The Sukuthula! Project, co-funded by DGMT, explores trust-based philanthropy, an approach to social innovation that addresses the inherent power imbalances between funders, implementing partners and the communities they serve. In essence, trust-based philanthropy turns the traditional funding model on it’s head. Instead of linking funding to narrow, pre-set deliverables and often complex compliance demands, it assumes that the people doing the work actually know how best to use resources to achieve positive outcomes. It values flexibility, long-term partnership and seeks to redistribute power — systemically, organisationally, and interpersonally. In practice, longer commitments, unrestricted funding, simplified applications and reporting. A commitment to transparency, dialogue, and mutual learning.
It’s important to note that trust-based philanthropy is not a fixed model, nor a universal template. It is a posture, a way of being, and a continuous journey of reflection and adjustment. But it starts with a simple principle: those closest to the problem must be closest to the solution and they must be trusted with the resources, power and space to lead.
This approach, first pioneered by the Whitman Institute in San Francisco under John Esterle and Pia Infante, was born out of deep reflection on philanthropy’s complicity in perpetuating control and inequity. The Whitman Institute is a US-based foundation that has experimented with new ways of building authentic relationships between donors and implementing partners. Their work reframed the conventional funder-grantee relationship as a partnership grounded in humility, listening and shared responsibility. They shifted the posture of philanthropy from gatekeeper to ally, walking alongside, rather than leading from the top. Further, those who have long interrogated power imbalances in the sector have also formed a learning community to support the adoption of a trust-based funding approach more broadly; for instance, the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project was launched in the US in 2020.
The local context
In South Africa, where the historical and structural legacies of colonialism and apartheid continue to shape society, trust-based philanthropy provides a counterbalance to conventional philanthropy which is well-placed to meet the needs of a diverse yet unequal society. The civil society sector in this country is one of extraordinary contradiction. On the one hand, it is rich with grassroots leadership and frontline innovation. On the other, power and capital remain highly concentrated in urban-based institutions with access to donor networks and the capacity to “speak the language” of funders. For example, many big donors are still located in Cape Town and Johannesburg, far removed from the communities who need their help the most. Application processes are in English, much of it filled with technical jargon and detailed financial requirements that could exclude grassroots organisations.
This uneven terrain has created a civil society ecosystem marked by hierarchy and fragmentation. Often, smaller community-based organisations (CBOs), many of them led by women, youth and people from marginalised areas, are locked out of meaningful funding opportunities. For instance, a rural safehouse for gender-based violence (GBV) survivors may be unable to produce audited financials, a requirement for many grants, even though the organisation is trusted in the community to deliver vital services. When they are funded, it is often through rigid, short-term grants that reinforce dependency, rather than support long-term change.
Many of these organisations say they feel surveilled, underestimated, second-guessed and side-lined. Is it because the very architecture of reporting and compliance demonstrates a lack of trust, prioritising control over collaboration? Perhaps. The irony is that these systems were introduced to ensure that money is well-spent, but over time have hardened into practices that make recipients of grants feel as though they are not trusted by donors. Civil society cannot thrive under these conditions. Trust is not an assumption; it is something that must be earned, reciprocated, and consistently maintained through intentional, transparent relationships.
The Sukuthula! project
GBV is a national crisis, with some of the highest rates in the world, exacerbated by heavy drinking. In provinces like the Easten Cape and Limpopo, many survivors lack access to public services, making grassroots organisations, often in rural areas, a vital lifeline. So, in partnership with the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, DGMT co-developed and co-funds Sukuthula! — a GBV initiative grounded in principles of trust-based philanthropy. It began with thirty-six CBOs who were chosen to be part of the first cohort of grant recipients.
The initiative provides unrestricted, multi-year funding to CBOs that are often excluded from traditional grant-making. But more than money, Sukuthula! seeks to build a genuine partnership supporting organisations to strengthen internal systems, respond with agility, and help shape a broader ecosystem of prevention, care, and advocacy.
Redefining accountability and trust
DGMT’s journey with Sukuthula! has been transformative and humbling. We have learnt that embracing trust is not about abandoning accountability. It’s about redefining it. Accountability is not found in long reports filled with metrics; it is built through proximity, presence, and dialogue. It is a relationship. In practice this could include workshops or even just an “open door policy” where sharing happens outside of rigid reporting structures of timelines.
We’ve also learnt that even with the best intentions, funders do not automatically divest themselves of power. Financial power is real, and it often shows up in ways that are subtle, unspoken, and deeply entrenched. For instance, an implementing partner might feel obligated to change a programme that works to fit a funder’s suggestion (who may be removed from the reality on the ground) because the funder holds the purse strings. Addressing this requires more than policy tweaks. It requires self-awareness, vulnerability, and a willingness to be changed by the process.
For Sukuthula, this has meant meeting organisations where they are, sometimes quite literally by driving through rural dirt roads in Limpopo or the Eastern Cape to sit with teams in their offices, to understand their work, and to listen to what they need. These visits are not token gestures or photo opportunities. They are commitments to being in a relationship with implementing partners. They are the foundation for trust.
What we have also learnt is that trust, once built, unlocks extraordinary possibility. With fewer bureaucratic burdens, organisations have more time to innovate, respond to their communities, and build their own sustainability. With flexible funding, they are not only surviving — they are shaping the systems around them. With trust, they are no longer passive recipients of charity; they are co-creators of transformation.
This means challenging the conventional funding norms. It means ensuring grassroots organisations are not only consulted but centred in strategy design.
We believe in a civil society that is not fragmented by competition or gatekeeping, but bound together by mutual trust, solidarity, and shared purpose. A civil society where funders and organisations walk together, honestly and humbly, toward transformation.
Dr. Busisiwe Kabane-Bailey is the Innovation Director of the Innovative and Inclusive Society portfolio at DGMT, and Kgahliso Mangoale is the Project Lead of the Sukuthula! Unmute & Act project.
