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Just over twenty years ago, Australia did not have tax-efficient philanthropic structures compared to those available in the USA and UK. The introduction of private ancillary funds (originally called Prescribed Private Funds, or PPFs) in 2001 provided people with the ability to tax-effectively donate to a trust of their own, and then gift funds to a range of eligible charities.
Chris Cuffe AO, our founder and chairman, first came up with the idea for Australian Philanthropic Services (APS) in 2009 when he commissioned a research project to look at why more wealthy Australians weren’t engaged in structured philanthropy. He found the experience with his family’s PAF, the Christopher Cuffe Foundation, very rewarding. However, he was frustrated by the low awareness, lack of expertise and poor quality service that was available at the time to establish and administer PAFs. The research showed that there were many barriers preventing people participating in structured philanthropy.
Chris decided to take steps to inspire and support more individuals, families and companies to use private ancillary funds to manage their giving. In September 2010, Chris founded what is now known as Australian Philanthropic Services, after originally operating as a division of Social Ventures Australia. In 2012, the APS Foundation was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of APS, providing structured philanthropy at a more accessible entry point.
In its short history, APS has grown very quickly, proving the need for its services. It is now the leading independent not-for-profit, philanthropic services organisation in Australia. Our 500 clients donated over $110m to charity last year and have committed $1.185b to charity held in structures we support.
Our structure
Australian Philanthropic Services Limited (ACN 155 905 829) was registered under the Corporations Act 2001 as a public company limited by guarantee on 24 February 2012. APS is a not-for-profit company that has been endorsed by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) as a Tax Concession Charity.
Australian Philanthropic Services Foundation (ABN 38 981 887 768) (APS Foundation) is a public ancillary fund with DGR Item 2 status and is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
Australian Philanthropic Services Foundation Pty Limited (ACN 158 036 349) is the trustee of the APS Foundation and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian Philanthropic Services Limited (ACN 155 905 829) (APS).
APS has partnered with a professional administration group, PortfolioGuardian, to streamline the administration and reporting of the structured giving vehicles we administer and to provide state-of-the-art online access for clients. We can administer many private ancillary funds and public ancillary funds using this very efficient and low-cost model.