The RAS Foundation’s purpose is to build strong, sustainable, and resilient rural and regional communities.

We achieve this through a range of programs that help rural Australians realise their potential and make a difference in their community.

The RAS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS). RAS is not-for-profit organisation which has been an influential force in the direction and development of Australian agriculture through competitions, education and events since its foundation in 1822. 

Since its inception in 2007, the RAS Foundation has been dedicated to supporting rural and regional students and communities across Australia through scholarships, grants, and awards.

The RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships provide financial support to students from rural and regional communities of NSW & ACT. By alleviating financial stress, these scholarships enable students to better manage their immediate economic needs, while also fostering their mental well-being and resilience throughout their studies.

The JB Fairfax Award for Rural & Regional Journalism & Communications, established in 2009, provides recipients with a grant of $10,000 and a suite of industry internships. This prestigious national award encourages and supports young students who are passionate about pursuing careers in rural and regional journalism and communications upon graduation.

The RAS Foundation Community Future Grants provide essential financial support of up to $25,000 for local projects in rural and regional communities of NSW. Successful projects must demonstrate long-term social or economic benefits and deliver sustained, broad community impact. These locally awarded grants encourage and champion rural leadership by funding community projects that address specific needs or issues within local communities and showgrounds of NSW.

The Sydney Royal Wine Study Scholarships support students who demonstrate a strong career pathway in the wine industry in Australia through their chosen course of study. This includes a variety of certificates, degrees, and courses covering skills in agricultural science, horticulture, viticulture, wine education, wine service, lab technology, marketing, and journalism.

TheSydney Royal Wine Professional Development Scholarships encourage and support professionals who are passionate about wine and committed to forging careers that contribute to the Australian wine industry. Applicants can apply for funding to pursue courses such as the Australian Wine Research Institute's (AWRI) Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC), AWRI Advanced Viticulture course, WSET courses, and Wine service (including Sommelier) courses.

In 2021 the RAS Foundation was successful with an application to the Federal Government for a Specific Listing for DGR (tax deductibility).

This new listing means that the RAS Foundation can operate for a public charitable purpose to promote, for the public benefit, the maintenance, renewal, regeneration, and development of strong, sustainable, and vibrant rural (including remote) and regional communities in Australia in all or any one or more of the following:

(i) advancing education;

(ii) advancing social or public welfare;

(iii) advancing the natural environment;

(iv) advancing culture;

(v) advancing health;

(vi) the preservation, repair, provision and improvement of land, buildings, infrastructure and other facilities for public uses; and

(vii) the general improvement of agriculture and the promotion of commerce and industry.

In five years’ time, the RAS Foundation will have reached its $5M operational target, and increased its reach and impact in rural and regional Australia via its increase in tax-deductible funding for scholarships, community grants, and new agricultural educational-based learning programs.

The RAS Foundation will be supporting RAS Ag Education teams’ programs to help encourage and increase the uptake of agricultural-based courses through secondary school and university to help address the shortage of a skilled agricultural workforce in Australia.

Working with the Coolaroo Foundation and its members provides the RAS Foundation with secure, multi-year funding for its Rural Scholarship program.

This means we can increase our reach and impact in regional communities and attract future funding.

The very generous donation of Coolaroo Foundation to the RAS Foundation’s operational corpus has helped to increase our sustainability as an organization and we look forward to continuing our long-term partnership.

1. Continue to attract and grow funding to support our scholarships and grants.

2. Leverage the RAS Foundation’s Specific Listing for DGR to attract funding for the RAS’ Education programs.

3. Continue to grow our Operational Corpus.

The RAS Foundation’s operational funding is provided by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS).

During the pandemic, the RAS Foundation’s operational funding was jeopardised due to the closure of the event industry (Sydney Royal Easter Show and Sydney Showground event business).

The need for community support increases in times of economic need, and subsequently, the RASF board decided that to provide financial security and some independence from the economic vagaries of the event industry that the RASF needed to build its operational corpus. A target of $5M was agreed and we are just over halfway to meeting this goal.

Once the operational corpus target of $5M is met, the capital will remain invested, and the RAS Foundation will draw down on investment earnings to support its operational expenses.