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Donate during your Lifetime


Start a satisfying journey and become a donor during your lifetime. Your gift will support your chosen charity or charities.


Donations can be of any size - you do not need to be wealthy to give.


Donations can be added to the Southland Impact Fund or added to one of our existing Special Purpose Endowment Funds, the choice is yours.


Any donation is welcome and will be added to the Southland Impact Fund which is managed by the Southland Foundation Trustees.


Donations of $100,000 and over, Named Fund privileges will apply which means you can choose which charities receive annual distributions from your Named Fund.


Giving during your lifetime could qualify for a 33.3% tax credit.

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Creating a Legacy

Leaving a gift in your will (bequest) is a wonderful way to create an enduring legacy without impacting on your current financial needs. Our team will work closely with you and your family to ensure that your giving objectives are met in perpetuity.

You can also choose to keep your descendants aware of the grant-making, ensuring they stay connected to the impact of your generosity.

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Named Endowment Fund

A Named Endowment Fund is an alternative to establishing your own Foundation or Trust as a vehicle to facilitate your giving, during your lifetime or as a gift in your will.


A Named Endowment is a personalised fund set up by an individual, couple or a family.

You may wish to make a gift for the benefit of your community by leaving a percentage of your estate or a specified sum in your will to the Southland Foundation, knowing that it will keep giving forever.

Legacies can also be left to the Southland Impact Fund. This fund is distributed to worthy causes in Southland and entirely managed by our passionate team of trustees.

You can also choose to gift to an existing Named Endowment Funds which have specific purposes that may align with your own passions for giving in the Southland region.

  1. The Donor will discuss options for a fund with the Southland Foundation.

  2. The minimum required to set up a fund is $100,000.

  3. The Donor chooses to leave a gift in their will or to give it now and may be eligible for a 33.3% tax credit (up to the value of their taxable income).

  4. The Donor selects the causes/charities to support or allows the Southland Foundation to identify the greatest needs in the community each year.

  5. The Donor chooses the name of the fund.

  6. A Named Endowment Fund is established with the signing of a memorandum of wishes. A simple clause will be added to your will (MOW for a family trust) that will come into effect after death or when you begin living giving.

  7. Donations are pooled and invested in perpetuity.

  8. Investment returns are distributed to the causes or charities nominated in the memorandum of wishes.
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Transfer a Trust

It is getting harder to be a Trustee in New Zealand. Risks are rising, costs and obligations are regularly expanding, and Trustees are becoming increasingly accountable.

Through Trust resettlement, Southland Foundation offers a simple solution for management around compliance, investments, effective grant making and more. It is a simple way of winding up a trust while maintaining the original purpose and legacy of the Trust.

We have the existing governance, investment, and management structures already in place to create economies of scale and maximise returns to your beneficiaries.

  1. Your trust or organisation sets up a Named Fund with the Southland Foundation. The name of this could be similar to your current name or something new.

  2. You set the purpose of the new fund, which would most likely align with your original purpose.

  3. You decide on a distribution method. This may be through our existing distribution committee or through your own bespoke committee.

  4. The Southland Foundation takes care of the governance, charity reporting, distributions, finance, and marketing.

  5. Your fund will be pooled with our other invested funds managed by professional advisors.

  6. A portion of the income is distributed each year to the community.


  7. The Southland Foundation produces annual reports of returns and distributions.
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Community Group Funds

Setting up a Community Group Fund with Southland Foundation is an effective way to provide a reliable and sustainable funding stream for the future.

A Community Group Fund is a special type of named endowment fund established solely for the benefit of your organisation. Southland Foundation accepts the responsibility of managing the fund and your organisation has complete control of what to do with the income.

  1. Your organisation establishes a fund with the Southland Foundation.

  2. The minimum required to set up a fund is $100,000.

  3. Donations are pooled and invested in perpetuity.

  4. The Southland Foundation protects the capital against inflation.

  5. Surplus income from investment is distributed back to your organisation for operational requirements.

  6. We work with your organisation to promote and grow the fund.
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Southland Impact Fund

Join us in making a lasting impact in our community by donating to the Southland Impact Fund.



Every contribution, big or small, becomes a vital building block for creating positive change and shaping a brighter future for all. Together, we can empower individuals and communities to become architects of their own success, creating ripple effects of positive change throughout our Southland communities.

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