About us
The Russell Education Foundation is a New Zealand charity set up to open doors to education for learners and teachers in Aotearoa.
Who we are
We are a new foundation, registered with Charities Services in November 2026. We believe that where a learner starts out should not decide how far they can go, and that good teachers help make that possible.
Our purpose
Our purpose is to support education in Aotearoa New Zealand. We plan to do that in three ways:
- Grants and scholarships that help ākonga take up learning opportunities and help teachers grow their practice.
- Mentoring that connects learners with people who can encourage and guide them.
- Classroom resources that help teachers and schools give every learner a good start.
We are preparing our first funding round now. When it opens, we will publish who can apply, what we fund and the key dates on this website.
How we are governed
The Russell Education Foundation is an incorporated charitable trust board. We are registered with Charities Services as charity CC65322, and you can find us on the public Charities Register.
We are currently governed by our founding trustee, David Russell. We intend to appoint independent trustees as the Foundation grows, so that our decisions draw on a range of experience and perspectives.
As a registered charity, we file annual returns and financial statements with Charities Services, and these are available to the public.
Our values
These shape how we work and how we make decisions.
-
Enduring
We are building a foundation that will still be here in fifty years. We choose steady, lasting support over quick wins.
-
Warm, not grand
We are run by people who care about learners. We keep things human and approachable, and we lead with the learner, not the organisation.
-
Clear
Funders, whānau and schools should understand what we do at a glance. We use plain language and are open about how we work.
-
Crafted
We take care over the details, from how we design our programmes to how we look after the people who contact us.