Founders Metals maps high-grade gold geometry at Maria Geralda: hits 30.0m @ 4.64 g/t Au and 12.0m @ 10.57 g/t Au

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 20, 2026) - Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) (OTCQX: FDMIF) (FSE: 9DL0) ("Founders" or the "Company") reports results from its deep auger drilling program at the Maria Geralda target within the Antino Gold Project ("Antino" or the "Project") in southeastern Suriname (Figure 1). The 37-hole deep auger program has identified a coherent, high-grade gold shoot - a concentrated zone of mineralization within a larger 600 m drill-defined gold-bearing structure - directly coincident with the Company's previously reported diamond drill intercept of 22.5 metres (m) of 11.88 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) in hole MG003 ( announced June 24, 2025 ). Highlights High-grade deep auger intercepts in core of gold zone including: 30.0 m of 4.64 g/t Au (MGAD041) 12.0 m of 10.57 g/t Au (MGAD059) 14.0 m of 7.52 g/t Au (MGAD056) 15.0 m of 4.83 g/t Au (MGAD055) Additional significant deep auger intercepts include: 16.0 m of 4.35 g/t Au (MGAD043) 18.0 m of 3.56 g/t Au (MGAD057) 20.0 m of 2.88 g/t Au (MGAD058) 13.0 m of 3.68 g/t Au (MGAD049) Target remains open at depth with 20 deep auger holes ending in mineralization at the 30 m auger limit New auger data defines shoot orientation, plunge direction, and dimensions, providing a precise targeting framework for follow-up diamond drilling down plunge into untested bedrock Directly applicable to other Emerging Targets including Van Gogh, Da Vinci, and Parbo The Company plans to expand the auger grid to test a potential second shoot followed by diamond drilling in early Q4 2026 Colin Padget, President & CEO, commented, "This deep auger program has delivered exactly what it was designed to do - provide a three-dimensional picture of how high-grade gold is organized within the Maria Geralda system.

The results show that the nearly 12 g/t Au interval over 22.5 m in MG003 is not an isolated occurrence but sits within a geometrically coherent, plunging high-grade zone. Understanding this geometr