ELMA Philanthropies

What ELMA Philanthropies does

ELMA Philanthropies is the U.S.-headquartered philanthropic advisory services entity (The ELMA Philanthropies Services (U.S.) Inc.) that develops and manages grant investments and partnerships for The ELMA Group of Foundations. Founded in 2005 and operating with 51-100 employees from offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kampala, and New York, the organization structures and deploys philanthropic capital across nine distinct foundations spanning child welfare, crisis relief, organizational growth, music education, vaccines and immunization, South Africa development, Caribbean health and climate, climate action, and U.S. programs. Its primary geographic focus is Africa, with secondary activity in Haiti and the United States across more than 27 countries.

The organization does not sell technology products or commercial services. Its core operational capability is philanthropic investment management — sourcing grantees, conducting due diligence, structuring multi-year unrestricted grants alongside capacity-strengthening support, and coordinating with peer funders and governments. Notable programs include the anchor partnership with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) since 2005, which contributed to reducing pediatric HIV treatment cost from USD 745 to USD 103 per child per year and scaling children on treatment from 20,000 to 305,000; the COVID-19 response reaching 85 million people with USD 109.4 million across 29 African countries, Haiti, and the United States; and the Beginnings Fund (launched November 2025), a $500 million co-funded initiative targeting 300,000 prevented maternal and newborn deaths and care for 34 million mothers and babies by 2030.

ELMA's business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. The organization generates no revenue from services; it receives and deploys philanthropic capital through grants, debt instruments, and limited private-equity-style investments (e.g., GroFin SGB Fund, Investment Fund for Health in Africa II, Adjuvant Capital). Its grantee portfolio includes named anchor partners such as CHAI, Camfed International, ALIMA, Zvandiri, Masana wa Afrika, and Gavi, alongside a long tail of community-based organizations, NGOs, and academic institutions. Recent strategic moves include the 2023 spin-off of Masana wa Afrika as an independent African-led foundation now supporting 110 community-based organizations in 13 countries, and participation in The Audacious Project alongside TED, Bridgespan, and Skoll Foundation.

Name

ELMA Philanthropies

Legal name

The ELMA Philanthropies Services (U.S.) Inc.

Website

https://elmaphilanthropies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ELMA Philanthropies is the U.S.-headquartered advisory arm of The ELMA Group of Foundations, managing philanthropic grant investments across nine foundations focused on children and families, primarily in Africa, with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kampala, and New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Advisory Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Public Health Program Grants Management & Administration (HLAJALAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic advisory services
• Foundation grant-making
• Humanitarian funding programs
• Children's health investments
• Social impact philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Advisory Services: Provides philanthropic advisory services to The ELMA Group of Foundations. As a philanthropic organization, ELMA generates no commercial revenue but receives and deploys philanthropic capital through grant investments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ELMA Philanthropies provides philanthropic advisory services to The ELMA Group of Foundations, developing and managing grant investments and partnerships from offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kampala, and New York. The organization makes multi-year unrestricted grants alongside capacity-strengthening support to implementing organizations focused on improving the lives of children and their families, with a primary emphasis on Africa. Its portfolio spans foundations dedicated to relief, growth, music, vaccines & immunization, South Africa, the Caribbean, climate, and the United States.

Product overview

ELMA Philanthropies is a philanthropy organization that provides advisory services to The ELMA Group of Foundations. It does not offer technology products or software services. The organization operates multiple foundations focused on improving lives of children and families in Africa, including The ELMA Foundation, The ELMA Relief Foundation, The ELMA Growth Foundation, The ELMA Music Foundation, The ELMA Vaccines & Immunization Foundation, and others. These foundations make grant investments in various programs but do not provide technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The ELMA Foundation Foundation portfolio that invests in organizations improving the lives of children in Africa, including HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, ECD, and education partners.
• The ELMA Relief Foundation Foundation portfolio that invests in crisis response, recovery, and resilience efforts with an emphasis on children in Africa, including responses in Haiti and Sudan.
• The ELMA Growth Foundation Foundation portfolio that invests in the growth of African organizations serving communities experiencing economic hardship, including social enterprises and agricultural models.
• The ELMA Music Foundation Foundation portfolio that funds music programs to improve youth outcomes in the United States and South Africa, including the Music and Youth Development Alliance (MYDA).
• The ELMA Vaccines & Immunization Foundation Foundation portfolio that invests in expanding vaccine and immunization coverage in Africa, including support for Gavi, WHO/UNICEF, mRNA manufacturing, and cold-chain programs.
• The ELMA South Africa Foundation Foundation portfolio focused on development and progress in South Africa, including ECD investments such as those with DG Murray Trust, FirstRand Foundation, and the Lego Foundation.
• The ELMA Caribbean Foundation Foundation portfolio focused on healthcare, climate resilience, and disaster response in the Caribbean, including post-earthquake pediatric hospital support in Haiti.
• The ELMA Climate Foundation Foundation portfolio that invests in organizations and initiatives combatting climate change, including support for the African Climate Foundation and the Tenure Facility.
• The ELMA Foundation (U.S.) Foundation portfolio that invests in organizations improving the lives of children in the United States, including music and youth development programs.
• Masana wa Afrika Independent African nonprofit foundation (spun out of ELMA in 2023) that provides multi-year unrestricted grants and capacity-strengthening support to community-based organizations delivering critical services to children across Africa; supports 110 organizations in 13 African countries.
• Beginnings Fund Co-led $500 million maternal and newborn health initiative aimed at preventing over 300,000 deaths and enhancing access to quality care for 34 million mothers and babies by 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• COVID-19 response reached 85 million people with USD 109.4 million across 29 African countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Beginnings FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Joint initiative of Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, Gates Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Molly and Bill Ford, The ELMA Foundation, and The Patchwork Collective. Aims to eliminate preventable maternal and newborn deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Masana wa AfrikaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Masana wa Afrika spun out of The ELMA Foundation's Community Grants Programme (ECGP) in 2023. Initial funding partners are Delta Philanthropies and The ELMA Foundation. Provides multi-year unrestricted grants and capacity-strengthening support to 110 organizations in 13 African countries.
• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in learning and evaluation for ECD investments in Uganda, providing measurement approaches and research support.
• DG Murray TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with peer funding institution for South Africa ECD initiatives, including Grow Great Initiative and National Program of Action for Children.
• FirstRand FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer funding institution partner for ECD investments in South Africa.
• Lego FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpactful partnerships with peer funding institutions including Lego Foundation for ECD initiatives.
• The Audacious ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TED, Bridgespan Group, Skoll Foundation, Virgin Unite, Dalio Foundation for collaborative philanthropy model.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elma-philanthropies/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/elmaphilanthropies
• Xx.com/elmaphilanthro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ELMA Philanthropies