Author and MC Rachel Kolisi has opened up about one of the biggest decisions of her career, explaining why she chose to leave the Kolisi Foundation and start a new chapter with the Falling Forward Foundation.
Kolisi recently sat down with Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast for a candid conversation about her journey. The episode, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, gave listeners a closer look at her passion for creating meaningful change and supporting grassroots organisations across South Africa.
The Falling Forward Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation launched by Rachel Kolisi. Instead of replacing existing charities, its mission is to collaborate with and amplify the work of grassroots organisations and community initiatives already making a difference.
RACHEL KOLISI WANTS TO SUPPORT EXISTING ORGANISATIONS
During the interview, Kolisi explained that one of the biggest challenges facing the non-profit sector is the lack of collaboration between organisations.
“The non-profit sector often works in silos, and there is very little collaboration that happens because organisations are after the same funding, and all doing amazing work, can sometimes become a very competitive environment,” shared Kolisi.
She said taking a break between the Kolisi Foundation and launching Falling Forward gave her a fresh perspective. As a result, she discovered many smaller organisations doing incredible work with very little public recognition.
“What I found during my break between the Kolisi Foundation and Falling Forward was that there are so many small, incredible foundations doing phenomenal work in South Africa, but have very little access to exposure.
And any kind of platform to be able to showcase the work that they’re doing in order to receive more support and funding.”
“I’ve been very privileged to grow a platform that does have a lot of eyes on it. I really want to showcase the phenomenal work that organisations are doing in South Africa.
“I’m not interested in reinventing the wheel. I’m not interested in creating more programmes. I think there’s more than enough programmes, but not enough eyes on the work that is happening.”
Rather than creating new projects, Kolisi wants to shine a spotlight on organisations already transforming communities.
WHY RACHEL KOLISI DECIDED TO MOVE ON
Although Kolisi said she loved her time at the Kolisi Foundation, she admitted that things changed as the organisation expanded.
According to Kolisi, the foundation became more structured and corporate. Consequently, she felt it was becoming harder to respond quickly when urgent community needs arose.
“I found that it was further and further away from the way I wanted to work in the non-profit sector and was becoming a lot more structured in the way that some of the bigger organisations are and in some ways losing the ability to see an issue and address an issue immediately, even if you’re able to.”
She explained that larger organisations often require lengthy approval processes before solving practical problems. However, she wants the Falling Forward Foundation to respond immediately when communities need support.
Kolisi also shared her hope of making it easier for ordinary people to get involved in giving back.
“The issues, not only in South Africa, but in the world, can feel so overwhelming, so impossible, and you constantly saying where do I even start … I want to create campaigns, I want to create opportunities for an everyday individual that wants to do good, can do good, whether that’s through volunteering or giving their resources and for the organisations on the receiving end of that I want them to know that a big issue for them, is a big issue for me to.”
She believes everyone should have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference, whether through volunteering, donating resources or supporting community initiatives.
RACHEL TAKES HER STORY ON THE ROAD
Meanwhile, Rachel Kolisi is inviting audiences into one of the most personal chapters of her life through the upcoming Rachel Kolisi Falling Forward Official Documentary Screening Experience.
Following each screening, attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Kolisi during a live fireside conversation. During the session, she will unpack the themes explored in the documentary and share insights on resilience, purpose, faith and moving forward.
The tour will officially begin in Pretoria on 12 August 2026 at 17:30. It will then head to Cape Town on 15 August, with two screenings scheduled for 12:00 and 17:30.
After that, the experience will travel to Johannesburg on 19 August at 17:30, before making stops in George on 26 August and Plettenberg Bay on 27 August.
The tour will continue to Durban on 10 September, followed by Windhoek on 13 September. Finally, the documentary screening experience will conclude with events in East London on 22 September and Gqeberha on 24 September.
Through both the Falling Forward Foundation and the documentary tour, Kolisi hopes to inspire more people to support grassroots organisations while encouraging everyday individuals to play a role in creating positive change.