The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation

What The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation does

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation is a Canadian charitable foundation established in 1974 by Zeke O'Connor and Sir Edmund Hillary. It concentrates its programming in Nepal's Solu Khumbu region, serving the Sherpa community through three program pillars: education, healthcare, and the environment. Core programmatic assets include the Zeke O'Connor School (serving 270 students, with early development grades added in 2021), the Kunde Hospital (supported continuously for approximately 40 years), a medical scholarship program launched in 2001, a women's literacy program introduced in 2009, and reforestation initiatives.

The foundation is administered by a lean team of 5 employees based in Toronto under president Karen O'Connor, who assumed the role following the death of founder Zeke O'Connor in March 2021. Revenue is generated exclusively through charitable means — individual donations, event-based fundraising (including the "A Night IN for Nepal" virtual series launched in 2021 and a NextGen Committee), a recurring student sponsorship program priced at approximately $1,000 per student per year, and tourism-aligned partnerships with operators such as World Expeditions and Myths and Mountains. Online donation infrastructure is enabled through the CanadaHelps platform. No commercial products, technology platforms, or AI components are part of the operating model.

Name

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation

Legal name

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation

Website

https://thesiredmundhillaryfoundation.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation is a Canadian charitable foundation established in 1974 that supports Sherpa communities in Nepal's Solu Khumbu region through education, healthcare, and environmental programs, administered by 5 staff in Toronto.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid / International Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Humanitarian aid
• Education nonprofit
• International philanthropy
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals in Canada and the US, facilitated through CanadaHelps online platform and direct mail contributions.
2. Student Sponsorship Program: ONE Student ONE Family program where sponsors commit $1000 per year to support a student's education at ZOC School, covering tuition, staff salaries, supplies, and activities.
3. Fundraising Events: Revenue generated from ticket sales to virtual culinary events (Night IN for Nepal), annual gala dinners with auctions, and charity golf tournaments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation operates as a Canadian charitable foundation delivering education, healthcare, and environmental programs for the Sherpa people of Nepal's Solu Khumbu region. Its core offering is full operational support for the Zeke O'Connor (ZOC) School (the only STEM-focused secondary school in the region with tuition-free education from Early Development through Grade 12), continuous funding of Kunde Hospital operations, and the One Student One Family sponsorship program ($1,000 CAD/year per student).

Product overview

The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization founded in 1974 by Zeke O'Connor and Sir Edmund Hillary. The foundation operates as a single unified philanthropic program focused on supporting the Sherpa people of Nepal in three areas: Education, Healthcare, and Environment. Its primary activities include funding the tuition-free Zeke O'Connor School (STEM education from Early Development through Grade 12), providing 40 years of operating support for Kunde Hospital, funding medical scholarships for local students, and supporting reforestation projects. The foundation operates through donor sponsorship programs (One Student One Family), fundraising events (Night IN for Nepal culinary events, annual golf tournaments), and direct project funding. The organization does not offer technology products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• One Student One Family Program: A student sponsorship program matching Zeke O'Connor School students with Canadian and US donors, facilitating school newsletters and communications between students and sponsors. Full sponsorship is $1000 per year covering tuition and school costs.

Products and services

• Zeke O'Connor (ZOC) School Program The foundation provides full funding for the Zeke O'Connor School in Phaplu, Nepal — the only STEM-focused secondary school in the Solu Khumbu region — offering tuition-free education from Early Development through Grade 12 (270 students enrolled). Covers teacher salaries, building maintenance, supplies, laboratory equipment, library books, school excursions, and sports/recreation activities. Designed for impoverished Sherpa children who cannot otherwise afford quality secondary education.
• One Student One Family Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 270 students currently enrolled at ZOC School
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rotary Club of CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Fundraised for the establishment of the Zeke O'Connor School in Phaplu, Nepal. The Rotary Club helped name the school and contributed to its construction costs in 2010-2011.
• World ExpeditionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOrganizes trekking expeditions to the Everest region that include visits to SEHF projects. Guides like Bikash Rana lead supporter trips to ZOC School and Kunde Hospital.
• CanadaHelpscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform enabling tax-deductible charitable donations from Canadian and US residents. Provides secure payment processing and issues official tax receipts.
• NextGen CommitteecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth-led volunteer committee organizing 'A Night IN for Nepal' virtual culinary fundraising events. Co-chaired by Justin von Etzdorf and Susie McElhinney with Diki McElhinney, Nicole Hopkins, Luke Dunlop, Michelle Leroux, and Chef Harry Prosser.
• Sungabha NepalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the 'A Night IN for Nepal' culinary events, providing traditional Sherpa cuisine expertise and cultural authenticity to fundraising activities.
• Myths and MountainsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTour company providing knowledgeable guides for cultural tours in Kathmandu, including visits to Pashupatinath and Boudhanath temples. Guide Vinod Shakya leads educational tours about Nepal history and religion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Room to Read: Large global education nonprofit operating in Nepal and across Asia and Africa, building schools, funding scholarships, and publishing local-language books. A scaled comparison point for SEHF's ZOC School and scholarship programs.
• buildOn: US-based nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries including Nepal and provides adult literacy programs, a broader analog to SEHF's 17-school infrastructure footprint and women's literacy initiatives.

Regional players

• Possible (formerly Possible Health): Nepal-focused healthcare nonprofit operating hospitals and community health programs with international donor base; comparable to SEHF's Kunde Hospital funding model and Sherpa community health focus.
• One Heart Worldwide: NGO working to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in rural Nepal, with similar small-scale donor-funded health programming and educational infrastructure investments in remote Himalayan districts.

Direct peers

• PHASE Nepal: UK-registered NGO delivering integrated healthcare, education, and livelihoods support in remote rural Nepal, with comparable community-driven program model and donor base in developed markets.
• dZi Foundation: US-based nonprofit working in remote Nepalese communities on education, health, and income-generation programs, with a similar small-footprint model partnering with local communities to build schools and clinics.
• Nepal Youth Foundation: US-based nonprofit focused on child education, healthcare, and freedom from child labor in Nepal, operating nutrition homes, schools, and medical programs with comparable donor-driven international development model.
• Himalayan Trust: Sir Edmund Hillary's own New Zealand-based foundation operating in the same Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, building schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Most direct comparable given shared co-founder lineage, geographic focus, and program mix in education, health, and environment.
• Educate the Children: US-based nonprofit working in Nepal on education (scholarships, schools), women's empowerment, and income generation, closely matching SEHF's student sponsorship and women's literacy model.
• Karuna-Shechen: France and US-based nonprofit operating health, education, and environment programs in Nepal and the Himalayan region, sharing the international grantmaking foundation model with a Sherpa-region service area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thesiredmundhillaryfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sir-edmund-hillary-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation