Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation: Evaluation of three programmes  

Date of work: 2025

“We were extremely satisfied with the work done by Trialogue. They were very knowledgeable and professional, and engaged well with us and our partners. Their insights have put us in a better position to strengthen our M&E framework.” 

–Zandile Ntuli (Head of Programmes) and Thandi Lekeba (Programme Manager), Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation  

The Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Trust was formed in 2004 as part of the Standard Bank Group’s black ownership initiative. The Trust enabled the establishment in 2016 of a nonprofit company, The Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation (the Foundation), as a separate legal entity from the bank’s corporate social investment. The Foundation supports interventions in early childhood development, schooling and post-schooling, with a focus on seeding and supporting programmes that make a difference to the plight of young people who are not in education, employment or training. 

In 2025, the Foundation engaged Trialogue to conduct a review of three partner programmes, in early childhood development, schooling and post-schooling. The aim was to understand the extent to which each initiative had achieved its intended outcomes and was aligned with the Foundation’s strategic priorities.  

The evaluations used a qualitative methodology, comprising a review of project documents and interviews with six to eight individuals per programme. Thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data and extract key insights which were triangulated with findings from the document review. While qualitative research carries an inherent risk of bias, efforts were made to mitigate this by engaging a range of stakeholders and comparing findings to project documents to ensure a balanced and inclusive perspective. 

Trialogue shared the evaluation findings with the Foundation as well as with stakeholders from each partner. Trialogue also provided overall strategic takeouts and recommendations for the Foundation. These have been used to enhance learnings and strength the M&E framework, including the Foundation’s role in programmes, what metrics will be tracked, and how success will be measured.