Minderoo Foundation

The Minderoo Foundation is an Australian charity organisation.

History

In 2001, Andrew and Nicola Forrest established The Australian Children’s Trust which evolved into the Minderoo Foundation.^[1]

In 2017, the Forrests donated $400 million to the Minderoo Foundation followed by another $520 million in 2020.^[2] In 2023, they donated $5 billion worth of Fortescue shares to the foundation, the largest single charitable donation in Australian history.^[3]

In October 2022, chief executive Andrew Hagger left the foundation and John Hartman, who had been the foundation's chief investment officer, took on the role.^[4] Under Hartman, Minderoo adjusted its strategy to work on fewer issues, have an Australia-first approach and a stronger focus on working with other organisations.^[5] A restructure of the foundation in April 2024 led to the axing of about 100 jobs and the consolidation of several international offices.^[6] In October 2024, the Forrests stepped down as co-chairs of the Minderoo Foundation but retained their board seats.^[7] Allan Myers, who had been on the board since 2014, took over as chairperson.^[8] In December 2024, the Minderoo Foundation invested $100 million to seed Future Generation Women, a new women-focused fund by Future Generation.^[9]