We believe in giving back

15% of all fees go to the Simplicity Foundation which supports charities across Aotearoa.

Charitable donations to date

$14,173,662

About the Simplicity Foundation

Foundation story

The Simplicity Foundation was established in 2016 alongside the Simplicity business. From day one, 15% of KiwiSaver and Investment Fund management fees have been directed to the Foundation to support charities across Aotearoa.

Structure

The Simplicity Foundation is a charitable trust, and the ultimate owner of Simplicity NZ Ltd. It is run by the Foundation manager and a board of Trustees. As Simplicity grows, so does the funding available to the Foundation.

Giving approach

Our members help shape our giving priorities, and we focus our funding where it can have the greatest impact. Through long-term partnerships and targeted support, we back organisations and initiatives that create sustainable outcomes for people, communities and the environment.

Our impact

We believe meaningful change takes time. That's why we focus on initiatives that deliver lasting benefits. Since launching the Foundation, our giving has grown to millions of dollars each year, helping fund ambitious projects that create positive, long-term change across Aotearoa.

Our focus areas

We support charities across Aotearoa, with a focus on communities with the greatest need. Our funding is centred around three key areas - forests, futures and food. Because we want to support:

Thriving Te Taiao / Environment

We’re committed to protecting and restoring Aotearoa’s natural environment through large-scale native reforestation and predator control. Our funding prioritises long-term, high-impact projects that strengthen biodiversity and build climate resilience.

Environmental funding is delivered through national partners, rather than directly funding individual local projects.

Thriving Rangatahi / Young People

We want to help rangatahi move from education into meaningful, sustained employment. This includes programmes that keep young people engaged in education and create clear pathways into work, particularly for those facing the biggest barriers.

We’re interested in initiatives that deliver long-term positive outcomes, including job quality, retention and progression, and we recognise financial capability as an important skill alongside these transition periods.

Thriving Hapori / Communities

We work alongside communities facing hardship, with an emphasis on improving food security across Aotearoa.We back organisations and networks that help ensure people have reliable access to nutritious food, while also strengthening the systems that deliver and distribute kai effectively over time.

We continue to provide targeted support during the Christmas period to organisations supporting whānau in immediate need through our member-led giving campaign.

Who we've supported

Check out some of the Kiwi charities proudly supported by the Foundation.

Charity partners

Applying for grants

The Foundation is governed by volunteer Trustees who approve funding decisions on a quarterly basis.

Our funding is primarily committed to a small number of long-term charity partners aligned to our three focus areas.

We do make a limited number of additional grants each year, typically for organisations or initiatives that are:

Closely aligned to our focus areas
Able to demonstrate clear, measurable impact
Working at a scale or model that could grow over time

If this sounds like your work, you're welcome to send a short summary to foundation@simplicity.kiwi outlining what you do, who you support, and the outcomes you're achieving.

We review all enquiries against our funding priorities but are not able to progress most requests.

We don't fund individual schools, one-off events, or small local projects outside of our national partnerships.

Please note that our environmental funding is delivered through Trees That Count and Predator Free New Zealand, and we don't fund local restoration or trapping groups directly.

We love planting native trees

Progress so far

232,802

Total trees planted*

51,490

Tonnes of carbon sequestered

* The Foundation Funds a native tree for every new member, and one per week for every Simplicity Living apartment rented. Funding is through Trees that Count.

Auckland

18,262

Northland

19,244

Bay of Plenty

9,900

Taranaki

13,670

Gisborne

14,785

Hawke's Bay

11,191