New Leaders Foundation

New Leaders Foundation (NLF) is an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming the South African education system through data analytics, evidence-based decision-making and leadership development. 

Through its flagship Data Driven Districts (DDD) programme, NLF provides education officials across South Africa with insights covering more than 12 million learners in 24 000 schools. This data empowers decision-makers to identify trends, respond to challenges in real time and drive measurable improvements in learner outcomes. 

Managed for more than 10 years in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), DDD has grown into an integrated DBE tool, with successes showing how data use can significantly improve learner attendance, subject performance and pass rates. 

The programme illustrates how a shared vision between the government and private sector can result in a scalable solution that fills a critical gap in the education system. 

NLF’s impact extends to building people’s capacity to use data meaningfully. It focuses on developing leadership, strengthening systems and embedding a culture of data-informed action within public education. 

NLF’s excellence has been recognised nationally and internationally, as winner of the Project Management Institute’s Non-Profit Project of the Year Award (2025) and a winner in the Investors in People Awards’ “Excellence in Building Purpose-Driven Impact” category (2025). 

Since its inception in 2009, NLF has been supported by partners including the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation, Old Mutual, Zenex Foundation, Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, DG Murray Trust and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation 

Its vision is of a thriving education ecosystem where every learner’s potential is realised.