What we support and why
The Fletcher Trust aims to make a difference to New Zealand society and, in particular, to young people and their place and future within New Zealand and internationally. The Trustees' current philosophy is that, while many factors make up the country's social structure, New Zealand's future can best be ensured by the investment in education at all levels. The Trust therefore concentrates on supporting youth and educational programmes directed at the pre-tertiary level. The Fletcher Trust is not only involved in providing financial support to applicants, it also takes a strong position on the principle of giving. The Trust was a founding member of Philanthropy New Zealand, an association of Philanthropic Trusts in New Zealand. Information about obtaining funding for community groups and organisations can be found at the Fundview website, while the Breakout website provides details and guidance on awards, scholarships and grants for individuals. Education and Youth Development
The Trust has had a long association with programmes that assist New Zealand's youth to reach their full potential. Two of these programmes are PrEP and the First Foundation. PrEP
It engages all students in the design and operation of their own functioning community through integrating school curricula. In this community, students form their own government, hold jobs, and have market places for goods and services. Students run ventures in such professions as performing arts, publishing, community services, manufacturing, banking, civil service, broadcasting and many others. The PrEP learning model is designed to generate issues and problems for students to solve. These issues and problems arise as a consequence of the decisions students and their teachers make. They replicate those found in the wider community. The Fletcher Trust supported PrEP from 1991 to 2007, along with the highly successful Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), another initiative of the Enterprise New Zealand Trust, which teaches practical and theoretical business skills in secondary schools. If you would like to know more about PrEP, please contact them at:
Information about PrEP and other Enterprise New Zealand Trust programmes can be found on their website. First Foundation
First Foundation has a strong belief in the potential of partnership and simplicity of a hand up to make an amazing difference to someone's impact on their society. First Foundation brings together NZ businesses, individuals, schools and students in order to remove the barriers that NZ's most talented but financially disadvantaged students face. Please visit First Foundation's website to find out more about their programme: www.firstfoundation.org.nz Community
Requests for financial assistance from these community groups often outweigh the funds available. The Fletcher Trust looks for opportunities to fund activities that are linked to the objective of providing education and youth development. These include organisations involved in providing activities for the younger generation such as youth aid clubs and resource centres, as well as those that improve the environment and prospects for our children. Two major programmes that The Trust regards as key community projects are the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and Business in the Community. Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
In November 2001 The Fletcher Trust gave a major gift to the Sanctuary to fund the Kiwi Trail. The Te Mahanga Track forms one of the main routes through the Kiwi Trail. Careful attention has been paid to the grade of this track and the walkway to ensure that it is accessible to all. Visitors who take the popular 'nocturnal tour' are able to experience more of the uniqueness of New Zealand fauna and flora from the many vantage points along The Fletcher Trust Kiwi Trail. If you would like to know more about the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, you can visit their website. Business in the Community
The Business Mentor Programme makes available, free of charge, the skills and experience of people who have proven themselves successful in business. People in small businesses are very isolated and often they get bogged down in day-to-day operating details and forget to take a more strategic view. Business Mentors can help refocus and /or help small and growing businesses with specific advice. You can find out more information about the Business in the Community Charitable Trust on their website. |
Providing funds for educational and youth development initiatives has been a primary objective of The Fletcher Trust since its inception. Grants to establishments or organisations, such as universities, colleges and schools, include provision of fellowships, lectureships, scholarships and prizes, with an emphasis on assisting students to attain their full educational capabilities who, through hardship, would otherwise be unable to continue their training.
The Primary Enterprise Programme (PrEP) is an initiative of the 
One idea, five cities and 261 lives transformed. That's the simple story behind First Foundation, a unique educational trust founded to give young New Zealanders, with plenty of talent but few financial resources, a hand up to tertiary education.
At the heart of virtually every community in New Zealand are voluntary groups whose effort and energy are invaluable in fields as diverse as promoting youth, caring for the aged or providing vital emergency services.
The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected natural area where the bio-diversity of a square mile of forest is being restored just 2km outside the city centre of Wellington. The old Karori water reservoir catchment had been closed to the public for 120 years, but in the early 1990's James Lynch, then Chairman of the Wellington branch of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society, developed a conservation vision that would see fauna, flora, habitats and processes representative of an indigenous lowland forest restored to the managed area. Run by a charitable community trust, the objective is to develop a major education, research and recreational site for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
Business in the Community is a concept founded in the UK in the late 1970s and was introduced into New Zealand in 1991. Established with the support of successful New Zealand companies and organisations, the objective is to stimulate business survival, growth and employment generation. It achieves this by mobilising the resources, business skills, experience and information of successful businesses for the benefit of struggling and growing enterprises.