Soul City Institute

What Soul City Institute does

Soul City Institute is a South African non-profit organization (NPC) founded in 1992 and headquartered in Johannesburg, operating as an intersectional feminist organization focused on advancing social justice, gender equality, and youth development. The organization operates across all nine provinces of South Africa, with its brand reported to reach over 80% of the South African population. Programming spans a portfolio of initiatives including Soul Buddyz Clubs (youth-focused), RISE (women's empowerment), and the FLAC Fellowship, targeting community-level social and gender outcomes.

The organization has begun integrating technology into its programming through the rAInbow initiative, described as an AI-powered platform focused on safety solutions, though technical details are not publicly disclosed. It maintains a subsidiary called Soul City Broad-Based Empowerment Company (SCBBEC), which extends the organizational structure beyond the core NPC entity. The organization is led by CEO Phinah Kodisang and CFO Dr Dumisani Dlamini, with a reported headcount of 11-50 employees.

Soul City Institute's business model is that of a non-profit: it is funded through donations and grants rather than commercial revenue. Its customer/beneficiary base is broad and distributed across South African communities, while its funder base is undisclosed. The combination of three decades of brand equity, nationwide program distribution, and recent moves into technology-enabled programming positions it as an established social justice platform rather than an early-stage venture.

Name

Soul City Institute

Legal name

Soul City Institute NPC

Website

https://soulcity.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soul City Institute is a South African non-profit organization founded in 1992 that runs intersectional feminist programs addressing social justice, gender equality, and youth development across all nine provinces, reaching over 80% of the South African population.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy & Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)

Keywords

• Social justice advocacy
• Gender equality programs
• Community health mobilization
• Feminist leadership development
• Sexual reproductive health

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organisation operates primarily through donations from individuals and institutions. South African taxpayers can claim donations as tax-deductible expenses. The organisation also receives grants for specific programmes and projects.
2. Programme Funding: Funding for specific social justice, health, and gender equality programmes implemented across South African communities and provinces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Soul City Institute for Social Justice is a South African intersectional feminist non-profit that designs and delivers social change programmes combining popular mass media, social mobilisation, and civic advocacy. Its core offerings include edutainment television and radio series, community-based youth clubs, gender-based violence response programmes, and feminist leadership fellowships targeting young people aged 8-35 across all nine provinces of South Africa.

Product overview

Soul City Institute for Social Justice operates as a portfolio of social change programs rather than a unified technology product. The organization combines popular mass media and edutainment (Soul City Television Series, Soul Buddyz TV/Radio Series, Kwanda) with social mobilization through clubs (FLAC Fellowship, Soul Buddyz Clubs, RISE Young Women's Clubs) and advocacy campaigns (#YVote4U, Soul City Feminist Parliament, PhuzaWize). The portfolio includes safety technology partnerships (Safetipin, rAInbow) and response programs for GBVF (Karabelo, Kgalemelang, GBVF Fund, #SafeTaxisNow). Programs target young people aged 8-35 across South Africa's nine provinces, using a social change model that integrates media, community organizing, and civic participation to advance gender justice, sexual and reproductive health rights, and social justice. The organization also maintains internal tools like the Stakeholder Database for partnership management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FLAC (Feminist Leadership Accelerator for Change) Fellowship A 12-month transformational fellowship program that builds the capacity of young African women (aged 19-25) to lead social change in their communities, covering gender & healing, African feminist epistemology, communications & media, activism, SGBV & sexual reproductive justice, economic & climate justice, and a community accelerator project.
• Soul Buddyz Clubs School and community-based clubs for children and adolescents (ages 8-17) providing safe spaces for learning, leadership development, and social change; addresses South Africa's 'triple threat' of early pregnancy, gender-based violence, and HIV infections.
• RISE Young Women's Clubs Clubs for young women that provide space for learning, creating, and becoming leaders in their communities and schools; focuses on developing capacity to advocate for rights and participate in movements for gender equity.
• Soul City Television Series Flagship television drama series using popular mass media to promote and protect sexual and reproductive health and positively influence behaviours and attitudes of all members of South African society.
• Soul Buddyz Television and Radio Series Television and radio drama series for children and adolescents addressing key health and social issues through engaging storytelling and media content.
• #YVote4U Campaign Youth-centered civic engagement and accountability movement mobilizing young people ahead of elections, connecting community challenges including GBVF, unemployment, and service delivery to local government decisions.
• Soul City Feminist Parliament Advocacy platform that brings feminist issues to the forefront of political discourse and elections, evaluating political party manifestos on their commitments to marginalized groups.
• Karabelo GBV Response Programme A response program addressing gender-based violence and femicide through prevention, support, and advocacy initiatives.
• Kgalemelang Program focused on addressing gender-based violence and femicide through community mobilization and support services.
• Safetipin Project Project using technology to make cities safer for women by identifying safety factors, collecting safety data through community audits, and advocating with local municipalities for improvements.
• rAInbow AI-powered initiative focused on safety solutions using technology to support women and vulnerable communities.
• Kwanda

