In the early 1960s a group of benefactors established the New Guinea Biological Foundation and invested trust funds in a cocoa plantation at Arawa, Bougainville. This foundation funded a variety of projects aimed at the promotion, advancement and study of biological science in all its branches. Later, in 1985, another foundation was formed in addition to the New Guinea Biological Foundation, to broaden the geographic location of projects to Australia and other countries in the southwest Pacific.

In 2000, the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation was established to sponsor activities within Australia and managed by Australian entities. In 2005 sponsorship was extended to include projects with components within the south west Pacific, managed by Australian institutions or other entities within those countries.

In seeking to achieve its aims, The Australia & Pacific Science Foundation provides support, on a competitive basis, for the following activities:

• The top priority is to encourage high quality research by scientists in Australian national or state institutions, and similar institutions in other countries of the South West Pacific.
• Occasional support may also be given to such activities as training, publications or conferences.

The Foundation seeks to complement, rather than compete with, other funding bodies. Experience has shown that modest support can be particularly effective if used as “seed money” to initiate projects, which may subsequently expand and attract major funding from other sources. Foundation grants have also supported specific components of large projects financed primarily by other agencies.

The Foundation is managed by a Board of Trustees which has appointed a Research Committee to recommend to it the manner in which the income of the Trust fund might appropriately be applied in accordance with the aims of the Foundation.

Orchid images are taken from Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea Vols I & II'. World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series.