What Kidscan Charitable Trust does

KidsCan Charitable Trust is a New Zealand-registered charitable trust (Charities Act 2005, CC10386) founded in 2005 by Dame Julie Chapman with a NZD 40,000 grant from The Guardian Trust. Operating from Auckland, the charity addresses child material hardship by providing food, clothing, footwear, and basic health products to children attending more than 1,500 partner schools and early childhood education (ECE) centres nationwide. Its core service portfolio comprises a Food Programme (nutritious breakfasts, snacks, and lunches, including a Government-funded ECE Food Programme), a Clothing Programme (fleece-lined jackets, shoes, socks, gumboots), and a Health Programme (headlice treatment and combs, with a dental programme planned for 2026).

The underlying technology is intentionally lightweight: a custom online ordering portal (order.kidscan.org.nz / KidsCan Portal) lets partner institutions order by the number of children supported rather than by box quantity, with food delivered termly and clothing/health products sent as needed. Distribution is centralised through a single Auckland warehouse that supplies the national network of schools and ECEs. Payments are processed via third-party gateways (WindCave, Flo2Cash), and donor-side analytics use Google Tags and The Trade Desk with UID2-based identity resolution.

The revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of a mature New Zealand charity: monthly individual giving ($30/month subscription), one-off donations ($10 food, $25 shoes and socks, $50 jacket and shoes), tiered corporate partnerships (Major, Associate, Business Supporters, plus Principal Partner Meridian Energy), community fundraising events, government grants (the ECE Food Programme is funded by the New Zealand Government), and legacy giving via wills. Government funding has represented approximately 1.7% of total funding over the past six years, with the remainder drawn from individual donors, corporates, and events. Customers in the beneficiary sense — partner schools and ECEs — number over 1,500, while the donor base is broad and diversified across individuals, corporates, and foundations.

Name

Kidscan Charitable Trust

Legal name

KidsCan Charitable Trust

Website

https://kidscan.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KidsCan Charitable Trust is a New Zealand charity that provides food, clothing, footwear, and health products to children in material hardship through more than 1,500 partner schools and early childhood centres nationwide, funded by individual donations, corporate partnerships, government grants, and bequests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Charity Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Child poverty support
• School nutrition programmes
• Charitable food provision
• Early childhood support
• Nonprofit welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenhithe

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly donors contribute $30 per month to provide a child with food, a jacket, shoes, socks, and health products. One-off donations are also accepted at varying amounts. $10 provides food items for breakfast, $25 provides shoes and socks, $50 provides a jacket and shoes.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships including Major Partners (tailored marketing, impact reporting, volunteering), Associate Partners (campaign support, regular reporting), and Business Supporters (annual or monthly donations). Principal Partner Meridian Energy provides significant support.
3. Government Funding: ECE Food Programme funded by the New Zealand Government providing food to up to 10,000 preschoolers at eligible early childhood centres. Government funding represents approximately 1.7% of total funding over the past 6 years.
4. Fundraising Events: Community fundraising events including runs, bake sales, quiz nights, and the annual Glow Run and KidsCanBall. Corporate sponsors like Trade Me, Cookie Time, and Kindo support fundraising efforts.
5. Gifts in Wills: Bequests through wills including percentage of estate, pecuniary gifts, specified bequests (stocks, shares, property), and residuary gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KidsCan Charitable Trust operates a set of charitable programmes that provide food, clothing and footwear, and health products to children experiencing material hardship in low-decile New Zealand schools and early childhood centres. Services are delivered free of charge to partner schools and centres, with funding sourced from individual donors, corporate partners, and government grants.

