What is FRIEDRICH NAUMANN FOUNDATION?
FRIEDRICH NAUMANN FOUNDATION
Organisation, political education
- The DAAs declared to the IEC
R3 305 506 in total
July 2025 to June 2026
This donor gave the DA 7 donations worth R3 305 506, as declared to the (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.). They were made between July 2025 and June 2026.
About 95 of every 100 euros it got in 2023 came from that government, its accounts show. It is linked to the FDP, a German (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.). In South Africa it works with the DA, and it helps pay for Daily Maverick's Democracy 2026 election newsletter.
Who is behind it?
We found no owners or directors in an official register or in major news outlets.
What did the parties declare?
Every donation the DA told the (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) about, as the IEC published it, newest first. Cash and (Goods or services Things given to a party instead of cash. Examples are paying its bills, lending it things to use, or paying for a venue or staff.) are shown apart.
April to June 2026
- Cash
- None
- Goods or services
- R815 891
January to March 2026
- Cash
- R38 524
- Goods or services
- R693 055
October to December 2025
- Cash
- R1 107 148
- Goods or services
- R322 591
July to September 2025
- Cash
- R295 096
- Goods or services
- R33 201
What has been reported?
Daily Maverick27 October 2026
Daily Maverick says its Democracy 2026 newsletter "is supported with funding from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation". So the foundation that helps the DA also helps pay for some election news.
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (author William Sezoe)26 August 2026
An article on its website says many younger DA leaders came through the DA Young Leaders Programme, which the foundation supports. The same page, from August 2026, is an opinion piece on the DA's (Manifesto A party's written list of its plans and promises for an election.).
Read the report ↗Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)29 May 2026
The (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) said in May 2026 that its gifts to the DA were "foreign-linked" and "appear to be in line with permissible foreign donations". So the IEC found they seem to be allowed.
Read the report ↗Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)27 February 2026
The IEC said in February 2026 that the foundation and the Danish Liberal Democracy Programme are "regular donors to the party", meaning the DA.
Read the report ↗News2430 August 2022
News24 reported in August 2022 that the IEC said the DA's foreign donations that quarter were used for training or skills development.
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (audited by WirtschaftsTreuhand GmbH)
The foundation's audited accounts for 2023 show €83 755 628 in income. Of that, €79 992 471 was grants from Germany's national government. So most of its money is German government money.
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
Its 2024 annual report calls the FDP, a German (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.), "der befreundeten Partei". In English that means "the friendly party".
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
The foundation says its head office is in Potsdam, Germany. It says it has offices in more than 60 countries.
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
The foundation says it works in Africa from offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Abidjan and Dakar.
Read the report ↗Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
The foundation says that in Cape Town it works with DA (MP (Member of Parliament) A person who sits in Parliament, which makes South Africa's laws. They are not chosen in this local election.) and provincial parliaments, DA (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) and youth groups.
Read the report ↗Daily Maverick
Daily Maverick says no single donor gives more than 5% of its income. It says no funder or donor is involved in its editorial decisions, which means what it chooses to report.
Read the report ↗
Tap a year to see its reports.
Does it have documented links abroad?
CountryGermany
Less money from Germany in 2026
In July 2025, the foundation said its federal funding (money from the national government) would fall from 1 January 2026. It said its share would drop from 12.01% to 8.4%.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, 9 July 2025 ↗Why its share went down
The foundation said why its share went down. It said one reason was "the FDP’s results in the 2025 Bundestag elections". The FDP is a (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) in Germany. The Bundestag is Germany's (Parliament South Africa's national law-makers, in Cape Town. It has two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.).
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, 9 July 2025 ↗IEC called it a foreign donor
In May 2022, the (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) said almost all of the DA's donations that quarter came from abroad. It named this foundation as one of two such donors, and called it "a German foundation".
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), 30 May 2022 ↗Paid mostly by Germany's government
In 2023 the foundation got €83 755 628. Of that, €79 992 471 was grants from Germany's national government, its audited accounts show. That is about 95 of every 100 euros.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (audited by WirtschaftsTreuhand GmbH) ↗Linked to Germany's FDP party
The foundation's 2024 annual report calls the FDP, a German party, "der befreundeten Partei". In English that means "the friendly party".
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom ↗Helps pay for Daily Maverick reporting
Daily Maverick says its Democracy 2026 newsletter "is supported with funding from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation".
Daily Maverick, 27 October 2026 ↗