Who We Are

The Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre is a non-profit organisation, established in 1999, that identifies, rewards, and promotes social innovation in public service and civil society.

Social innovations are public service projects that solve public problems in creative ways. Impumelelo unearths these initiatives through an annual awards programme.

The annual Impumelelo Innovations Awards has established itself as one of South Africa’s premier independent awards programmes. Since inception, Impumelelo has successfully completed nine awards cycles in which 1569 projects were submitted and vetted. Of these, 811 were evaluated, 293 received awards for excellence and approximately 120 were awarded certificates for being praiseworthy. These include initiatives from across the country that provide solutions to problems related to the provision of water, sanitation, food security, renewable energy, waste management, public works, housing, skills development, HIV/AIDS, the environment, justice and security, rural development, arts and culture, and education.

Awards and certificates of excellence are handed out at a glittering ceremony in
Cape Town, which has become a highlight of the calendar for government officials and politicians, development workers, academics,
NGO workers, community groups and ordinary municipal, and civil society citizens.

Impumelelo is part of an international network (known as Innovations in Governance and Public Action Liaison Group) of best practice that focuses on innovations in the public sector and it includes countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Kenya, the United States, the Honoring Nations, the Philippines and Chile. The network is funded by the Ford Foundation.