Appeal for Funding
The General Smuts Foundation has for the past 60 years been exclusively responsible for the preservation of Smuts House Museum and the Doornkloof property, including the koppie and obelisk commemorating Jan and Isie Smuts and family members. Although declared a National Monument, there has regrettably been absolutely no Government support for this exceptional South African Heritage site, nor does the Foundation have any Trust reserves at its disposal and has had to rely entirely on whatever sources of revenue it can muster, just to maintain the House and its grounds. Due to the closure of the Museum and its support facilities during the disasterous Covid lockdown, those resources have severely depleted, thereby rendering the Foundation's financial situation untenable. We stand in immediate danger of losing, not only the house, but with it, the great man’s library, which alone should be rated as a world heritage site on a par with that of Darwin, Churchill and Lincoln, to name but a few.
The “Friends of Smuts House” is a group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of the Smuts Museum through its fundraising fund raising activities. The Friends would like to urgently appeal to members of the public and organisations who admire and care about the legacy of General Smuts and his wife Isie, to assist the Foundation in this time of crisis. Any donations to it, great or small, would be gratefully received and put to extremely good use, as would any other support you might be able to offer. If you are able to assist, please click on the DONATE tab for details on how to proceed.
Thank You!
The FRIENDS OF SMUTS HOUSE would like to thank all those people who kindly donated money as a result of our appeal via the Jan Smuts Facebook group during the Covid lockdown period. Personal notes of thanks were sent to individual donors, except those who didn't supply contact details, and to whom we now extend our sincere gratitude.
If you have donated (and didn't supply your email address), or if you still intend to do so, please fill out the form on the DONATE tab so that we can send our personal thanks. Despite the response to our appeal during the Covid pandemic, which raised some R60 000, The Foundation remains in dire need of additional financial support so that any further donations will be gratefully received.
Additional Funding Initiatives
The General Smuts Foundation is registered as a Non-Profit Organisation. The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee members sponsor their time and skills to keep the legacy and history available to future generations. The Foundation receives no grants, nor financial assistance from government or private quarters. We wish to appeal to the history-loving public to contribute with donations, volunteering skills and sponsorships. We are also embarking on a Patron Programme to encourage both awareness and monetary assistance. Please download the Patron Application Form here.
Dowload Patron Form (PDF) ...
Other fund raising initiatives planned are the following:
- CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME
- OPEN AIR EVENTS
- VENUE HIRE
- VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES
