Children with raised hands in a South African classroom An educator laughing with her students at story time A young boy smiling in a brightly knitted beanie Children dancing with arms raised in a window-lit classroom An albino student standing with her classmates at Kgololo Academy A mother holding her sleeping child at home Three children making peace signs and smiling at the camera A circle of young children pointing inward during a lesson A girl drinking through a climbing-net frame A young boy holding green balls, looking directly at the camera A girl writing in her workbook, focused and absorbed

Transforming the lives of children and families.

We partner with South African community-based organizations driving high-impact education, health and nutrition, and youth development solutions.

Three Pathways

We are committed to the following

Connecting
Changemakers

By connecting changemakers in the US with local changemakers in South Africa, we support the success of the children they serve.

Sparking
Solutions

Even Ground invests in hyperlocal, community-driven solutions on the ground.

Changing
Lives

Even Ground changes lives by investing in organizations that ensure children have adequate support from infancy to young adulthood.

Our Impact

Changing Lives

Investing in children as they grow and the families that support them.

0

Children supported in 2024

0

Nutritious meals per year

0

Partner organisations

0

Years of patient partnership

What We Address

Where We Make a Difference

The Issue

By age five, 90% of a child's brain is already developed. Only 40% of children in South Africa have access to early childhood development programs. The country ranks 139 out of 143 globally in quality of education.

Vision for Change

Even Ground supports projects ensuring high-quality ECD programs are within reach for all children and families in South Africa.

Success

Supporting 2,043 children through preschool programs. At Thanda, children borrowed 12,414 books through their mobile library.

A young child in an Even Ground partner classroom

Our Story

Two Decades of Partnership

Even Ground was founded in 2003 by a passionate group of students from the US and South Africa who recognized the transformative potential within South African communities. Initially founded to help address the educational, health, and social needs of children and families affected by HIV, the organization has expanded significantly over the last two decades to focus on education, health and nutrition, and youth development. The board members and project partners have grown and flourished, fostering valuable connections that continue to uphold the organization's initial vision and mission.

Beginning in 2024, Even Ground is intensifying its commitment to providing increasing funding and capacity-building support to select community-based nonprofit organizations in South Africa and beyond. With unwavering dedication from the founding members and the infusion of energy from new members, our collective commitment to connecting changemakers across oceans is the driving force propelling the organization to greater horizons today.

Read Our Impact Stories

Network

Our Partners

Our Board

Meet The Team

Annie Mullen

Annie Mullen

Rohan Nirody

Rohan Nirody

Bharat Ganju

Bharat Ganju

Jason Rostovsky

Jason Rostovsky

Scott Grinsell

Scott Grinsell

Justin Ari Martina

Justin Ari Martina

Andrew Klaber

Andrew Klaber

Rohit Sahni, portrait coming soon

Rohit Sahni

Jack Young

Jack Young

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead. Nelson Mandela

Become a Changemaker

Donate Now