Our Story Together
Australian Communities Foundation Co-Founders Marion Webster AM and Hayden Raysmith AM.
We’ve been making strategic philanthropy accessible since 1997 when our founders, Marion Webster OAM and Hayden Raysmith AM, pioneered the community foundation model in Australia, establishing Melbourne Community Foundation which became Australian Communities Foundation in 2011.
As a community foundation, we’ve grown and learned a lot together along the way. One thing that hasn’t changed is the special role we play in Australia’s philanthropic ecosystem and our commitment to being collaborative, agile, responsive and risk-tolerant. Today, our giving community includes people from all walks of life, from across the nation, serving communities that span geography, gender, race, identity, culture and more. What unites us is an intention to use whatever resources we have, to make things better for people and our planet. Together, we’re creating a fairer Australia – one where social, environmental and cultural justice is the norm.
Timeline
The Early Years
1997
First independent community foundation in Australia
Melbourne Community Foundation is established by Marion Webster OAM and Hayden Raysmith AM.
Marion Webster OAM
1998
First major initiative launched
Inclusive Communities Project
2000
Leaving home
The Foundation moves out of Marion’s spare bedroom and into its first professional office space in Flinders Lane, courtesy of the Reichstein Foundation.
Themed funds
The first themed funds are created to bring even more donors into the collective giving model.
2001
Milestone: $1 million in grants given to the community
2004
Sharpening our focus
The Foundation sharpens its focus on strategic initiatives with the help of US community foundation expert, Dorothy Reynolds.
2005
Milestone: 30 new funds and over $1 million in grants distributed in a year
2006
Raising our profile
Peter Hero, then CEO of the highly successful Silicon Valley Community Foundation in the US, helps raise the profile of Melbourne Community Foundation in the community, later joining the Board.
The team in 2006: Trudy Wyse, Andrea Heffernan, Leonie Mugavin, Raz Babic
MacroMelbourne
Phase 1 of MacroMelbourne launched to bring sectors together to develop strategic responses to disadvantage, with the model laying the foundations for the later development of the Impact Fund.
Timeline
Becoming a
National Community
2007
Milestone: 100+ funds
Scholarship Fund
Scholarship Fund is launched to support scholarship providers.
Developing our sector
The Foundation supports the emergence of the peak body for community foundations.
Peter Hero, Hayden Raysmith AM and Peter Singer AC at our 10th-anniversary celebration in 2007.
2008
Gumnut Accounts
Gumnut Accounts are launched to help new givers build their own Named Funds.
2009
Indigenous Donor Circle
The first formal Learning Circle is established to bring together donors interested in supporting Indigenous communities.
2011
Taking the national stage
Melbourne Community Foundation becomes Australian Communities Foundation, reflecting its national presence and scope.
2013
Milestone: Over $5 million in grants distributed in a year and our community reaches 200 funds
Top 50 Philanthropic Gifts
Marion Webster OAM and Hayden Raysmith AM honoured in Australia’s Top 50 Philanthropic Gifts for establishing the community foundation structure in Australia.
2014
Milestone: $50 million in funds under management
2015
ESG investing
The Foundation transitions to an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment approach, seeking the best outcomes for the corpus, people and the planet.
Social justice advocate Shen Narayanasamy presents to our Refugee and Asylum Seeker Donor Circle in 2015.
Timeline
Creating a Fairer Australia
2016
Best Small Grant Award
The Foundation’s Refugee and Asylum Seeker Donor Circle wins Best Small Grant at the Australian Philanthropy Awards.
Launch of the Impact Fund
The Foundation hones its focus on impact to target the key areas of social, cultural and environmental justice, and launches flagship fund for collective giving, the Impact Fund.
2017
First Impact Fund grants
$600,000 awarded to seven projects in the inaugural Impact Fund Large Grants round.
2018
Indigenous Philanthropy Award
Woor-Dungin, ACF, the BB and A Miller Fund and the Williams Fund are recognised at the Australian Philanthropy Awards for the Criminal Record Discrimination Project.
DivestInvest announcement
The Foundation commits to divesting its $90 million corpus investment portfolio from fossil fuels and focusing on investments with positive environmental outcomes.
Community of Giving Hub
The Foundation establishes the Community of Giving as Australia’s first formal philanthropic hub with the support of our giving community, the Reichstein Foundation and others.
Launching the Community of Giving in 2018: Maree Sidey, Jill Reichstein OAM, David Murray, Amanda Martin OAM, Hayden Raysmith AM, John Spierings.
Victoria’s first Indigenous-led philanthropic fund
Members of Towards A Just Society, an ACF fund, hand over the fund to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders to establish Koondee Woonga-gat Toor-rong.
Koondee Woonga-gat Toor-rong handover ceremony, Yarra Park, 2018.
2019
Environmental Philanthropy Award
Seven ACF funds recognised at the Australian Philanthropy Awards for their collective support of the Community Organising Fellowship.
2020
First impact investments
The Foundation announces its first impact investments, which are in the environmental and First Nations sectors.
2021
Responsible Investment Leader
The Foundation becomes the first philanthropic foundation in Australia to sign on to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and is named Responsible Investment Leader by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia.
100% responsible investing
The Foundation meets its target of 100 per cent of its portfolio being responsibly invested.
Best Grant Program
The Rapid Advocacy Fund, a collaboration between Australian Progress, ACOSS and Australian Communities Foundation, wins Best Grant Program at the 2021 Australian Philanthropy Awards.
Milestone: Over $100m in grants given to the community
2022
Five years of the Impact Fund
Our community celebrates five years of the Impact Fund – over $5m granted to changemakers tackling the biggest issues facing Australia.
Celebrating five years of the Impact Fund at the Victorian Pride Centre in 2022.
2023
Milestone: Over $150m in grants given to the community since 1997.
Expanding our offering
ACF Advisory formally launched as our social business arm, providing a range of light touch to full-service solutions for anyone looking to do more with their giving.
2024
Collaboration Philanthropy Award
The ACF Impact Fund’s 2023 program, Voices for Impact, receives the Collaboration Award at the 2024 Australian Philanthropy Awards alongside partners, Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, GetUp and Australian Progress.
About Us
Australian Communities Foundation is a non-profit organisation that supports and enables smart, rewarding and effective giving.