FirstRand Empowerment Foundation (FirstRand Limited)

FirstRand Limited, the JSE-listed group behind First National Bank (FNB), Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and WesBank, describes its purpose as building a future of shared prosperity by enriching the lives of customers, employees and society. FirstRand delivers part of that purpose through social investment, run by two bodies: the FirstRand Foundation (FRF) and the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation (FREF).

Registered name

FirstRand Empowerment Foundation (FirstRand Limited)

Type

Corporate foundations of a banking group

Fields funded

Undergraduate bursaries through StudyTrust and an honours bursary through Feenix

Website

firstrand.co.za

Two foundations with separate governance

FirstRand publishes information manuals for both the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation and the FirstRand Foundation Trust, together with the eligibility criteria for funding applications. The foundations work through fund committees linked to the group’s businesses, such as an FNB fund and an RMB fund, each with its own chairperson.

An undergraduate bursary run by StudyTrust

FirstRand’s foundations fund education access rather than a recruitment pipeline for the bank. According to a provider record checked in August 2026, the FirstRand undergraduate bursary is restricted to Black South African citizens as defined under the B-BBEE Act, from households with a combined gross annual income of up to R700 000. StudyTrust runs that undergraduate bursary.

The foundation states its aim plainly: to increase access to quality education and help address youth unemployment in South Africa.

The honours bursary through Feenix

Alongside the undergraduate programme, the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation funds a full honours bursary for graduates who want to add a one-year postgraduate qualification. FREF has run honours applications through the Feenix portal. The 2026 round closed on 1 December 2025, and the 2027 round had not been published on Feenix when BursariesAfrica checked.

How to research FirstRand funding

Read the funding eligibility criteria on FirstRand’s foundations page before applying, and confirm which programme matches your level of study. Undergraduates should look for the FirstRand listing on StudyTrust during its application season, while honours applicants should watch the Feenix portal from October.

Prepare proof of household income carefully, because the R700 000 threshold decides eligibility for the undergraduate bursary. Receiving FirstRand funding does not require working for FNB, RMB or WesBank.

The foundations also fund community and education projects beyond bursaries, so non-profit organisations can read the same eligibility criteria to see whether their work fits FirstRand’s social investment priorities.

See our Postgraduate Bursaries page for other honours funders.