Philanthropy at Korowa

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give – Winston Churchill

It is through your generosity, that the Foundation together with the School Council, have been able to support the continued development of the School’s facilities, enhancing teaching and learning opportunities, along with supporting the scholarship and bursary program, which provides opportunities for students to attend or remain at Korowa who may otherwise not be able.

The Foundation has assisted in the development of new and improved facilities that have recently included the Junior School Science Laboratory and the Ceramics Studio both of which opened in 2022. The Foundation awarded the Jean Barnfather Memorial Scholarship in 2023 – a means-tested Scholarship that will enable a student, who otherwise would not be able to attend the School, to experience all the benefits of a Korowa education.

Please join us in our vision to continue to create a school, that not only exhibits strong values, but encourages students, in all their diverse talents and aspirations, to achieve the very best educational outcome – an outcome that enables them to move confidently into the next stage of their lives and make a difference to their world.

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The Korowa Foundation

Purpose

The Korowa Foundation was established in 1990 with the purpose of raising funds to establish a corpus for the School that allows investment income to be generated with some of this being reinvested and some being distributed towards building projects or Library acquisitions in the School. It also allows for the provision of Foundation Bursaries and Scholarships that enables students, who otherwise would not be able to attend the School, the opportunity to receive the benefits of all that an education at Korowa has to offer.

The Foundation’s fundamental mission is to support Korowa’s educational offering and all distributions must directly benefit the students and staff in their academic, sporting or cultural endeavours.

Funds

The Building Fund, Library Fund and Scholarship Fund come under the auspices of the Foundation. All donations to these funds are fully tax deductible. The Foundation also administers the Endowment Fund, the Jessie Patrick Bequest Society, capital appeals and the Annual Giving Appeal. The Foundation is also a member of the Australian Sports Foundation that enables donors to obtain a tax deduction by donating to a particular sport in the School.

Members

Donors become members of the Foundation under the following categories (these are based on the cumulative amount that is given):

Membership CategoriesNumber of Members
Associate Fellow$5000+127
Fellow$10,000+53
Senior Fellow$25,000+9
Trustee$50,000+6
Companion$100,000+2
Benefactor$250,000+2
Patron$500,000+2

The Korowa Foundation consists of a Board of Directors:

Foundation Directors

Sandra Ivory (Clark, Class of 1967)
Chair
Sandra is, like all Directors of the Foundation, a generous donor and passionate advocate for the advancement of the School. She is the Managing Director of a family group of companies mainly dealing in the commercial leasing of industrial property. She is a former Member of the Board of Governors, Ivanhoe Grammar School and Christ Church Grammar School.

John Carson
Director (Past Parent)
John, a licensed Estate Agent and Auctioneer, was a founding Director of Commercial Real Estate firm Teska & Carson, 1989 – 2005. He now runs a successful residential property development firm operating on the Mornington Peninsula. John has had over 30 years’ experience in the real estate industry. John’s two daughters graduated from Korowa in 2015 and 2018.

Kent Sutherland
Director (Past Parent)
Kent is the Head of Equities at Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC), the investment manager for public authorities of Victoria. He has been at VFMC since 2004. Kent has over 25 years of investment experience gained through a number of finance and investment related roles in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Luxembourg. Kent’s daughter graduated in 2021.

Margaret Hill (Class of 1968)
Director
Margaret enjoyed a 40 year career in stockbroking until her retirement in 2011. Margaret was the first female appointed to the role of Private Client Investment Adviser at Ord Minnett Ltd. She was Vice President of Women in Finance and is the inaugural former President of the Jessie Patrick Bequest Society. Margaret is a former Korowa School Council Member and continues her involvement with Korowa today through her membership of the Korovian Club Committee and the Foundation.

Bobby Deng
Director (Current Parent)
Bobby has worked in the Banking and Finance industry for over 10 years in Private Banking, Credit Risk Management and Business Banking roles. He holds a Master of Accounting, Bachelor of Economics and Finance and CFA Level 2 degrees. Bobby’s most recent appointment was as a Relationship Manager at Credit Suisse Private Bank. In this role, he partnered with business entrepreneurs, corporate executives and high net worth individuals and families. His areas of specialisation include Financial Market Investments, Strategic Asset Allocation, Debt Structuring and Wealth Planning.

David Blumenthal
Director
David is currently the CEO of the Gill Family Group. GFC is the private family office of the Gill family. The group has a long track record of business and development activities and holds a diverse portfolio of property and investment-related interests. David is a current parent with two daughters in the Junior School. David has had an extensive career in the finance sector. He is an accomplished senior executive with a proven track record in C-suite management positions, principal investment, private equity and mergers and acquisitions. His broad commercial and technical know-how gained in multiple sectors and diverse industries including real estate, construction, technology and financial services are of great benefit to the Foundation.

Frances Booth
Director
Frances was appointed as Korowa’s tenth Principal in September 2022. The Foundation’s Constitution automatically makes the Principal a Director of the Foundation.