A South African charitable foundation
Compounding Compassion
The Rugged Cross Foundation exists to alleviate poverty and suffering, to bring immediate aid where it is needed most, and to open the door of education to those it has been closed to, while building an endowment that will serve these causes in perpetuity.
About the Foundation
Stewards, not owners
The Rugged Cross Foundation was founded in 2024 by people who prefer to give quietly. Having been blessed with abundance built on the foundations laid by those who came before them, they hold a simple conviction: with enough set aside to care for their own families, the rest should flow to others. The name comes from “Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation”, a line in the hymn Man of Sorrows. It speaks of gratitude, expressed as service.
Our model is deliberately long-term. The Foundation is an approved public benefit organisation and channels the founders' giving to carefully selected, Section 18A-approved organisations working on the ground, while a growing endowment is invested on the Foundation's behalf. We give today, and we compound, so that we can give more tomorrow and give forever. Our hope is that successive generations of the family will carry the Foundation onward, building and supporting the communities around them long after its founders are gone.
“Compounding compassion, multiplying mercy.”
Our objects
- Alleviate poverty and suffering wherever we are able to reach it.
- Rescue and provide immediate, emergency aid to people, land and animals.
- Support access to education for those to whom it has been denied.
- Make a long-term impact through opportunities, facilities, training and support for those who need it most.
Servanthood
Selflessly acting in the best interests of others.
Dedication
Unwavering commitment to the moral purpose of the Foundation.
Competence
Professionalism and excellence in everything the Foundation does.
Integrity
An incorruptible standard, upheld in every activity.
How we give
A flywheel built for perpetuity
Donations in
The Foundation is funded by the ongoing giving of its founders, who also carry its operating costs personally, so no donation is ever diverted to expenses.
Capital compounds
A portion of every donation is invested into a growing endowment, so the capital works for the mission year after year.
Disbursements out
Distributions flow to vetted, Section 18A-approved public benefit organisations doing proven work on the ground.
Impact multiplies
As the endowment grows, so does the giving. A permanent base of capital serves these causes into perpetuity.
The Board
Quiet stewardship
The Foundation is governed by a board of four directors who share responsibility for its mission, its capital and its integrity.
The directors are professionals in investment management and finance, based in South Africa and abroad. All four volunteer their time and serve without any form of compensation, and the founders carry the Foundation's operating costs personally, so every rand donated reaches the causes it was given for.
In keeping with the Foundation's ethos of quiet giving, the directors choose to serve anonymously. Enquiries for the board are warmly received at info@ruggedcrossfoundation.com.
Charities we support
Where the giving goes
Every disbursement is made to a Section 18A-approved public benefit organisation. These are the causes and organisations the Foundation supports.
Homelessness & hunger
Contact
Walk this road with us
Whether you represent a public benefit organisation, would like to give alongside us, or simply want to know more, we would love to hear from you.
Cape Town, South Africa