THE CHARLES AND RITA FIELD-MARSHAM FOUNDATION

What THE CHARLES AND RITA FIELD-MARSHAM FOUNDATION does

The Charles and Rita Field-Marsham Foundation is a Canadian registered charity (BN 80145 2244 RR0001) founded in 2009 by Charles Field-Marsham, a Canadian entrepreneur with 25+ years of African business experience, and Rita Field-Marsham, a Kenyan-born lawyer. Headquartered in Toronto, the foundation operates as a grantmaking and program-delivery organization focused on education, health, and community development, primarily in Kenya and Ghana with supporting initiatives in Canada. Its go-to-market is community-led philanthropy described as "angel investing for people": the foundation identifies compelling ideas, takes early-stage risk on unproven projects, and both funds its own programs and advocates for partner-led causes.

The foundation's core programs include KenSAP (Kenya Scholar Access Program), a college access program that has placed 320 high-achieving, low-income Kenyan students at top North American universities with a 97% graduation rate; KEY (Knowledge Empowering Youth), a Canadian charity founded by Rita Field-Marsham in 2004 that has built 46 turnkey school libraries across Kenya; the Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nurse Training Program, the first specialized paediatric nurse program in West Africa, which trained 223 nurses in its first three years; the Amref Community Healthcare Workers Program, which trained 200 CHWs over three years and supported community health services; and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy partnerships, including a school library and girls' dormitory. Additional initiatives include Champion Taekwondo Kenya (a World Taekwondo Federation-registered facility in the Kerio Valley), the Glorious & Free Canadian identity book, and giving partnerships with the Art Gallery of Ontario, Ivey Business School, Grand Challenges Canada, Next Canada, and the Andre De Grasse Family Foundation.

The foundation is governed by a board of trustees comprising the co-founders, Marilyn Field-Marsham (former commercial litigator at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt), and Wandia Gichuru (former DFID and World Bank adviser). It does not accept unsolicited funding requests and is funded principally by the founders. The organization received a Library of Congress 2025 Literacy Award for the KEY program and has been profiled in outlets including BNN, Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Daily Nation, and Business Daily.

Name

THE CHARLES AND RITA FIELD-MARSHAM FOUNDATION

Legal name

The Charles and Rita Field-Marsham Foundation

Website

https://fieldmarshamfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Charles and Rita Field-Marsham Foundation is a Toronto-based Canadian charitable foundation that funds and operates education, health, and community programs in Kenya, Ghana, and Canada, including KenSAP college access, KEY school libraries, and paediatric nurse training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAH

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Education programs
• Community development
• Charitable foundation
• Health initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Giving and Program Funding: The foundation funds its own programs and initiatives while also supporting worthy causes created by other people and organizations. Their funding approach is characterized as 'angel investing for people', supporting inspired projects and providing grants to education and community development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Charles and Rita Field-Marsham Foundation is a Canadian registered charitable foundation that funds and operates its own philanthropic programs and provides grants to partner organizations. Its portfolio spans education (KenSAP college access, KEY school libraries), healthcare (Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nurse Training, Amref community health workers), conservation (Lewa Wildlife Conservancy), and community development initiatives primarily in Kenya, Ghana, and Canada. The foundation describes its approach as 'angel investing for people', supporting inspired projects before they are proven or popular.

Product overview

The Charles and Rita Field-Marsham Foundation is a charitable foundation that operates multiple grant-making programs and initiatives focused on education, health, and community development in Kenya and Canada. The foundation runs its own programs including KenSAP (college access for Kenyan students), KEY (school library construction in Kenya), the Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nurse Training Program, and Glorious & Free (Canadian identity book). The foundation also provides donations and support to various partner organizations working in health, education, conservation, and community development across Africa and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KenSAP (Kenya Scholar Access Program) A US and Canadian registered charity and one of Africa's most prestigious college access programs, helping high-achieving, low-income Kenyan high school graduates prepare for and gain admission to North America's most selective universities (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford) with full financial aid. 320 students served, 97% graduation rate, $80M in educational aid generated.
• KEY (Knowledge Empowering Youth Library Foundation) A Canadian registered charity and the first turnkey public school library program in Kenya, providing access to books and technology for school-aged children. 46 libraries built across Kenya's major regional blocs; partners with Kenya Law Reform Commission, Kenya Library Association, and Ministry of Education.
• Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nurse Training Program An intensive one-year program to equip nurses in Ghana with essential knowledge, clinical skills, and professional experience in child health—the first specialized paediatric nurse education program in West Africa. Partnership between SickKids, University of Ghana, Ghana Health Services, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
• Glorious & Free A 396-page coffee table book profiling accomplished Canadians, published in celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary, celebrating Canadian identity and values of freedom of expression. Co-founded by Rita Field-Marsham via Glorious&Free Inc.

