Fund a safe, settled home for children in care
Sparrows Children’s Home in Tarkastad, in the Eastern Cape, is a registered non-profit organisation (NPO 026-901) and public benefit organisation (PBO 93000-5523). At the moment 30 children live with us, placed by the court. Our aim is always to return each child to their family. While they are with us they have a safe home, schooling, therapy and people who care about them.
This page is for trusts, foundations and other grant-making bodies. It shows what a grant can fund, how a grant is agreed and recorded, and how you can check what we do with it.
What a grant can fund
What government funding covers
The Department of Social Development (DSD) pays Sparrows R4 285 a month for each child. In 2024-2025 that came to R1 542 600 for 30 children. It covers nutrition, but the other items leave little room, and it does not fully fund salaries. Regular contributions from individuals and businesses came to nearly R428 000 that year. (Source: our 2024-2025 annual report.)
The maintenance backlog
Our buildings and grounds carry a maintenance backlog that has built up over more than a decade. Regular giving at its current scale cannot clear it on its own, so this is where we look to major donors and grant-makers.
Costed projects
We are preparing costed projects for grant-makers. Until they are listed here, tell us which area interests you and we will talk it through.
How we account for a grant
Audited, and recorded separately
Our financial statements are audited every year, and we publish them with our annual reports. We record donor funds separately from DSD’s payments. A grant given for a stated purpose appears as its own line in our records, so that you, an auditor or our Board can trace it.
The Donor Register
Every gift, in money or in kind, is entered in a Donor Register when we receive it, with what it was for and how it was used. Our Board and our auditors can inspect the register.
Our 2024-2025 audit opinion
The opinion was qualified. Our auditors say that all material aspects of our financial reporting are verifiable and correct. They cannot express an opinion on cash collections such as fundraising events, because that cash enters the accounting system only after it is banked.
Why we do not take cash
Our Financial Policy says that Sparrows does not accept cash payments, because cash is harder to trace and verify than an electronic payment.
How we thank donors
We thank every donor by name in our annual report, unless you ask us not to, and we never publish the value of an individual gift.
How we are governed
Our policies are public in our Policies Compendium. The ones a funder is most likely to want are the Child Protection Policy, the Financial Policy, the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy, the Conflict of Interest Policy and the Donor and Fundraising Policy.
How a grant is agreed
We keep the process plain, so that you know what to expect before you commit.
A written agreement for large or multi-year gifts
For a gift or restricted grant of R500 000 or more, and for any multi-year commitment, we sign a written Gift Agreement before we accept the money. It sets out the amount or commitment, what the money is for, the payment schedule, the reporting we will give you, and what happens if the project changes.
Your grant is used for its stated purpose
If you give for a stated purpose, we use the money for that purpose. If we cannot, we return it or agree a change with you directly. We never put a gift made for a stated purpose into our operating reserve.
Conditions we cannot accept
We decline a condition that would give a donor influence over the care, treatment or placement of any child, that would make us break one of our own policies, or that would give a Board member or a member of staff a private benefit. If you are not sure whether a condition is acceptable, ask us before you decide.
Naming rights
For a significant contribution we can offer naming rights over a building, a room or a piece of equipment. Our Board approves each one, and a written agreement states the name, how long it lasts, and our right to withdraw it if the donor’s conduct becomes seriously inconsistent with our values or child protection principles.
If a gift cannot stand
We return a gift that we know, or should know, is not allowed under the law or under your own guidelines, or that was given in error.
A section 18A receipt, if you need one
Sparrows is approved by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to issue section 18A receipts. We issue one for a genuine gift of money or goods, for which the donor receives nothing in return. We ask whether the donor is an individual, a company, a trust or another kind of person. We also ask for the identity or registration number and the income tax reference number that the receipt needs. We report every receipt to SARS.
We cannot issue a receipt for a gift made to earn the giver Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) credit. If that is the purpose of your gift, tell us when you give. For companies, see For Corporate Partners.
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