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% reach across South African population
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• eThekwini MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with eThekwini municipality for implementation of the Safetipin project in 2019. The municipality collaborated on addressing safety for women in public spaces, with young women in KwaMashu and KwaNdengezi trained to conduct safety audits focusing on taxi ranks and engaging with local civic representatives.
• #TheTotalShutdownminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with #TheTotalShutdown movement as part of the 2019 #YVote4U election campaign, bringing feminist issues to the forefront of elections and positioning women's rights agenda in political discourse.
• Corruption WatchminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the 2019 #YVote4U election campaign focusing on civic accountability and demanding political parties address issues affecting women, children, and marginalised communities.
• Country DutyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the 2019 #YVote4U election campaign, part of the Not Yet Uhuru digital platform for activists and women's liberation movement in South Africa.
• Not Yet UhuruminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Digital platform for activists and women's liberation movement, partner in #YVote4U election campaign bringing feminist issues to elections and connecting with broader women's rights movements.
• SafetipincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with Safetipin, a social enterprise based in Delhi, India that developed technology to make cities safer for women. Won the Womanity Foundation Grant in 2018 in support of projects improving safety for women in public spaces. Implemented Safetipin project in eThekwini in 2019 in partnership with eThekwini municipality, using technology to identify safety factors and empowering young women to conduct safety audits in their communities.
• National Department of Health (NDOH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with the National Department of Health for implementation of youth health programmes including HAST (HIV/AIDS, STI, TB) programmes, adolescent and youth health services, and Soul Buddyz Clubs roll-out in schools across provinces.
• Provincial Health DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with provincial health departments for programme implementation at district and provincial levels, including coordination of youth programmes, health facility partnerships, and community health mobilisation.
• Department of Basic EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Department of Basic Education for rolling out Soul Buddyz Clubs in schools and districts across all provinces, integrating health and social change education into school curricula.
• TikocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-African non-profit organisation focused on adolescent health, sexual and reproductive rights, and empowerment. CEO Phinah Kodisang serves as Board Chair of Tiko, demonstrating close organisational ties and shared mission alignment.
• IPAS GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organisation advancing reproductive health and rights. CEO Phinah Kodisang serves as board member, indicating strategic alignment in sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy.
• Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of the 9th Pan-African Adolescent & Youth SRHR Scientific Conference 2026. Soul City Institute participated with team members presenting oral and poster presentations on adolescent and youth SRHR research.
• Genesis AnalyticsminorOthersResearch organisation that conducted the Soul Buddyz Clubs (SBC) Impact Study, with findings presented at the RHNK Pan-African Conference on addressing South Africa's triple threat of early pregnancy, GBV, and HIV infections.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Treatment Action Campaign (TAC): South African HIV/AIDS advocacy organisation with strong grassroots mobilisation and government accountability work. Comparable in advocacy-led model, government partnership focus, and HIV-related health justice mission.
• Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation: South African organisation conducting HIV prevention, treatment, and adolescent SRHR research and community programmes. Comparable in focus on adolescent HIV/SRHR and partnership with national and provincial health departments.
• NACOSA: Networking HIV/AIDS Community of Southern Africa, a civil society network coordinating community-level HIV, GBV, and SRHR responses across South Africa. Comparable in community mobilisation, government partnerships, and youth-focused health programming.
• Sonke Gender Justice: South African NGO working on gender equality, GBV prevention, and men's and boys' engagement, with comparable SRHR and gender-justice programming across Southern Africa. Closely comparable in mission, target communities, and donor ecosystem.
• Tiko: Pan-African non-profit focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, of which Soul City Institute's CEO serves as Board Chair. Directly comparable mission, beneficiary cohort, and donor ecosystem, with pan-African geographic reach SCI is working toward.
• Section27: South African public-interest law and social justice organisation focused on health rights, SRHR, and access to services. Comparable in combining advocacy, litigation, and government accountability to advance social justice and health equity.
• loveLife (Lovelife): South African youth-focused health organisation combining mass media, digital platforms, and ground-level programmes for adolescents and young adults on HIV, SRHR, and GBV. Directly comparable edutainment-plus-mobilisation model targeting the same 8-24 age cohort.

Broad incumbents

• IPAS Global: Global reproductive health and rights organisation working on abortion access and SRHR policy. Comparable in SRHR mission and advocacy posture, with broader global geographic scope and more institutional policy focus than SCI.

Emerging players

• Grassroot Soccer: Youth-focused health organisation using sport-based programming to address HIV, GBV, and SRHR among adolescents in Southern Africa. Comparable target cohort and partial programmatic overlap, with a narrower delivery model.

Others

• Safetipin: India-based social enterprise using technology and safety audits to make cities safer for women; partnered with Soul City Institute via the Womanity Foundation grant. Adjacent technology and programme partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soulcity_sa
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoulCitySA
• Instagraminstagram.com/soulcitysa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Soul City Institute