Community
Heart of Gold is the World Gold Council’s community support programme. We provide funding to charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups where our members and the World Gold Council operate and are based. We focus on initiatives that deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for society.
Since 2020, more than US$10 million has been donated through the programme, supporting 111 organisations in 24 countries. This reflects a shared commitment by the World Gold Council and its members to responsible community investment.
We also encourage our people to support the causes they care about through employee volunteering and our matched funding programme.
What we support
Variety of causes and organisations
The World Gold Council is proud of the variety of causes and organisations that it has and continues to support through the Heart of Gold Programme. These include well known charities, as well as smaller organisations working directly within their communities to support those most in need and to drive positive change.
Why these causes?
We prioritise initiatives that deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for communities connected to the global gold market. Grouped by theme, the organisations we have supported include:
Child welfare and family support
China
- Children Protection and Well-being of Ai You Foundation - providing medical assistance to abandoned children of migrant workers.
India
- Save the Children, India – providing humanitarian aid to children in poverty impacted during Covid-19.
Mexico
- Fundación Pro Niños - supporting street children in Mexico City to choose and maintain other life options, in partnership with Wheaton Precious Metals Corporation.
Singapore
- Children's Aid Society (Melrose House) - supporting a residential home providing round-the-clock care and support for children and young people facing challenging family circumstances or child protection issues.
Tanzania
- Moyo wa Huruma Orphanage Centre - caring for children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS in a safe and secure centre, in partnership with AngloGold Ashanti.
United Kingdom
- NSPCC - supporting services that protect children and help them to rebuild after abuse through the upgrading of the infrastructure to support increased demand and the 'Letting the Future In' service designed to help children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse rebuild their lives.
USA
- Chances for Children - supporting the nurturing and strengthening of parent-child relationships to promote well-being and healthy development and protect children from the impact of stress, adversity, and trauma.
- Court Appointed Special Advocate - enabling volunteers to support children going through the foster care process.
- New Yorkers for Children - supporting educational attainment, life skills and career readiness for young people in foster care.
- Save the Children, USA - supporting children through health, education, protection, policy and advocacy with a focus on rural and underserved communities.
Education and youth development
Australia
- Breakfast clubs - supporting local school/ college breakfast clubs in Stawell which provide a safe and welcoming space for students to enjoy breakfast before school thereby equipping them for a day of learning, in partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation.
Canada
- Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation - providing scholarships for students studying mining-related subjects thereby enabling them to continue and enhance their education and improve their employability, in partnership with Franco-Nevada Corporation, OR Royalties Inc., IAMGOLD Corporation, Centerra Gold Inc. and Wheaton Precious Metals Corporation.
- Mining Matters - educating young people about earth science, minerals and mining, and their roles in society thereby developing their knowledge and awareness, in partnership with Alamos Gold.
China
- Golden Library - building and equipping school libraries in rural areas to help reduce the education gap between children in rural and urban areas.
- Primary School Basketball Season of Yao Foundation - providing rural schools with basketball facilities to improve childhood fitness, health and general wellbeing.
- Xinhua Compassion Education Foundation – supporting academically talented high school students from rural, underprivileged families with scholarships and accommodation to enable them to complete their education.
Ghana
- Gold Fields Ghana Foundation - providing a scholarship programme for tertiary education to young people who otherwise might not be able to continue their education, in partnership with Gold Fields.
India
- Akshaya Patra Foundation – providing midday meals to children thereby encouraging them to attend school and maximise their education.
- Jagriti School for Blind Girls - improving the quality of lives of blind girls by providing education, lodgings and support at a secure, equipped and safe residence.
- Nanhi Kali - supporting underprivileged girls to complete school through daily academic support and provision of an annual supplies kit.
United Arab Emirates
- Dubai Cares - improving school enrolment and educational outcomes amongst those with limited or no access to education.
United Kingdom
- Gipton Together - providing arts and sports activities for young people in an area of high unemployment and anti-social behaviour thereby helping to promote skills development and reduce crime.
- Outward Bound - teaching underprivileged children life skills through the outdoors thereby empowering them in other aspects of their lives.
- The Talent Tap - supporting underprivileged, academically talented students into relevant professions and opportunities thereby increasing opportunities and improving life chances.
USA
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science - funding towards the renovation of the Gems and Mineral Hall, with the hall aiming to challenge people to consider their own interconnectedness with and reliance on minerals, in partnership with Royal Gold Inc.
- Stamford Youth Hockey Association - providing need-based scholarships for underprivileged children to enable them to develop and achieve their playing potential.
Environment and sustainable livelihoods
Burkina Faso
- ESEPV-Sahel - a project to expand both the water and hygiene infrastructure in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, in partnership with IAMGOLD Corporation.
Canada
- Conseil Nation Anishnabe du Lac Simon - support for a newly opened community centre to secure long-term access and programming for the community, in partnership with Eldorado Gold Corporation.
China
- Xishuangbanna Rainforest Restoration - reducing rainforest destruction by tackling underlying poverty.
Ghana
- Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation - supporting skills development, micro-credit support and education around menstrual hygiene, in partnership with Newmont Mining Corporation.
