Hawke's Bay Foundation

What Hawke's Bay Foundation does

Hawke's Bay Foundation is a registered New Zealand charitable trust (CC28009) founded in 2012 that operates as a community foundation serving the Hawke's Bay region, specifically Hastings District, Napier City, Wairoa District, and Central Hawke's Bay. The organization pools donations from individuals, families, businesses, trusts, and bequests, invests them in perpetuity through Craigs Investment Partners under a Statement of Investment Policies & Objectives (SIPO), and annually distributes investment returns as grants to local charitable organizations. Since inception it has accumulated $14M+ in endowment funds, gifted $4M+ to the community, and disbursed 540+ grants to local charities. The foundation runs an annual funding round with applications opening in early May and closing in early June, and grants are capped at $15,000 per donation unless approved by Trustees.

The foundation operates with a lean structure of three part-time staff and is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees that includes community-nominated members and representatives nominated by the Hastings and Napier mayors and the Hawke's Bay Law Society. It maintains a 1% administration cost ratio on fund value, indicating tight operational discipline. Core offerings include Named Endowment Funds (minimum $25,000 to establish), Community Funds, Scholarships, a Cyclone Relief Fund, and trust/incorporated society transfer services that allow small charitable entities to hand over compliance, governance, and grant-making responsibilities while preserving original intent.

The go-to-market combines community engagement, professional advisor referrals through the Legacy Partner Programme (targeting lawyers, accountants, and financial advisers for estate-planning conversations), and digital channels including a Stripe-powered online donation platform with recurring-gift functionality. The foundation is a member of Community Foundations of Aotearoa NZ (CFANZ), one of 18 community foundations across the country, and acts as Local Donation Manager for The Tindall Foundation, distributing an annual allocation to community-led initiatives. Donations over $5 are eligible for a 33.3% New Zealand tax credit, an important structural incentive underpinning donor acquisition.

Name

Hawke's Bay Foundation

Legal name

Hawke's Bay Foundation

Website

https://hawkesbayfoundation.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hawke's Bay Foundation is a New Zealand community foundation that pools donations, invests them in perpetuity through Craigs Investment Partners, and annually distributes returns as grants to charitable organizations across the Hawke's Bay region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Endowment Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable endowment management
• Grantmaking and donations
• Donor advised funds
• Philanthropic fund administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Hastings

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: The foundation receives donations and gifts from individuals, families, trusts, and businesses. Gifts are invested in perpetuity with the original gift preserved forever, while income from investments is distributed to local causes annually. Named endowment funds can be established with a minimum of $25,000.
2. Trust and Incorporated Society Transfers: Charitable Trusts and Incorporated Societies can transfer to Hawke's Bay Foundation for compliance, governance, and grant-making management, maintaining the original intent while handing over operational responsibilities.
3. Community Fund Management: Organizations can establish endowment funds with Hawke's Bay Foundation to provide long-term sustainable funding for their services and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hawke's Bay Foundation is a community foundation that pools charitable donations, invests them in a permanent endowment under a SIPO via Craigs Investment Partners, and distributes the investment income annually as grants to Hawke's Bay charitable organisations. It offers Named Endowment Funds (minimum $25,000), Community Funds, Scholarships, a Cyclone Relief Fund, trust/incorporated society transfer services, and a Legacy Partner Programme for professional advisors.

Product overview

Hawke's Bay Foundation is a community foundation that operates as a charitable endowment and grant-making organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is a smarter giving model where donations are pooled, invested, and grown in perpetuity, with the investment returns distributed annually to local Hawke's Bay causes. The foundation offers Named Endowment Funds, Community Funds, Cyclone Relief Fund, Scholarships, and an annual funding round for community organizations. It also partners with The Tindall Foundation to distribute local donations. The organization provides a Legacy Partner Programme for professional advisors and manages trust/incorporated society transfers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Named Endowment Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• $14M+ in total endowment funds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Tindall FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawke's Bay Foundation acts as a Local Donation Manager for The Tindall Foundation, distributing donations to support community-led initiatives in Hawke's Bay. Each year, an allocation of funds is received to distribute locally in line with The Tindall Foundation's giving approach and focus areas including parents, carers and young children, equitable access to life's essential needs, identity and social cohesion, rangatahi empowerment and pathways, and resourced communities.
• Community Foundations of Aotearoa NZ (CFANZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFANZ is the national body for community foundations in New Zealand. Membership means Hawke's Bay Foundation meets professional standards of best practice, is governed by a local Board, is community-focused, and is building a permanent endowment fund. There are 18 community foundations throughout New Zealand.
• Craigs Investment PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationProfessional fund management partner that invests and grows gifts in line with the foundation's SIPO (Statement of Investment Policies & Objectives), organizational values, and commitment to creating better outcomes for communities.
• Legacy Partners (Professional Advisors)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional advisors including lawyers, accountants, and financial advisers who participate in the Legacy Partner Programme. They help clients build a philanthropic legacy in Hawke's Bay through estate planning and charitable giving strategies, introducing clients to effective giving opportunities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tindall Foundation: National grantmaking foundation that uses Hawke's Bay Foundation as a Local Donation Manager. Operates a distributing-foundation model with similar focus areas (families, young people, community resilience) and is both a partner and a peer in the NZ grantmaking ecosystem.
• Lion Foundation: One of NZ's largest gaming-derived grantmaking charities, distributing tens of millions annually to community groups. Comparable in distribution mission but funded through a fundamentally different revenue stream (gaming machine proceeds).
• Foundation North: One of New Zealand's largest community foundations (formerly ASB Community Trust), serving Auckland and Northland with a much larger endowment. Comparable model but significantly broader scope and scale, representing a large-incumbent benchmark.
• J R McKenzie Trust: National NZ grantmaking trust distributing funds to community initiatives across social justice, Māori development, and youth. Comparable as a perpetual philanthropic fund but operating at national scale rather than region-locked.

Direct peers

• Acorn Foundation: Hawke's Bay's other community foundation, operating an endowment-and-grantmaking model for the same region. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and local donor base, splitting the regional philanthropy market with Hawke's Bay Foundation.
• Nikau Foundation: Wellington region community foundation using the same permanent endowment model, also a CFANZ member offering named funds, scholarships, and annual grants. Highly comparable in structure and operating model, differing primarily in geography.

Others

• Perpetual Guardian: Major NZ trustee and wealth management firm that administers charitable trusts and provides philanthropic advisory. Functions as a competitive adjacent service for the trust-transfer and advisor-referral business that Hawke's Bay Foundation pursues.
• Community Foundations of Aotearoa NZ (CFANZ): National umbrella body for New Zealand's 18 community foundations, of which Hawke's Bay Foundation is a member. Not a peer in the operating sense but the industry association governing standards, accreditation, and shared identity.

Regional players

• Trust Waikato: Waikato-based community trust distributing grants from an endowment to local causes — a near-identical operating model to Hawke's Bay Foundation but serving a different region. Direct comparator on geography-shifted basis.
• BayTrust: Bay of Plenty regional community trust distributing grants from a sizable endowment to local causes. Same community-foundation/grantmaking model and CFANZ-style regional remit, providing a useful regional peer benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HawkesBayFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawke-s-bay-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hawkesbayfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawke's Bay Foundation