National Development Agency/ National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund Survey

A group of non-profit organisations, viz. Inyathelo -  The South African Institute for Advancement , Rural Education Access Programme (REAP), Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT) and Community Development Resource Association (CDRA), have formed a partnership to research funding practices in South Africa starting with the National Development Agency (NDA) and the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF). The group have contracted a research team from Advocacy Research and Training consultancy to conduct this research.

The purpose of the research is to assist in improving relationships between civil society organisations and the two funding agencies so that improved relationships are based on principles of mutual accountability, ethics, sound governance and effective and efficient practices. The intention is to build mutual understanding and collaboration, mutual learning towards continuously improving practice, and ultimately better service delivery to the beneficiaries of the two agencies. The research is therefore aimed at providing substantive information and knowledge that can be used by the NDA and the NLDTF to assist in identifying areas for improvement in its delivery. The research is also aimed at documenting civil society’s experiences with the two funding agencies so as to assist in articulating their concerns with the two funding agencies through constructive engagement.

Central to the research is documentation of the experiences of civil society organisations in the application process as well as in their experiences of receiving funds from the two agencies. It is also important for the research to uncover the reasons why civil society organisations don’t choose to apply to the two agencies for funding. The research is also interested in documenting the impact that funding from the two agencies as well as the funding processes of the NDA and NLDTF have had on civil society organisations. It is hoped that the information gathered through the research process will be valuable in assisting civil society organisations to better engage with the two institutions.

The attached questionnaire forms part of this research process and is central to documenting the experiences of organisations like yours. Please take some time to fill in the survey and send it back to us to the email addresses listed below by the 30 March 2010. We guarantee that all information received is confidential and we will not disclose your name or the name of your organisation at any stage of the research. We will, however, require your name and contact details for follow-up interviews should this be necessary.

The project partners and the research team thank you for your assistance with this research and we look forward to receiving your completed questionnaire.

Please complete the survey and send via email to Tom Lebert, email: tomlebert@gmail.com or Saranel Benjamin, email: saranelb.lebert@gmail.com .