fairgroundfoundation

What fairgroundfoundation does

Fairground Foundation is a New Zealand-registered not-for-profit established in 1993 by Malcolm Rands, operating a hybrid model in which a percentage of profits from the philosophically aligned commercial business ecostore (co-founded by Rands) funds the foundation's charitable programmes. Its mission is to address social and environmental problems through direct, project-based intervention rather than conventional grant-making.

The foundation runs two core initiatives. Bucket is a mobile-first digital fundraising platform that connects individual donors and Giving Circles directly with flora and fauna conservation projects in New Zealand, offering transparent impact tracking and project-specific funding. Bumpspace is a sustainable urban housing development concept, with the first site planned for Auckland, designed to combine affordability, green building, and intentional community design; the foundation intends to share the resulting intellectual property with other developers to encourage replication.

Go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer: the foundation relies on content marketing (website, blog), email newsletters, social media, TEDx-style public speaking, and grassroots events to build awareness and donor engagement. There is no headcount disclosure, no disclosed revenue, no external institutional funding, and no proprietary AI technology. Strategic and operational governance is provided by a small board of trustees with senior backgrounds in investment management, financial consulting, energy retail, and Maori governance.

Name

fairgroundfoundation

Legal name

Fairground Foundation

Website

https://fairground.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Fairground Foundation is a New Zealand not-for-profit, founded in 1993 and funded by profits from ecostore, that runs Bucket (a conservation crowdfunding platform) and Bumpspace (a sustainable urban housing development), serving conservation groups, donors, and urban residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Conservation fundraising platform
• Sustainable urban housing
• Community development programs
• Environmental nonprofit services
• Donor engagement platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Profit sharing from ecostore: A percentage of profits from the commercial business ecostore (co-founded by Malcolm Rands in 1993) funds the not-for-profit Fairground Foundation. This sustainable partnership model provides ongoing operational funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fairground Foundation develops and operates two main initiatives: Bucket, a digital fundraising platform that connects donors directly with flora and fauna conservation projects in New Zealand through Giving Circles; and Bumpspace, a sustainable, affordable inner-city housing development concept in Auckland that integrates community-building design. The foundation is funded by a percentage of profits from ecostore, a philosophically aligned commercial business co-founded by the same founders.

Product overview

Fairground Foundation operates two main products: Bucket and Bumpspace. Bucket is a fundraising platform focused on conservation efforts in New Zealand, enabling donors to connect directly with projects, join Giving Circles, and track their impact. Bumpspace is an innovative housing development concept that aims to create sustainable, affordable, and community-oriented urban living spaces. Both initiatives align with the Foundation's mission to tackle social and environmental issues through courageous leadership and practical action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bucket: A fundraising platform connecting donors with conservation projects in New Zealand, focusing on flora and fauna.
• Bumpspace

Products and services

• Bucket A mobile-first digital fundraising platform connecting individual donors directly with flora and fauna conservation projects in New Zealand. Features include Giving Circles for community-based giving and transparent impact tracking so donors can see exactly how their contributions are used by conservation groups.
• Bumpspace A sustainable inner-city housing development concept that creates affordable, green residential buildings designed to encourage strong community connections through intentional architectural design (communal spaces, maximum three storeys). The Intellectual Property will be shared with any other developer that wants to follow suit, with commercial profits used to fund further foundation work.

Quantifiable outcome

• First net zero-energy commercial building in New Zealand (ecostore with Vector solar panels)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vector LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2013, Fairground Foundation partnered with Vector Ltd to install 48 solar panels on the roof of ecostore in Freemans Bay, making it the first net zero-energy commercial building in New Zealand. This partnership demonstrates commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.
• Auckland Regional CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2004, Fairground Foundation worked alongside Auckland Regional Council to study the viability of an Auckland-based carpooling scheme after raising $500,000. Although the idea did not take flight, lessons learned benefited future projects.
• Ponsonby Intermediate SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 1999, Fairground Foundation partnered with a local intermediate school to create an organic garden on school grounds. The project ran for 10 years and allowed countless young people to learn about gardening and natural food options.
• Ethical partners for BumpspacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairground Foundation is working with ethical partners to create the first Bumpspace development in Auckland - a sustainable, green, affordable housing development that encourages community connection. The Intellectual Property will be shared with any other developer that wants to follow suit.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Forest & Bird (Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand): New Zealand's leading independent conservation organization protecting native wildlife and habitats. Direct peer in NZ conservation grantmaking and donor engagement, the same market Bucket targets.
• Givealittle (by the Arts Foundation / Spark Foundation): New Zealand's largest online fundraising platform connecting donors with individuals, charities and causes. Direct peer to Bucket as a digital donor-to-cause platform serving the same NZ market.
• Predator Free 2050 / PFNZ Trust: A New Zealand initiative with Department of Conservation ties focused on predator control and native species protection. Overlaps directly with Bucket's flora and fauna conservation focus, and Neil Cole has DoC relationships that bridge both organizations.
• WWF-New Zealand: Major international conservation NGO operating in NZ focused on species and habitat protection. Competes for the same donor pool that Bucket targets for NZ flora and fauna conservation giving.
• Community Housing Aotearoa: New Zealand's umbrella organization for community housing providers. Direct peer to Bumpspace's affordable, community-focused urban housing development mission in NZ.
• Habitat for Humanity New Zealand: International nonprofit building affordable housing with community involvement. Comparable to Bumpspace's affordable, community-oriented housing development model, particularly relevant given shared focus on dignified, sustainable homes.

Emerging players

• Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood: An established sustainable co-housing community in Auckland built on permaculture principles. Direct conceptual peer to Bumpspace, demonstrating both the viability and the niche scale of intentional sustainable community housing in NZ.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation North (formerly ASB Community Trust): One of New Zealand's largest philanthropic foundations distributing grants across community, conservation, and social causes. Peer in the NZ grantmaking foundation space where Aaron Drew serves on investment committees.
• GlobalGiving: International crowdfunding and grantmaking platform connecting donors with nonprofit projects worldwide. Broader incumbent peer to Bucket's direct-to-donor conservation funding model, though at much greater scale.

Others

• ecostore: The affiliated commercial business funding Fairground Foundation through a percentage of profits. Listed as OTHERS rather than peer because it is the foundation's funding source and sister entity, not a competing or comparable organization in the same activity space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fairground.foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairground-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 fairgroundfoundation