Quantifiable outcome

• 320 high-achieving Kenyan students admitted to top universities
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SickKids (Hospital for Sick Children)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between SickKids, University of Ghana, Ghana Health Services, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to deliver the Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nurse Training Program - the first specialized paediatric nurse education program in West Africa. The program trained 223 Ghanaian nurses in its first three years with a goal of training 1000-1500 nurses over 10-15 years. Charles Field-Marsham served on the SickKids board and the foundation was a long-time champion of health initiatives.
• Amref Health AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmref Health Africa is the largest African-led international health organization, founded in Kenya in 1957. The foundation co-funded the Community Healthcare Workers Program in Kenya, which trained 200 CHWs to serve marginalized communities over a 3-year period. Amref operates in 35 countries across Africa.
• Knowledge Empowering Youth (KEY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEY is a Canadian registered charity and the first turnkey public school library program in Kenya, dedicated to giving school-aged children access to books. Founded by Rita Field-Marsham in 2004. The foundation has built 46 libraries and partnered with Kenya Law Reform Commission, Kenya Library Association, Ministry of Education, and others to draft Kenya's first National Policy for School Libraries.
• KenSAP (Kenya Scholar Access Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenSAP is a US and Canadian registered charity and one of Africa's most prestigious college access programs. Charles serves as chair of the board and principal benefactor. Since 2004, KenSAP has helped 320 Kenyan students gain admission to top universities with full financial aid. The foundation funded roughly 90% of KenSAP's budget for the first 10 years.
• Lewa Wildlife ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner62,000-acre community-based conservation initiative in northern Kenya. The foundation partnered with Lewa to create a library at Lewa Primary School and built a girls' dormitory for students. The conservancy is home to critically endangered black rhinos and provides community education, healthcare, and conservation programs.
• Ivey Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough partnership with Ivey Business School at Western University, the foundation has made International Travel Awards awarded to African students. These awards enable African students to attend Ivey and benefit from international business education.
• Grand Challenges CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Field-Marsham sits on the board of Grand Challenges Canada, an organization that supports innovative global health and development solutions.
• Next CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Field-Marsham sits on the board of Next Canada, an organization that accelerates the growth trajectory of aspiring and scaling entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, funding, and access to Canada's strongest entrepreneurial network.
• Champion Taekwondo KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded with Victor Luke, eight-time Canadian National Champion Grandmaster. The 4500 square foot facility is registered with the World Taekwondo Federation and promotes physical well-being, community spirit, and values of respect and humility in the Kerio Valley.
• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest art museums in North America with a collection of close to 95,000 works. The foundation supports AGO's mission to bring people together with art.
• M-Pesa Foundation AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRita Field-Marsham serves as a founding governor of the M-Pesa Foundation Academy, a school in Kenya.
• Andre De Grasse Family FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRita Field-Marsham serves as a founding board member of the Andre De Grasse Family Foundation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Segal Family Foundation: US-based family foundation that funds African-led community organizations across education, health, and livelihoods. Directly comparable in family-foundation model, African community focus, and emphasis on small-grant, high-conviction funding.
• Grand Challenges Canada: Canadian federally-funded innovation platform funding global health and development in low-income countries. Comparable as a Canada-based, Africa-focused grantmaker, though more innovation-focused rather than community-focused; also a current Field-Marsham board affiliation.

Direct peers

• Aga Khan Foundation (Canada): International grantmaking foundation operating across education, health, and civil society in East Africa and South Asia. Highly comparable in mission (education, health, community development) and cross-continental Canada-Africa operational footprint.
• Mastercard Foundation: Large Canada-based foundation focused on education and livelihoods across Africa. Directly comparable to Field-Marsham in Africa education focus, scale of programs, and Toronto governance footprint, though substantially larger in AUM and cohort reach.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based foundation focused on health research and global health, including funding of nurse training and community health worker programs in Africa. Direct overlap with Field-Marsham's Ghana-SickKids nurse training and Amref CHW initiatives, but at vastly larger scale.
• Rockefeller Foundation: Historic US philanthropy with longstanding programs in education, health, and African development. Comparable as a general-purpose grantmaking foundation with international footprint, but operates much larger programs than Field-Marsham.
• Ford Foundation: Major US-based international development and education grantmaker with deep Africa and education portfolios. Broadly comparable grantmaking function and global footprint, though with a much larger program portfolio and institutional staff.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The dominant global philanthropy in education and global health, including major African investments. Overlaps with Field-Marsham in education and health grantmaking but operates at incomparably larger scale and with a broader portfolio of priorities.

Others

• Acumen: Global impact organization using philanthropic and investment capital to address poverty in Africa and South Asia. Adjacent in mission but operates via impact investing rather than traditional grantmaking; useful peer for understanding philanthropic capital deployment in Africa.

Regional players

• Canada Fund for Africa: Government of Canada endowment fund supporting African-led development projects. Comparable as a Canada-based funder of African development, though government-administered rather than family-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxrJKWF8TdsgOXxPzdZOPaQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about THE CHARLES AND RITA FIELD-MARSHAM FOUNDATION