The Serendib Endowment
Give once. Give forever.
A permanent charitable endowment for Sri Lanka. Contributions are invested and kept, not spent. What they earn is given away, every year, for as long as the fund exists.
What it is
An endowment is a fund that is never spent. Money given to it is invested and kept. Only what it earns is given away. The capital stays whole, so a single gift keeps working year after year instead of being used once. Universities and long-established foundations have funded themselves this way for centuries.
The Serendib Endowment Ltd applies that structure to Sri Lanka. It is an Australian not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee, incorporated in June 2026. Its constitution fixes three charitable purposes and prevents the capital from ever being distributed or spent.
Why it exists
The constitution fixes three purposes, all directed at Sri Lanka.
Practical goods for individuals, families and communities in need.
Whatever removes the barrier to a child attending school.
Essential supplies after a natural disaster or emergency.
None of these end. Poverty persists across generations, children are kept out of school every year, and Sri Lanka sits in the path of cyclones, flooding and landslides. The need returns whether or not anyone is fundraising that year.
We had been giving directly for over a decade, trip by trip, and every time we came home the same thought followed us: this helps now, and it stops when we stop. A fund that is never spent is the answer. It is built so the giving continues after we are no longer here to do it.
How the money works
Your gift joins the corpus. It is permanent and cannot be returned.
Held on an Australian platform under a written investment policy, advised pro bono, every decision approved by the directors.
The capital stays intact. Only what it earns is sent to Sri Lanka.
Target real return of CPI plus 4% a year, net of fees, assessed over rolling five-year periods. Returns are not guaranteed.
When and how it gives
As goods, not cash. We do not hand money to individuals or families. The distribution is spent on specific items, bought in Sri Lanka and delivered directly, chosen for what a community actually needs at the time.
Each financial year the directors decide the distribution from the returns actually earned, and how many times to distribute across the year. We work through a volunteer partner and long-standing relationships, so no intermediary takes a share.
Every distribution is recorded with the date, the place, what was given and to how many. Nothing is estimated and nothing is counted twice.
Who runs it
Five directors hold all decision-making authority and are accountable to the members. A group of advisers brings knowledge of Sri Lankan communities, logistics and technology, and takes no part in decisions.
The directors and advisers are named, with their backgrounds, on the governance page.
The fund is also supported by professionals who work for it at no charge, including its financial advisers. Nobody takes a fee, a commission or a share of what is given.
The constitution prohibits directors' fees; everyone serves in a voluntary capacity. The constitution and the Investment Policy Statement are published in full.
To contribute, or to ask anything
serendibendowment.org · info@serendibendowment.org · 1300 787 184 · PO Box 154, Carina QLD 4152