IPASA is a membership-based organisation of independent funders, comprising both local and international grantmakers who are committed to growing, supporting, and transforming philanthropy in South Africa.
The launch of the IPASA Higher Education Funder Focus Group formed part of a Higher Education Funding Seminar, which was convened on 15 April and funded by the Carl and Emily Fuchs Foundation.
The CEO of the Fuchs Foundation and an IPASA Council member, Dr Riaan Els, said: “IPASA’s services to its members include knowledge-sharing and creating opportunities to facilitate funder collaboration and networking. We have also embarked on a range of initiatives aimed at supporting our members and other funders who invest in key funding focus areas, such as early childhood development, and now also the higher education sector. Hence, the launch of an IPASA 2024 Higher Education Funder Focus Group to support funders that invest specifically in the local higher education sector. This initiative aims to facilitate collaboration in addressing the many crises faced by the sector at present.”
Els added that IPASA aims to expand the Funder Focus Group initiative nationally so that universities, funders and other role players are able to share what is being done in facilitating student access and success.
The Executive Director at IPASA, Louise Driver, said their on-going work in supporting independent philanthropy in South Africa motivated them to convene a group of influential funders in the higher education sector at the IPASA Higher Education Funding Seminar.
“We are very grateful to Stellenbosch University for hosting this event and providing a platform for funders and those heading up some of the universities in our country to share their experiences and discuss how they can collectively address the funding crisis in higher education.”
The Director of Fundraising at SU’s Development and Alumni Relations Division, David Marupen, said: “It was an honour to host the seminar which marked the launch of IPASA’s focus group initiative. It directly ties in with the work we are doing around addressing the student financial aid crisis. We need a national solution to this problem and this initiative was most timeous in ensuring that the topic remains high on the agenda when institutions of higher learning engage with other partners.”
“This seminar managed to demonstrate that there is buy-in from the different stakeholders to address a national problem that requires urgent attention,” Marupen added.
A total number of 40 delegates, consisting of IPASA and non-IPASA members, attended the Higher Education Funding Seminar under the theme “Higher Education Funding in Crisis – Whereto from Here?”
The current problems around the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) were also debated by the delegates. The speakers included SU’s Chief Operating Officer, Prof Stan du Plessis, with his presentation entitled “The Real Conundrum Faced by HE Student Funding: An Economic Perspective”, as well as the Vice-Chancellor Interim at the University of Cape Town, Prof Daya Reddy, who reflected on the UCT experience. Another interesting perspective was provided by the Chairperson of Universities South Africa, Prof Francis Petersen, who focused on comprehensive and sustainable future models of student funding in South Africa.
A panel consisting of various funders and moderated by the Executive Trustee of the Harry Crossley Foundation, Linda Whitfield, participated in a discussion on the NSFAS student funding crisis and the need for greater collaboration into the future.
The Manager of Student Access Fundraising at SU, Candice Egan, provided an overview of funded student bursary and wraparound support programmes at SU. The seminar concluded with a session on the proposed way forward for the newly established focus group.