How One Foundation Is Tackling South Africa's Education Crisis

I first came to know Trevor Noah through the pages of his 2018 memoir Born a Crime. The memoir was captivating in the way only honest storytelling can be. It portrayed an image of a boy born into illegality under apartheid, raised by a fiercely determined mother who believed education could rewrite destiny.

I followed Noah’s career from his rise in comedy to his global prominence as host of The Daily Show and the Grammy Awards. When news broke that he was stepping away from the Grammys after five consecutive years, I ended up scrolling through tributes and throwbacks.

That's when I stumbled upon a LinkedIn post from the Trevor Noah Foundation about the Khulani Nathi Innovation Fund, promising a new chapter. I had no idea such an organization existed.

It turns out, it had been around since 2018, the same year I read his book. The foundation launched quietly that April in a school hall in Johannesburg, South Africa, surrounded not by celebrities, but by learners, teachers, and grassroots organizations.

Noah later described it as one of the happiest days of his life.

A Gift Born from Experience

Founded in 2018, the Trevor Noah Foundation is changing education philanthropy in South Africa through a community-centered, teacher-led approach.

Inspired by Noah’s upbringing under apartheid and his mother’s belief in education as a path to freedom, the foundation works to strengthen schools, empower educators, and expand opportunities for youth.

The Trevor Noah Foundation is, in Noah's own words, "an ode to the greatest gift I have ever received: learning." It is inspired by his love for education, for giving young people opportunities, and for honoring the teachers who shaped him.

South Africa has one of the most unequal education systems in the world, shaped by decades of apartheid that left millions in underserved townships and rural communities, far from economic opportunity and inadequate access to education.

His vision for South Africa is simple but ambitious: that each generation builds and grows beyond its predecessor. The higher the level of education, he argues, the greater the chance young people have of establishing a future for themselves and, collectively, of building a better South Africa.

The Trevor Noah Foundation exists to turn that idea into reality.

Building from the Ground Up

The Trevor Noah Foundation began in 2018 with a single partner school in Johannesburg, supporting orphaned youth through infrastructure upgrades, digital skills training, career guidance, and mental wellness programs, reaching over 500 students and 50 teachers.

By 2019, an impact study led to a calculated shift toward teacher development, recognizing educators as the greatest multipliers of change.

This approach shaped the 2020 launch of Education Changemakers, a leadership program that has since supported more than 300 education leaders across 30 African countries.

The Khulani Schools Program

By 2021, the Trevor Noah Foundation had onboarded three new schools under its flagship Khulani Schools Program and opened digital learning centers at each site. It also launched the Faranani Infrastructure Project, which addresses poor school infrastructure while tackling youth unemployment.

The project employs young people not in education, employment, or training to build community facilities. It is a model that solves two problems at once: creating jobs and creating spaces where learning can prosper.

The Khulani Schools Program has grown steadily since then. Today, the foundation supports 19 schools across three communities, directly impacting more than 13,000 students and 500 educators annually.

The program is community-driven, partnering with secondary schools and their primary school feeders within a single community. The program strengthens both primary and secondary education through literacy, numeracy, leadership development, digital skills, and student wellbeing.

The foundation also supports township economies by procuring building and classroom supplies from local small businesses, putting money back into the communities it serves. This serves as a reminder that education does not exist in a vacuum. When schools thrive, communities thrive.

The results speak for themselves.

Image credit: Trevor Noah Foundation

Khulani Nathi Innovation Fund

But the Trevor Noah Foundation is thinking beyond particular schools. In April 2025, at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, Noah announced the establishment of the Khulani Nathi Innovation Fund.

Named after the isiXhosa phrase meaning "we grow together," the fund is a R30 million ($1.75 million) venture philanthropy initiative providing flexible, unrestricted funding to South African education nonprofits advancing teacher development and youth opportunity pathways.

The fund addresses a critical gap in South Africa's philanthropic landscape, where flexible capital remains scarce despite evidence of its effectiveness.

This approach is especially urgent given the demographic realities ahead. Research indicates that 50% of South African teachers will retire by 2040. Meanwhile, by 2050, one in three young people globally will be African.

Microsoft has backed the fund with an additional $2 million contribution, signaling strong partner confidence in the model.

Beyond Borders

The foundation's work also extends into global advocacy. In December 2025, the Foundation published a vision statement on inclusive education, outlining recommendations for funders, NGOs, and governments to create truly inclusive learning environments by 2030.

Through it all, the Trevor Noah Foundation has remained grounded in the communities it serves.

In 2025, it completed a community hall at Eqinisweni Secondary School, built by local youth through the Faranani Infrastructure Project.

The Next Chapter

As Noah steps away from the Grammys and into new chapters of his career, the Trevor Noah Foundation he launched seven years ago is stepping into its own. It is no longer just about one school in Johannesburg or one comedian's gratitude for the teachers who believed in him. It is about reimagining how young people across Africa learn, acquire skills, and harness the curiosity necessary to lead the next generation.

"I want the Trevor Noah Foundation to be known for transforming the lives of youth and shining a light on the incredible potential of African young people," Noah said at the Skoll Forum. "Everyone has the power to make an extraordinary impact. I'm calling on you to join us in this movement."

For those of us who first met Trevor Noah through his words, it is fitting that Trevor Noah Foundation's work is rooted in the same principle his mother taught him: that education is not just a gift, but a right, a tool, and a pathway to freedom.

The Trevor Noah Foundation is proving that when young people are empowered by quality education, they do not just dream of a better future.

They build it.