this scholarship. Both part-time and full-time students are eligible. To apply, fill out the form at https://bit.ly/4hSC5Pf and submit it and the relevant documents to pg.funding@spu.ac.za no later than 31 January 2025.

OMT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship for Honours programmes at SPU are now open for the 2025 academic year. Students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and are interested in pursuing careers in academia, research, development or other related fields may be awarded this scholarship. Both part-time and full-time students are eligible. To apply, fill out the form at https://bit.ly/4hSC5Pf and submit it and the relevant documents to pg.funding@spu.ac.za no later than 31 January 2025.

🚸 Calling all impact investors with South Africa’s best interests at heart! The evidence is clear: funding early childhood development (ECD) programmes delivers the greatest return on investment for public spending. 📣 Now we call on you to join us and our partner, Investec, in supporting the Department of Basic Education’s Bana Pele registration drive for early childhood development centres. By ensuring that all ECD programmes in South Africa are registered with the department, we can unlock funding that will help the programmes improve their facilities and quality, paving the way for better early learning for all children in South Africa. We’re already working on this. Our ECD & Youth Fund manager, Nomsa Muthaphuli, has been seconded to the department’s project management unit for the Bana Pele mass ECD registration drive. Nomsa and the team are using their expertise to help ensure that as many ECD programmes as possible are compliant with legislation and regulations and registered with the department so that they can receive financial and other government support. 🫶 We’re calling on our fellow investment funders to join us. Working together, we can help unlock a possible additional R589-million in government subsidies to benefit children in our country. 📌 Join us for breakfast on Monday, 27 January 2025, in Sandton, and get all the details. Should you wish to attend the breakfast and/or engage as a funding partner, please contact Nomsa Muthaphuli at nmuthaphuli@omt.org.za Image: Freepik #OMT #ECD #Philanthropy

Our CEO, Tracey Webster, shares her hopes for 2025: “I believe the Department of Basic Education’s Bana Pele early childhood development [ECD] centre mass registration drive could yield an honest and instructive case study by the end of 2025 on how a social compact can work to deliver systemic change at scale. “Sure, there will be failures along the way, but how we innovate through those challenges will give rise to rich learnings that must be openly shared. “Also, in 2025, we hope to collaboratively design a leadership programme for early- to mid-career academics to ensure we are intentional about preparing the next generation of leaders in academia. “In 2024, we unpacked what types of capacity building are needed by some of our grantees in our ECD and youth; basic education; arts and culture; and social justice portfolios, and we hope to design appropriate solutions to strengthen our partners in their sectors. “In 2025, we also want to delve deeper into the role innovation and education technology can play in transforming literacy and numeracy outcomes in the earliest school grades. “We want to embrace the change that 2025 will bring with excitement and hope, and we look forward to a year of listening, learning and serving!” Image: Freepik #OMT

Apply today! We’re proud to announce limited scholarships and sabbatical grants for exceptional candidates pursuing postgraduate studies at master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral level, or advancing their academic research. Scholarships: 🎓 Designed for individuals with the ambition to lead in their field and who intend to shape their careers in academia, research or development 🎓 Preference is given to candidates studying at South African universities 🎓 Exceptional applicants pursuing unique or specialised disciplines unavailable locally, or those seeking advanced international tuition under globally recognised leaders, will also be considered Sabbatical grants: 📚 Available to full-time academics at public South African higher education institutions 📚 Focused on furthering current research, exploring new ideas or enhancing teaching capabilities 📚 Priority will be given to innovative research with relevance to South Africa and the potential for global recognition Important notes: 📌 Applications for studies commencing from July to December 2025 open today 📌 Applications for studies commencing from January to March 2026 open on 1 July 2025 📌 Applications are accepted exclusively via our online portal, here: https://brnw.ch/21wPOxG 📌 Incomplete or emailed submissions will not be considered 📌 For queries, contact: applicationqueries@omt.org.za We’re excited to invest in research, innovation and education in South Africa. Do you know someone who is eligible? Share this with your network and encourage them to apply. #OMT #HigherEducation

This year has been about shifting gear from research and strategy design to implementation, says our CEO, Tracey Webster. “This involved welcoming on board several new team members – experts in their respective fields – to execute the strategy. Each fund manager has not only done an excellent job of sourcing and selecting credible organisations across the country to fund, but has also been intentional around convening stakeholders and leveraging our expertise and resources for scalable impact.” Here are the 2024 actions that made Tracey’s heart sing: ⭐ Participating in the The Education Outcomes Fund’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme alongside the Department of Basic Education and other philanthropists ⭐ Seconding our ECD & Youth Fund manager, Nomsa Muthaphuli, to the Department of Basic Education’s project management unit for the Bana Pele mass ECD registration drive. Nomsa is using her expertise to help define a process to get as many ECD centres as possible registered with the department so that they can receive financial and other government support ⭐ Launching our New Frontiers Research Award, which went to University of Cape Town. South Africa is brimming with skilled researchers and more needs to be done to sustain and retain this exceptional talent ⭐ Launching the OMT alumni network in South Africa and the UK. Seeing our alumni bond so quickly gives me hope for our country overcoming its differences and uniting around the responsibility of building the future we want to see ⭐ Exploring the world of education technology to better prepare teachers, especially through closing gaps in mathematics understanding and improving learner outcomes in literacy ⭐ Being able to fund the arts, where resources are scarce. We have seen talent blossoming through our contributions and society being enriched by the theatres, ballets and orchestras we support ⭐ Funding organisations in the social justice sector, which reminds us that we need to keep fighting for our democracy and the marginalised. We need to be active citizens and we really are stronger together! “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our small, dynamic OMT team who have built a very special bond and are deeply invested in creating a better South Africa for all South Africans to thrive! May peace, rest and relaxation reign this festive season!” #OMT