About Us

About us

A behind the scenes look at our foundation

The Isaias Valencia Family Uplift Foundation provides educational support to students in Basay, a municipality on Negros Island in the Philippines. Established in 2024 by the children of Isaias and Laura Valencia, the foundation aims to give back to the community that shaped our family.

All funds that go to Uplift come from family members, residing in the Philippines and in the diaspora across Australia, UK and the USA. Uplift does not engage in public fundraising.

Our Projects

Transforming Lives Through Education and Support

Uplift Foundation is committed to supporting education and community development through its ongoing initiatives

The Isaias and Laura Valencia Academic Prize

One of its first and most important projects is the Isaias and Laura Valencia Academic Prize - a cash prize awarded to the top-performing students of Basay National High School & Basay Central Elementary School. Uplift has partnered with these two schools to deliver these awards for the next ten years, starting in 2025, and we hope beyond.

The inaugural awards were given at the graduation ceremonies last April 15, 2025. This will now become a yearly feature at these schools’ annual graduations. The inaugural award was PHP20,000 for the high school and PHP10,000 for the elementary school. This cash amount is reviewed regularly so it keeps up with inflation.

The purpose of the Academic Prize is threefold:

  • To provide practical support to students as they prepare to enter high school or college and to make this transition smooth and less stressful
  • To reward hard work, discipline and dedication to one’s study
  • To inspire all students to work hard and aim high academically

The Giving Back Basay Project

Another important project of Uplift is The Giving Back Basay Project designed to reach out to other schools within the municipality, beyond the two mentioned. Each year, two schools are selected and an allocation of PHP10,000 each will go towards purchasing necessary items that the schools and students can use. This is given in kind depending on need. This project began in 2024 and has already been warmly accepted by the recipient schools.

Our Connection to Basay

Building Community and Supporting Future Generations

So why the focus on Basay? Isaias Valencia is a native of Basay and belongs to the large Valencia Clan of Basay. In the early part of his marriage to Laura Pedroza he settled his family in Basay and there raised & schooled our older siblings, some of whom went to Basay Central Elementary School. Dad farmed, found employment, and started a small business in Basay. The town’s new Public Market and Bus Terminal was established by our parents to help the growing needs of a growing municipality. It is dedicated to and bears the names of Dad’s parents, Victor and Herminia Valencia.

Honouring Our Heritage

Honouring Their Love, Sacrifice, and Legacy

Both Uplift and the Academic Prize are our generation’s way of honouring our parents in turn and acknowledging that without their love and sacrifice we would not be where we are now. These projects are our love letter to them.

The most valuable inheritance one parent can leave his children is what lies between their ears -
Isaias Valencia (1927-2013)