The FEM Education Foundation (FEMEF) was established by the Federated Employers Mutual Assurance Company (Pty) Limited (FEM), which has invested R1.25 billion in the foundation since 2017. FEMEF aims to make a meaningful, systemic impact on education and leadership development in South Africa. The organisation currently partners with 11 nonprofits in the sector.
How FEMEF works differently: a collaborative systems-thinking approach
Traditional collaboration models in the nonprofit sector often focus on project-based outputs, which can lead to fragmentation and competition. FEMEF challenges this by creating a ‘practice ground’ to deepen relational capacity and shared learning, thereby fostering organic, trust-based collaboration across all stakeholders working in public education. Guided by a vision for transformative impact, FEMEF, under the leadership of Jenny Leclezio and the FEM board, is dedicated to achieving sustainable, systemic change. At the core of this commitment is supporting nonprofits not just in service delivery, but to foster collaborative efforts that place children at the centre.
Building a community of practice
FEMEF’s annual collaboration workshops are a cornerstone of its ecosystem-building strategy. Initially involving only FEMEF-funded partners, the workshops – now in their third year – have expanded to include other funders and the Department of Basic Education (DBE), reflecting a growing collaborative ecosystem. Nompumelelo Mohohlwane, Director of Reading at the DBE national office, says the workshops gave her an opportunity to reflect with her team and helped her gain insight into the organisational development of other players in the ecosystem.
Emerging partnerships
Some partnerships have evolved organically from these relational spaces. “While some partners initially resisted the concept, concerned that collaboration was being imposed, the workshops have led to deepened trust and new alignments,” notes FEMEF facilitator Robyn Whittaker.
Funda Wande and Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy
Funda Wande is a literacy and numeracy organisation focused on the foundation phase, while Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy runs an Intern Teacher Training Programme. These organisations joined hands to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy among teacher interns in Limpopo. Phumi Nhlapo, CEO of Funda Wande, says the two organisations would not have ‘found’ one another without FEMEF’s guidance. “Having a funder who is genuinely interested in our work and sees synergies is rare.”
Khanyisa Inanda Seminary Community Projects (KIPC) and Citizen Leader Lab
The Literacy for Leaders intervention is a partnership between Khanyisa Inanda Seminary Community Projects (KICP), a teacher development organisation, and Citizen Leader Lab, which aims to strengthen school leadership. Judy Tate, executive director at KICP, says: “There’s growing trust, interest in one another’s work and an appreciation of our differences. When I think about all the connections I’ve made through the FEMEF sessions, I’m immeasurably grateful. I haven’t done this with any other funder – but it is what every funder wants,” Tate points out.
Partners share their learnings
Seth Mulli, programme director at Allan Gray Makers:
“FEMEF’s collaborative sessions have really transformed our approach to collaboration. We often discuss collaboration as nonprofits, but we don’t always have the tools to guide us on how to do so effectively. The sessions allowed us to connect with individuals and organisations in ways that amplify effort. It helped us to see beyond our own organisation to the entire educational ecosystem.”
Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart:
“For many years, we operated our delivery network through a centralised leadership platform, aligned on vision, but not united on delivery. It was a result of the FEMEF initiative that SmartStart was inspired to strengthen our own collaboration and work with Robyn as our facilitator, which enabled our network to adopt a more effective distributed leadership approach. Unity without uniformity.”
