ACE Foundation

Help build a foundation for the future of teaching in Australia


How You Can Support The Education Profession


To help meet the new challenges facing the education profession, the Australian College of Educators has created the ACE Foundation.


This national fund aims to build a learning profession by enhancing teacher professionalism and raising the status of teachers and teaching. This is essential to encourage talented individuals to become our teachers of tomorrow and ensure that young Australians receive the best education possible.


Your support and donation will help the Foundation fulfil its charter to:



  • fund scientific research and development projects which support the education profession and quality teaching in Australia

  • undertake, sponsor and support mentoring schemes and other initiatives to generate effective professional learning for teachers

  • establish and maintain a program of grants, scholarships, awards, prizes and incentives.

How The Foundation Will Help Improve Teaching


Keeping pace with the changing world, continually improving teaching methods and standards and sharing research findings means more highly accomplished educators and improved educational outcomes for our children.


The Foundation will continue ACE’s long history of valuable research projects, focussing on improving the quality of teaching and teachers’ lives both today and in years to come.


Our longitudinal studies containing national survey results from over 10,000 teachers have been published since the 1960s. These census-style reports have recorded the changing profile of Australia’s teachers. The Foundation will complement ACE’s research by focussing specifically on issues that directly relate to teachers and their professional practice. For example, our initial work will focus on what sustains teachers in the light of ever-increasing demands and expectations.


Investment in research is crucial now more than ever because we need to refine our teaching skills to meet changes in our economic, social and technological environments. This means investing in new types of training, professional learning, resources and support.


The ACE Foundation will also embrace two existing bequests to the College - the Buntine Bequest is used to provide an oration by a renowned professional educator, while the Squire Bequest is used to offer an annual award that recognises excellence in science teaching.


Who Is Involved In The ACE Foundation?


The Foundation will be guided by an expert Scientific Research Committee approved by the Commonwealth, who will be responsible for disbursement of funds:



  • Professor Neil Dempster, Griffith University (Chair)

  • Professor Alan Reid,

  • Margaret Clark, 

  • Doctor Julie Rimes, Director, Kilburn Institute, Hobart 

A Word From The Former ACE Foundation Chair


Professor Phillip Hughes, AO


ACE Foundation Chairperson, ACE National President 1989-90 and ACE College Medal Recipient, 2002.


'In Australia as elsewhere there is so much still to do if all people in our society are to be given effective opportunity to realise their potential as individuals and as citizens. We need to mobilise the best professional knowledge of our teachers. We need to build community support for this vital purpose.


We need also to support them with research if teachers are to achieve results never before realised. Medicine and engineering have transformed themselves through research in the past 50 years. In this new century, education must achieve similar success. Educators can show the way and involve the community in this endeavour'.