Our purpose is to cultivate high-impact responsible entrepreneurship.
We seek out young people who have the potential to change the world with their energy, curiosity and new ways of seeing and understanding the problems we face, and how to solve them. Our role is to nurture this potential using our ecosystem of partners, programmes and resources.
The Foundation takes a holistic approach to entrepreneurship development with a focus on three critical aspects: cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset in our Scholars, Candidate Fellows and Fellows; developing entrepreneurial skills in our Fellows; and being relevant in the African context while understanding global entrepreneurial ecosystems.
We work together with the next generation of entrepreneurs
The world needs entrepreneurs. It needs people who take a wild idea, root it in strategy and grow it into a game changer. These people are potential personified; they're passionate problem-solvers and long-term visionaries. They exist to change the world and we exist to help them change it. We're about educating them, supporting them, connecting them, endorsing them, championing them and celebrating them. Future returns start today with the next generation of entrepreneurs. You know who you are. Keep your eyes on the future, because we've got our eyes on you.
We work with five pillars
Our Five Pillars encompass the values of the Foundation and represent the traits we seek out and cultivate among Foundation Scholars, Fellows and Alumni.
- Achievement excellence - The ongoing pursuit of excellence with tangible and specific focus on setting goals. A motivation to make a difference and leave a mark.
- Intellectual imagination - Demonstrated by an established record of intellectual achievement; an ability to see the unseen, challenge the status quo and suggest that things could be done differently.
- Personal initiative - A person who makes things happen and celebrates the satisfaction of bringing new things into being. Independent, proactive and self-starting.
- Spirit of significance - A weight of personality that comes from living a life of passion and integrity. A recognition that personal satisfaction comes from empowering oneself in order to serve others.
- Courageous commitment - The courage and dedication to continue, realizing that applying consistent commitment has a way of overcoming.
Background
The Foundation was created in 2005 as part of Allan Gray’s vision to make a sustainable, long-term contribution to Southern Africa by nurturing the emerging entrepreneurial potential from the region.
His entrepreneurial journey has taught him that it takes time, patience and long-term support to build the kind of high-impact entrepreneurs that will make wide-reaching and significant economic and social impacts on a country. It was from this vision that the Foundation was born and now runs in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland.
The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation is funded by a donation of 7% of the taxed profits from Allan Gray Limited. As these may fluctuate, the commitment is supported by an endowment trust capitalized with over R1 billion, which was donated by Allan Gray.
- Africa | South
Nambia, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa