Initiative for Community Advancement (ICA), South Africa – December 2022

Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.1 Achieving and/or making significant progress towards the SDGs requires a multi-stakeholder, collaborative approach at the global, regional, national and community levels. All public, private and civil society actors, including community-based structures, must harness their comparative advantages towards realising a shared vision to protect people and planet. Community foundations (CF) are often overlooked as key partners in the development agenda because they are considered too small or too locally based. However, these organisations provide a unique opportunity for governments and donors to acquire important insights into the contexts in which they operate. They function at the interface with local communities, growing and inspiring agency and voice. This report is a collation of insights, case studies, interviews and reviews of secondary data culminating in a showcase of the work CFs and demonstrating how they contribute to countries achieving the SDGs. Community Foundations are “grant making public charities that are dedicated to improving the lives of people in a defined local geographic area. They bring together the financial resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective non-profits in their communities”.2 This report covers the work of the Initiative of Community Advancement (ICA), based in Piketberg, Bergrivier Municipal Area, South Africa and its efforts in helping the municipality and by extension, South Africa, meet the following SDGs: Read the full report Here ICA SDG REPORT FINAL