New Zealand
- Orokonui Ecosanctuary Trust – supporting the Ecosanctuary to further its mission to create a thriving, self-sustaining habitat for indigenous species, expand their educational programmes, and encourage both visitors and local business engagement, in partnership with OceanaGold.
Peru
- Valle de Topara NGO - supporting a clean energy project focused on safe and clean access to water, in partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation.
Philippines
- Alayan Pag-asa Abot Palad Association - strengthening the economic inclusion of indigenous women living near the Didipio Mine by building skills in traditional weaving, in partnership with OceanaGold.
- Didipio Progressive Multipurpose Cooperative - strengthening food security through climate-regenerative agriculture, in partnership with OceanaGold.
South Africa
- Eco Transformers - investing in a waste processing facility to expand and modernise existing manual waste collection, processing and composting activities thereby creating jobs and supporting the local economy, in partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater.
- Impophomo Rushing Waters - building irrigated greenhouses and training to improve food security, targeted at vulnerable households in Merafong, South Africa.
Gender-based violence and women's safety
Australia
- Havanna House - providing support and crisis accommodation to homeless women and young families, in partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation.
Canada
- Tears to Hope Society - supporting families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children through awareness raising, education and advocacy, in partnership with Newmont Mining Corporation.
Côte d'Ivoire
- Overcome Women - raising awareness around teen pregnancy to help break cycles of poverty, in partnership with Endeavour Mining Plc.
Greece
- WHEN (formerly Women on Top) - empowering young women professionally and economically through workshops and mentoring thereby contributing to individual development as well as the prosperity and development of the Aristotle Municipality, in partnership with Eldorado Gold Corporation.
Papua New Guinea
- Femili PNG - supporting survivors of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual violence, in partnership with Newcrest Mining.
South Africa
- A Re Ageng Social Services - helping to support victims of gender-based violence and empowering them to break the silence.
- Boitelo Victim Empowerment Organisation - providing victim support resources and awareness raising activities on gender-based violence.
- South Deep Community Trust - supporting projects that address and reduce gender-based violence and femicide, in partnership with Gold Fields.
United Kingdom
- Women's Aid - providing life-saving services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and supporting them to build a future without violence.
Health, treatment and research
Australia
- Gobbe Cancer and Wellbeing Centre - providing outdoor play space for seriously ill children's rehabilitation thereby improving the quality of their days, in partnership with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.
Canada
- Campfire Circle - support for children with cancer and their families through community, in-hospital and overnight camp programmes, in partnership with OR Royalties Inc.
China
- PeiGen Foundation of Neural and Cardiovascular Medicine - supporting a public health campaign on cardiac arrest and treatment to drive public awareness and equip people with the skills to treat someone suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest.
India
- Tata Memorial Centre – supporting cancer treatment for patients who cannot afford the cost thereby increasing their life chances.
Mexico
- Hospital de la Madre y el Niño Guerrerense - supporting a maternity hospital in Chilpancingo with the supply of equipment for use in intensive care thereby increasing the capabilities of the staff to save lives, in partnership with Torex Gold Resources Inc.
Singapore
- Bone Marrow Donor Programme - supporting the only public register of bone marrow donors in Singapore thereby helping to connect patients needing life-saving transplants with potential donors.
- Singapore Cancer Society - supporting its GenC programme, a youth movement promoting cancer prevention through an innovative peer‑advocate model designed to drive meaningful behaviour change among young adults.
Tanzania
- AIC Jubilee Hope Mission - providing primary health care services to those suffering from HIV/AIDS, in partnership with AngloGold Ashanti.
United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute - supporting biomedical work to improve understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness.
- Willen Hospice - providing specialist and compassionate palliative care to people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
USA
- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation - supporting children with cancer and their families through advancing pioneering cancer research and providing vital support to families.
Humanitarian and crisis response
Australia
- Rochester Community, Victoria - support for a flood-hit community, in partnership with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.
China
- China Primary Health Care Foundation - educating people on how to avoid Covid-19 and other public health threats.
- Shanghai COVID Medical Staff Donation Plan - providing support to medics during lockdown.
- Shanghai COVID Vulnerable Support Platform - supporting non-tech-savvy people during lockdown to purchase food and medicines.
- Shenzhen Social Commonweal Foundation - purchasing protective items for primary school students during Covid-19 to enable them to continue in education.
India
- Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) - supporting relief and increasing treatment capacity during the coronavirus outbreak.
- Smile India Foundation - distributing dry ration and hygiene kits to families in poverty affected by Covid-19.
Singapore
- Singapore Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Response - providing supplies such as medical kits for displaced people.
- The Invictus Fund - enabling social service agencies to provide critical services to vulnerable people during Covid-19 including improving the welfare of frontline workers.
United Kingdom
- British Red Cross - supporting people in crisis via the world's largest humanitarian network.
- British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal - supporting Ukrainian people in crisis through healthcare provision, accommodation, food and medical kits and power for vital services.
- Ukraine Charity UK - supporting children affected by the war in Ukraine through education programmes.
- Ukrainian Action - supporting the survival and recovery of Ukraine through practical means including the provision and delivery of emergency response vehicles.
