Make A Difference Leadership Foundation

Registered charity 1126724 · since 2008madleadership.org·South Africa·Updated 29 October 2026

At a glance

£210k

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2024

From filed accounts

Key takeaways

Make A Difference Leadership Foundation focuses on education and leadership development for academically talented young people in South Africa, so an applicant whose work is outside South Africa or outside that focus is unlikely to fit.
Its annual giving of £210,000 is modest and no grant range is given, so a small, specific request is the more realistic approach.
No application process is published, so the contact shown is the place to start, with a short enquiry that explains the work and its link to South Africa.
Its scholarships have strict eligibility rules, including South African citizenship and a household income limit of R35 000 per month, so individuals who do not meet them should not apply.
Its organisational grantmaking is made in partnership with a South African body, so an organisation seeking support should ask how its work connects to that body's grant activities.

Overview

Make A Difference Leadership Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1126724).

Make A Difference Leadership Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales that exists to inspire a better South Africa through education and leadership development. It supports academically talented young people from economically disadvantaged or marginalised communities in South Africa with a comprehensive scholarship covering tuition and related costs from high school through tertiary education, alongside personal and leadership development. Its annual giving is £210,000. The charity made a grant for 1 high school learner and 17 tertiary students.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The foundation supports academically talented young people from economically disadvantaged or marginalised communities in South Africa through education and leadership development. Its comprehensive scholarship covers tuition and related costs from high school through tertiary education, and includes personal and leadership development. It takes an individualised approach to scholars, using a multidisciplinary team to address barriers and offering career guidance and mentorship. Its organisational grantmaking is made in partnership with a South African body, with funds provided to continue that body’s grant activities in South Africa.

Themes

Education
Leadership development

Geographic Focus

South Africa.

What they don't fund

Mike Ilsley Memorial (MIM) Scholarship only:
- Applicants who are not South African citizens
- Applicants who are not 1st or 2nd-year (2026) undergraduates at a South African university
- Applicants who are not pursuing Chartered Accountancy with a minimum 70% in Financial Accounting
- Applicants whose gross household income is more than R35 000 per month
MAD Leadership Scholarship – STEM or Commerce (Post School) only:
- Applicants who are not South African citizens
- Applicants who are not in Grade 12 (2026) or 1st-year (2026)
- Applicants who are not accepted or applying to a STEM field with at least a 65% average
- Applicants whose gross household income is more than R35 000 per month
- Applicants without basic English language skills
MAD Leadership Scholarship (Early Access) only:
- Applicants who are not South African citizens
- Applicants who are not in Grade 8 (2026), advancing to Grade 9 in 2027
- Applicants whose gross household income is more than R35 000 per month
- Applicants who do not display leadership at school
- Applicants who are not actively involved in community service
- Applicants without basic English proficiency

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry, its website or other pages about it. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

South Africa

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Make A Difference Leadership Foundation.

Friends of Johannesburg Bible CollegeNo public processGave £597k The FACET FoundationNo public processGave £1.1M The Donald Gordon Third FoundationNo public processGave £8.5M Surfers Not Street ChildrenNo public processGave £171k Starfish Greathearts FoundationInvitation onlyGave £226k This DayInvitation onlyGave £24.8M The Donald Gordon Second FoundationRollingGave £1.6M Friends of BaphumeleleFixed deadlinesGave £252k Stolkin FoundationRollingGave £385k Upside TrustNo public processGave £369k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£61,945	£40,921	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£19,278	£58,727	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£432,328	£493,393	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£774,347	£775,632	£441,876	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£602,712	£516,015	£210,000	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2023

£442k grants

YE 2024

£210k grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2023: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 December 2024: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.