Australian billionaire donates $3.3 million to Ukraine: what the money will be used for
28 February 06:33
Australian mining tycoon Andrew Forrest and his ex-wife Nicola, through their Minderoo Foundation, have committed A$5 million (approximately $3.3 million) to help demine agricultural areas of Ukraine, Kommersant Ukrainian reports
Minderoo’s AU$5 million is expected to provide direct support to more than 4,600 households and reach more than 11,520 people with explosive ordnance risk education. The project will prioritise farmers in Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts who are no longer able to cultivate their land due to suspected or confirmed mines.
Andrew Forrest , chairman and founder of the Minderoo Foundation, said that nearly 1 million people in Ukraine’s agricultural sector have lost their livelihoods as a result of Russia’s invasion and have been unable to return to their land until it is safe. He said that he was born into a farming family and understands what land means to farmers, which is their source of income.
“Ukraine’s agricultural sector is vital to the global food supply and is the largest supplier of wheat to the UN World Food Programme’s hunger relief programmes, which means that restoring agriculture is critical to many people around the world,”
– forrest said.
Nicola Forrest, co-chair and founder of the Minderoo Foundation, said that Ukraine is now the most heavily mined country in the world, ahead of Afghanistan and Syria.
“An area two and a half times the size of Tasmania (Australia’s smallest state, 68.4 thousand km² – ed.) is now estimated to be contaminated with deadly landmines and unexploded ordnance, or 25 per cent of Ukraine’s territory. The majority of these mines are located on prime agricultural land, and their continued presence is an obstacle to investment, food security and a threat to human life,” Nicola Forrest said.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko thanked the Minderoo Foundation for its support and called on other donors to help Ukraine in its time of need.
“The assistance should not be exclusively in the sphere of foreign aid or governments. Philanthropy and business play a key role in Ukraine’s recovery. This is something that citizens all over the world can do. Citizens must stand up to tyranny with what they have,”
– said the Ambassador.

The Minderoo Foundation is the first non-governmental partner to support the World Food Programme’s (WFP) agricultural landmine clearance programme under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
The Ukrainian Mine Action Programme uses satellite imagery to map mined areas and then sends specialised teams to survey and clear them, giving priority to productive areas that can be restored quickly and safely.
What we know about Andrew Forrest
John Andrew Henry Forrest (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian businessman.
According to Forbes, Forrest’s net worth is $19.8 billion (95th place in the global billionaires’ ranking). Among Australian billionaires, he is second only to Gina Rinehart, CEO of the large mining company Hancock Prospecting. Forrest also founded Fortescue Metals Group in 2003. It is engaged in the extraction of iron ore and the production of clean energy.
Forrest is the chairman of the Minderoo Charitable Foundation with donations of $9.6 billion.
In 2013, Andrew and Nicola Forrest, his wife, became the first Australian billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth to charity in their lifetime.
In 2022, Andrew Forrest announced that he would invest $740 million in businesses in Ukraine to help rebuild its economy.
Minderoo’s support for Ukraine
So far, the Minderoo Foundation has allocated just over AU$20 million to help the people of Ukraine.
Some of the projects funded include:
- The Minderoo Foundation provided a grant of just under A$2 million to the UN World Food Programme to enable the chartering of a bulk carrier to enter Ukraine to deliver 23,000 metric tonnes of wheat grain for WFP’s humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa.
- The Minderoo Foundation provided A$4.57 million for grain storage for Ukrainian farmers. This funding covered the purchase, delivery and distribution of grain storage bags, loading equipment and modular grain storage to Ukrainian farmers. More than 29,000 grain bags have now been distributed to over 1,600 farmers across Ukraine, and 244 modular storage units will be distributed in 2024.
- At the request of the Government of Ukraine, the Minderoo Foundation purchased 169 generators, which were donated to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The generators (valued at AU$3.2 million) were donated to support the Points of Resilience project to provide heat, food and water to Ukrainians affected by the power cuts.
- The Minderoo Foundation provided A$1.67 million to build 14 homes for large foster families who lost their homes due to the war, in partnership with the Olena Zelenska Foundation (the First Lady of Ukraine’s Foundation) in their “Room of Childhood” project for foster families.
- The Minderoo Foundation has partnered with the International Association “Step by Step” to support thousands of children by providing shelters and early childhood service centres for families, as well as equipping and training teachers to support children with trauma.