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International giving · Oceania

Which US foundations give to New Zealand?

US foundations sent $60M to organizations in New Zealand across 481 grants, from 131 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.

The short version

The biggest funders, year by year

Each top funder of New Zealand with its total, and how that giving falls across the filing years — darker means more.

'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25*
GATES FOUNDATION$12M
MSIX20 FOUNDATION$11M
THE AOTEAROA FOUNDATION$10M
Friends of Ren Xue International Inc$4M
JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION$3M
GLENORCHY MARKETPLACE FOUNDATION$3M
THE THOMPSON FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$2M
THE WILLIAM & FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION$2M
The Coca-Cola Foundation Inc$1M
JOHN D AND CATHERINE T MACARTHUR FOUNDATION$1M
THE BLOOMBERG FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$1M
HARRY SINGER FOUNDATION$959k

* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.

Top US funders of New Zealand

20 grants · WA · 0.1% of its overseas giving

1 grant · WA · 100% of its overseas giving

52 grants · NY · 100% of its overseas giving

11 grants · CA · 95% of its overseas giving

8 grants · PA · 1.3% of its overseas giving

3 grants · WA · 100% of its overseas giving

New Zealand's dedicated funders

Foundations that send most of their overseas money to New Zealand — the specialists, not just the biggest checks.

Friends of Ren Xue International Inc$4M · 95% of its overseas giving
GLENORCHY MARKETPLACE FOUNDATION$3M · 100% of its overseas giving
THE THOMPSON FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$2M · 100% of its overseas giving
HARRY SINGER FOUNDATION$959k · 100% of its overseas giving

What the money funds

By the stated purpose of 480 grants that carry one.

General & operating support$16M

61 recipients

Food, water & agriculture$9M

15 recipients

Education & schools$8M

49 recipients

Research & science$5M

60 recipients

Health & medicine$2M

13 recipients

Economic & community development$1M

13 recipients

Children & youth$1M

8 recipients

Religion & faith$1M

19 recipients

Largest recipients in New Zealand

Spelling, accent, abbreviation, and language variants of the same organization are merged into one recipient. Organizations abroad have no US EIN, so this resolution is best-effort.

LIFE$11M

1 US funder · 1 grant

University of Auckland$5M

4 US funders · 31 grants

Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited$5M

1 US funder · 4 grants

Ren Xue International Charitable Trust$4M

2 US funders · 9 grants

University of Otago$4M

5 US funders · 15 grants

The Christchurch Call Foundation$3M

5 US funders · 5 grants

Who funds whom

The largest funder-to-recipient ties — which US foundation backs which organization in New Zealand.

MSIX20 FOUNDATION LIFE$11M
GATES FOUNDATION Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited$5M
THE AOTEAROA FOUNDATION University of Auckland$4M
Friends of Ren Xue International Inc Ren Xue International Charitable Trust$4M
GLENORCHY MARKETPLACE FOUNDATION The Headwaters Limited$3M
JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION University of Otago$3M

Where the funders are

The US states home to the foundations giving to New Zealand, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.

Notable grants

The largest individual grants to New Zealand on record.

MSIX20 FOUNDATIONLIFE · 2019$11M
GATES FOUNDATIONLivestock Improvement Corporation Limited · 2024$2M
THE AOTEAROA FOUNDATIONThe Gift Trust · 2024$2M
GLENORCHY MARKETPLACE FOUNDATIONThe Headwaters Limited · 2024$2M
JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATIONUniversity of Otago · 2019$1M
THE AOTEAROA FOUNDATIONUniversity of Auckland · 2022$1M

Questions and answers

Which US foundation gives the most to New Zealand?
GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of New Zealand organizations on record, with $12M across 20 grants.
How much do US foundations give to New Zealand?
131 US foundations have granted a combined $60M to organizations in New Zealand across 481 grants in the IRS filings on record.
What do US foundations fund in New Zealand?
The largest areas are general & operating support, food, water & agriculture, education & schools, by the stated purpose of the grants.

More from the funding graph