This paper is a joint production of the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) and the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI). The study is part of a project called Resilient Urban Communities (RUC), a collaborative African-German project that addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “sustainable cities and communities” and “quality education” through research and dissemination of knowledge related to the subject areas of “good governance” and “local government”. It encompasses research, networking, and education components. RUC aims to improve urban supply systems and infrastructure for vulnerable groups in deprived local communities and enhance the governance of African megacities. The research program of RUC focuses on social enterprises (SEs) and non-profit organisations (NPOs) as subsidiary social service providers and vehicles for participation and integration that contribute to the resilience of urban communities. JCPZ on the one hand collaborates with CAPSI because of their active role in working with both SEs and NPOs. CAPSI on the other hand collaborates with JCPZ to carry out the research using JCPZ SE and NPO samples. The findings of this study are based on preliminary findings from interviews with JCPZ officials, SEs and NPOs.