South Africa Institute Race Relations (IRR)

About the Institute of Race Relations

The South African Institute of Race Relations, known as the IRR, is an independent think tank based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. A group of reformers founded it in May 1929 to improve relations between the country's race groups. Today it describes itself as a classical liberal organisation. It argues for individual freedom, equality of opportunity, property rights and a market economy.

The IRR is best known for research. It has published its annual South Africa Survey since 1948, and it also issues policy papers, opinion pieces and submissions to Parliament. Its work reaches a wide audience of readers, businesses and civil society groups.

The IRR bursary programme

Fewer people know that the IRR once ran one of the longest-running bursary schemes in the country. It began administering bursaries in 1936, first through the Bantu Welfare Trust, which was later renamed the Donaldson Trust. Early money came from bequests and donations, including the Robert Shapiro Trust for medical studies.

After the 1976 Soweto uprising, international funders gave much more. Donors included the German Academic Exchange Service, the Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Between 1986 and 2004, the IRR also managed about USD28.5 million in bursary money from the American aid agency USAID. By 2002, it had distributed about R76 million from all sources.

The results were remarkable. About 6 000 Black South Africans graduated from universities, technikons and other institutions with its help. Nelson Mandela received support in the 1940s that helped him to complete his law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. Bursars were chosen on merit by a central bursaries department, and the IRR also ran bridging programmes to prepare students for tertiary study.

What to know before applying

The IRR's published history says the programme concluded in 2022. At that point, the remaining bursary funds moved to independent specialist bursary fund managers. As a result, the IRR does not currently run a bursary scheme that students can apply to directly. If you want funding, look at the current bursaries on this site rather than relying on old listings of the IRR scheme. The historical programme did not tie recipients to employment with the Institute. Awards were made for academic merit and financial need. For up-to-date information on the IRR's research and history, visit its official website. Students who still want to study the history can read the IRR's published account of the programme. It shows how a private organisation helped open the doors of higher education during segregation and apartheid. It also shows how donors, trusts and companies worked together over many decades. That story remains a useful reminder of why bursaries matter in South Africa today.