Product overview

KidsCan Charitable Trust operates as a charitable organization offering a coordinated portfolio of support programmes to address child poverty in New Zealand. The core offerings consist of three main programmes: Food Programme (providing nutritious meals and snacks), Clothing Programme (supplying jackets, shoes, socks, and gumboots), and Health Programme (delivering headlice treatment and combs). These are delivered through two delivery channels: School Support (partnering with over 990 schools nationwide) and ECE Support (supporting over 500 early childhood centres). The organization also provides supplementary services including a corporate partnership programme for businesses, a fundraising support toolkit for community fundraisers, and an online ordering portal for partner institutions. All offerings work together to remove barriers to learning by meeting basic needs so children can attend school warm, fed, healthy, and ready to learn.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Programme A free national programme that supplies food items to partner low-decile primary schools and ECE centres so they can provide nutrition to tamariki experiencing material hardship. Recipients are partner schools and ECEs serving children.
• Clothing & Footwear Programme A free provision of clothing and footwear items distributed to partner schools and ECE centres for distribution to tamariki experiencing material hardship.
• Health Programme A free national provision of health and hygiene products (including period products and head lice treatment kits) supplied to partner schools for distribution to tamariki in need.
• School Support Programme A bundle of KidsCan's food, clothing and health products delivered to participating low-decile primary schools, allowing principals to order and distribute through the KidsCan online portal.
• Early Childhood Education (ECE) Support Programme Delivery of KidsCan's food, clothing, and health products to participating early childhood education centres across New Zealand.
• Corporate Partnership Programme A tiered sponsorship offering (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) for businesses to support KidsCan's programmes nationally, with associated brand, staff engagement, and impact-reporting benefits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved attendance rates when schools become KidsCan partners
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• CrusadersflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRugby team featuring KidsCan's name on the front of their jersey. Players served BBQ breakfasts at partner schools, distributed tickets to families, and donated $5 from each retail jersey sale.
• Trade MeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising partner that supports KidsCan fundraising initiatives.
• Cookie TimeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising partner that supports KidsCan fundraising initiatives.
• Gathered HereminorOthersPartner offering free online will preparation for people wishing to leave a gift to KidsCan in their will.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lifewise: Auckland-based Methodist social services charity supporting people experiencing hardship with food, housing, and community support. Comparable Auckland-anchored social services with similar donor model.
• Barnardos New Zealand: Long-established NZ child welfare charity delivering services to children and young people in need, including early childhood and family support. Comparable mission of supporting vulnerable Kiwi children with overlapping school and community delivery channels.
• Auckland City Mission: Auckland-based social services charity providing food, clothing, and social support to families in hardship. Comparable food/clothing distribution model and reliance on community/corporate donations in the same geographic market.
• Plunket New Zealand: NZ's largest provider of services to support the well-being of children under five, including kōhanga reo and ECE outreach. Comparable in targeting the under-5 segment with health and developmental support.
• Foodbank New Zealand: National food rescue and distribution charity supplying food to community organizations across NZ. Comparable national warehouse-to-site distribution model feeding vulnerable populations, though broader than children-only.
• The Smith Family: Australia's largest children-focused charity supporting disadvantaged children through education-linked food, learning, and family support programmes. Highly comparable to KidsCan's wraparound school-based model of tackling child material hardship through partner schools.
• Variety - the Children's Charity New Zealand: NZ children's charity providing essentials (clothing, medical equipment, education grants) to disadvantaged children. Directly comparable to KidsCan's clothing/shoes programme and individual-donor fundraising model.
• Presbyterian Support Northern: NZ social services organization delivering family/whānau support, food banks, and community programmes across the upper North Island. Comparable community-led food and family hardship services.

Broad incumbents

• New Zealand Red Cross: NZ branch of international humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief, food, and community support. Comparable emergency response (Cyclone Gabrielle) and food distribution capability, with much broader geographic and programmatic scope.
• Salvation Army New Zealand: Large incumbent NZ social services and faith-based charity with national food, clothing, and welfare programmes. Comparable donor base and beneficiary overlap, but far broader remit beyond children.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KidsCanNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kidscan-charitable-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/kidscannz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kidscan Charitable Trust