USA
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center - supporting research into diagnostics and rapid testing for Covid-19.
- Frontline Foods / World Central Kitchen - supporting the provision of food from local restaurants for frontline healthcare workers.
- UNICEF - supporting COVAX – the procurement and supply of Covid-19 vaccines - in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire.
Hunger, homelessness and poverty
Canada
- Food Banks Canada - supporting a network of food banks and food agencies that relieve hunger.
- True North Aid - providing practical humanitarian support to indigenous communities in Northern Canada.
Singapore
- Aidha - helping migrant domestic workers achieve economic independence through financial education.
- Migrant Workers Centre - providing emergency humanitarian assistance and support to distressed migrant workers.
South Africa
- Frida Hartley Shelter - educating and empowering homeless women to find employment or start a business in order to break the cycle of poverty, in partnership with AngloGold Ashanti.
United Kingdom
- Centrepoint - providing homeless young people with accommodation, health support and life skills.
- Trussell Trust - supporting a nationwide network of food banks which provide emergency food to those most in need.
- Veterans Aid - supporting homeless and vulnerable veterans who have served in the British armed forces.
USA
- City Harvest – rescuing and providing fresh, nutritious food free of charge to people facing food insecurity.
- Feeding America - providing food and funds to local food banks across the US.
- Food Bank of the Rockies - providing hunger relief to children facing food insecurity in Colorado through the Totes for Hope program, in partnership with Royal Gold Inc.
- Fulfill NJ - a food bank with programmes to help families become self-sufficient.
- Holy Trinity Neighbourhood Center - providing meals to people who are hungry, homeless or struggling.
- HomeFront NJ - working to break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness by care, resources and expertise of the local community.
- Part of the Solution - providing food and wider day-to-day support, plus next-step services to those in need.
- Room to Grow - supporting families by providing essentials alongside social worker support.
- Urban Pathways - helping individuals move into housing and reduce the chance of returning to the streets.
Mental health and suicide prevention
Australia
- Anglicare WA's Headspace Pilbara - improving youth mental health through tailored mental health support in Karratha, Western Australia, to 12-25-year-olds by funding an additional youth worker.
- Anglicare WA's Parent Support Suicide Prevention – support to reduce youth suicide and self-harm amongst young mothers in Kimberly by funding an additional part-time counsellor.
- Step Ahead Psychology - providing seed funding for an additional psychologist to increase the capacity for urgently needed psychology services in a rural region, in partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation.
Canada
- Geraldton District Hospital - creating a secure mental health transfer room in the emergency department to support those in crisis and ease the pressure on the staff at the hospital, in partnership with Equinox Gold Corporation.
- Kids Help Phone - a vital support service offering professional counselling, information and text-based support to young people in need across Canada.
United Kingdom
- James' Place Charity - supporting men in suicidal crisis through a free, life-saving mentor programme.
- Samaritans - investing in future-proofing its vital service through capital investment in their home listening and text-based services thereby increasing call capacity and increasing access for those in need.
- The Listening Place - supporting a volunteer-led, face-to-face service for those who feel life is no longer worth living.
Older people and people with disabilities
Australia
- Baptist Care Niola Centre Aged Care Home – providing compassionate palliative care for elderly residents and dementia patients, in partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation.
India
- HelpAge India - helping disadvantaged older people to have improved vision through cataract surgery.
Singapore
- Singapore Cheshire Home - providing residential and day services for people with physical disabilities.
United Kingdom
- Age UK - supporting older people through advice, wellbeing programmes and humanitarian assistance.
- Stevenage and District Riding for the Disabled Association - providing therapeutic riding for people with physical and mental disabilities.
- The French Hospital - providing affordable homes and a community for those in need.
How Heart of Gold supports lasting impact
We support initiatives that deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for communities. In 2025, we introduced multi year funding to help organisations plan, grow and strengthen their impact over time.
Voices from our partners
Samaritans
“I’m writing to express my sincere thanks to the World Gold Council for your generous commitment to supporting Samaritans and our vital future-proofing work over the next three years. Your support will help us reach more people in distress, so no one feels they have no choice but to take their own life. We are truly grateful, and we look forward to working together over the coming years. Thank you, from all of us at Samaritans.”
Julie Bentley, CEO
Campfire Circle
“Thank you so much for your generous support of Campfire Circle! We were overjoyed to hear the news about your wonderful donation. Because of you and our friends at OR Royalties, kids are finding hope, connection, and community through Campfire Circle’s programs—in hospitals, in their local communities, and at our medically supported overnight camps. Thank you for being part of our circle!”
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
“[We] are thrilled by the World Gold Council’s very generous support. Royal Gold and Allison Forrest are truly the best, and they have been tremendous champions of this historic Gems & Minerals Hall renovation. We are very grateful.”
The Akshaya Patra Foundation
“Your generosity will make a significant difference in the lives of countless children, empowering them with your nourishment and opportunities for a brighter future. Thank you for your commitment to our cause.”
Children’s Aid Society
“This kind of gift will allow CAS [Children’s Aid Society] to support children and youths with the resources they need to heal and work towards a brighter future.”
Alvin Goh, Executive Director