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Meet the Nonprofit That Has Been Quietly Supporting Health & Music in Africa

Photo credit: Courtesy ELMA
Photo credit: Courtesy ELMA

What do South Africa’s Solidarity Fund, NEST360°, and the Jazz Foundation of America have in common? They’re grantees of the ELMA Group of Foundations, which invests in high-impact organizations focused on children’s healthcare and education, humanitarian relief, social enterprises, and youth development through music. It is a unique structure, but stems from a strategic approach that allows funds to go directly to those who need them in the form of general support grants, project support grants, equity, and debt.

Generally, the group, founded by South African record executive Clive Calder, operates quietly, letting its results speak in the way of quantitative actions versus black-tie galas. But, it is one of Africa's largest private philanthropies. When the pandemic hit, the foundation directed these funds to NGOs who covered the whole spectrum of Covid-19 related issues, from social services for refugees to resources for correctional facilities. ELMA responded to the pandemic by expanding testing capacities, securing PPE, providing oxygen, and training health workers, with a focus on Africa, pledging over $137 million. Up next: supporting grantees as they recover from the past year and prepare for whatever may come.

This story appears in the Summer 2021 issue of Town & Country.

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