The Endowment Fund

Our Vision

The Newington College Endowment Fund has been established so that by 2040 we are able to fully fund the equivalent of 100 means-tested full student positions at the College at any one time. These will be bursaries for boys with promise and proven socio-economic need. Providing a Newington education to these deserving boys is aligned to our theme of empowering young men to “Discover what’s Possible” and is central to our Community values of diversity and inclusiveness, as well as to our social justice program.

Bursaries already exist at Newington – be they Tongan boys from Tupou College, Sudanese boys garnered from our links with the Sudanese refugee community, Indigenous boys including the Chris Wild (ON 1991) Bursaries, or boys from any, and all, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. The Endowment Fund represents a carefully constructed way of making bursaries a centre piece of our social justice program, and of Newington more generally.

Newington was founded on the guiding principles of education for boys of all faiths and backgrounds. The Endowment Fund enshrines, and is true to, our Founders’ ideals.

To show the passion and commitment to the Endowment Fund, we have included an extract from the speech given by Newington College Chairman – Tony McDonald (ON 1976) at the Newington Ball in September 2016.

“And it’s this community – and the future of our NEW community, that I want to briefly focus on tonight.

Put starkly, the future of Newington is in our hands. Your presence here tonight will help influence the future for all our Newington boys!

As Chairman of Council, I can confirm to you that our school is thriving.  We are fortunate to have tremendous leadership, thank you David Mulford and a superb team across all three campuses.  Enrolments are through the roof.

So why, when our College is oversubscribed with enrolments until 2026, are we commencing a drive for support of our Newington Endowment Fund?

Our not-negotiable, cast in stone founding principles provide the simple answer.

Newington was established on a foundation of social justice in education, for boys of all faiths and backgrounds. Our history is rich with stories of boys who required financial assistance to experience a Newington education. These boys went on to make outstanding contributions to society.

We know these values – diversified, inclusive social justice – are important to you and define us at Newington and indeed as Australians.

But affordability, is a key issue.  And none more so than for families from deserving but economically challenged backgrounds.  We’re mindful that these families have sons.

And as economic pressures on these families inevitably rise, we are well aware that without addressing this issue now, and in a material way, our socio-economic diversity will diminish in the years ahead. And this is a real concern all of us.

So where to from here? Well, we can talk or we can act!

Hence, the Newington College Endowment Fund.  Our goal is 100% crystal clear.

• One hundred fully funded bursaries in place at any one time, by 2040.
• For one hundred boys from families with proven socio-economic need.
• Boys, who have the ‘spark’ and the promise of potential, but whose potential may go unrealised without our support.
• Boys, to whom we can give the opportunity of a Newington education throughout secondary school.

And let us not forget that the boys who take up this opportunity will do so in the same spirit of justice.

They will understand that such an opportunity brings responsibilities to the College, to their families and to themselves.

They will be boys who will have the ability to “Discover what’s Possible” at Newington.

But let me just pause there to reflect on one other key aspect. And that is, that the benefits of our Endowment Fund will go further…

I’m thinking here of our own boys. Developing a deep culture of giving in our boys is a part of what it means to become men of substance.

For parents in the room, I recognise this is a long game! But, I think we all recognise that so too is the benefit of philanthropy.

So I come full circle, back to the future.

And tonight, we are taking a significant step towards it.

The school has seeded the fund and it is managed by the professionals at JB Were.  With donations of $1.5 million each year, indexed we will reach our target.

But the clock is ticking!  I urge you all to act.

So, in closing I’d like to once again, thank you for all your support, past present and future. Have a wonderful night.”

Tony McDonald (ON 1976)

Newington College Chairman

To find out more you can, click on this link to visit our Insite for further information about the Endowment Fund, the Foundation and general philanthropic opportunities at Newington College.