Dubai College Foundation Annual General Meeting Minutes
Date: 24[th] June 2026 , 2pm
Location: Online
Attendees: Tom Duckling, Ben Blackwood, Lisa Parker, Sally Yip, Andy Wood, Richard Dennis, Anju Madnani, Debra Turpie, Peter Hill, Rupal Shah, Leanne Carson.
Apologies: Tony Piper, Kieran Dempsey
Announcements:
DC Foundation resignation: Kieran Dempsey
The Chair (Tom) opened the meeting by welcoming past team members and addressing the re-election of trustees.
Ben confirmed that Kieran has resigned from his post. He explained that Kieran was originally appointed for his financial expertise to manage the CAF bank account in the UK, but since that account has been closed due to a lack of transactions, a direct financial role replacement is not necessary.
Tom suggested that there is still merit in having an external trustee, especially as the college approaches its 50th year, to maintain a connection between the past, present, and future of Dubai College.
The team discussed appointing a parent representative as a trustee, noting that current trustees like Anju and Tammy were parents when they first joined but no longer represent that community.
Tom, Ben, and Andy agreed to brainstorm potential parent candidates, specifically those with significant philanthropic reach in Dubai, and will propose a name to the group.
Annual Review and Nepal School Progress
Lisa Parker provided an overview of the year, noting that the objective remains advancing education in developing countries.
The fifth school Indreni, Nepal, is scheduled for completion in August 2026. The foundation currently supports over 380 students and 38 trained teachers across five schools.
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Lisa highlighted the success at the Kalika school, where 100% of the girls passed their national exams.
Regarding the partnership with Dubai Cares, Lisa reported that approximately $95,000 USD is currently held in Dubai and has not yet reached United World Schools (UWS).
Following a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Aid (MOFA), Lisa was informed that the signing of necessary documents is imminent, which should allow the funds to move.
Financial Status and RNTS Foundation Donation
Ben Blackwood reported that the Foundation is in a very healthy financial position, with over 930,000 Dirhams currently available.
A significant portion of these funds came from a donation by the RNTS Foundation, which was facilitated by Julian.
Because of this donation, the Dubai College Foundation no longer owes the College any money; previously, the College had been subsidizing the foundation by 30,000 Dirhams.
The Foundation is committed to opening one school per year for the next two to three years using these funds.
Ben will check if there is a requirement to spend the RNTS donation within a specific timeframe (approximately two years), which influences the urgency of upcoming projects.
Future UWS Project Proposals: Nepal and Madagascar
Lisa presented two UWS options for upcoming school builds. Option one is a very remote school in Nepal with a total cost of £138,000 over five years (including a £71,000 build cost and £11,000 annual running costs).
Option two is a school in the Ampanihy region of Madagascar, costing approximately £200,000 over five years due to higher annual running costs.
Tom argued that since they have the funds and a potential deadline to spend the RNTS money, the Foundation should proceed with both projects.
The team discussed the need to expand the Foundation's charitable objects. Currently, the Charity Commission listing limits operations to Dubai and Nepal. Ben will work on the resolution to broaden this scope to "international projects" to include Madagascar and future ventures in Africa or Asia.
Partnership with The Sparkle Foundation
Dubai College is investigating a new partnership with The Sparkle Foundation, a Malawi-based charity led by British woman and UAE resident, Sarah Brook who has developed strong connections in Dubai.
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This partnership is attractive because Sparkle is already a well established, registered charity in Dubai (11 years), which simplifies money handling and eliminates the need for the College to secure its own fundraising permits.
Tom noted that Sparkle focuses heavily on the educational and "change" aspects of philanthropy, which aligns with the College's values.
The Sparkle partnership projects may be handled as a College-level project rather than a Foundation-level one, allowing students to engage directly with the narrative of where their fundraising goes.
Strategic Shift in Philanthropy and Service
Tom and Andy introduced a new strategic direction for the college, moving away from the "wonky stool" metaphor (where philanthropy was seen as a neglected pillar).
Richard Dennis has been appointed as the Director of Philanthropy starting next year, a role intended to give the same weight to service as is given to the other three pillars: sport, music, and academics.
The school will launch a "change points" merit system in January, where student rewards trigger philanthropic donations.
Student reports will now include a "Service Completed" box to ensure that every member of the community- students, staff, and parents- engages in meaningful service.
Andy's office will shift toward a less formal process for engaging significant donors, focusing on building long-term relationships rather than formal board meetings.
Suggested Action Items
Ben to complete the annual return submission for the Dubai College Foundation.
Ben, Tom, and Andy to brainstorm and propose a parent candidate for the vacant trustee position.
Lisa to monitor the transfer of the $95,000 USD from Dubai Cares/MOFA to UWS and report any further delays to Tom.
Andy to connect with the RNTS Foundation donor representative to establish a relationship and discuss project approvals.
Ben and Andy to review the current RNTS gift agreement to confirm the exact timeline for spending the donated funds.
Ben, Tom and Andy to approve next projects to fund once RNTS gift agreement has been reviewed.
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Ben to redraft the resolution and update the Charity Commission to allow for international projects beyond Nepal.
Richard to ensure that fundraising communications to students clearly distinguish between the different projects (Nepal, Madagascar, and Sparkle) to avoid confusing the messaging.
AOB
Richard mentioned that Rupal is going to Nepal next week and then Richard and Lisa will be going to Nepal in October and invited the Dubai College Foundation members to come along if they would like to join the trip.
Next AGM proposed date: Wednesday 23[rd] June
Thank you to all attendees.
Appendix A – Post-AGM Progress Update (added 30 June 2026)
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RNTS has agreed to consider the Madagascar project.
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Draft resolution to broaden charitable objects has been prepared.
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6 - month report requested by RNTS is in progress.
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