Annual Report 2020/21

Australian Communities Foundation acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work. We pay our respects to all Elders past and present.

Jahnala Yenhalehla Ranger, Justin Gomes, conducting a fire mitigating cool burn at the Minyumai Indigenous Protected Area.

Supported by the ACF Impact Fund community, the Country Needs People campaign promotes Indigenous Ranger and Protected Area Programs for the health of our natural heritage and lives of Indigenous peoples. Credit: Peter Eve.

Welcome

The past two years have been challenging times for most people in Australia. Communities across our country continue to face the ongoing impacts of the Covid crisis.

The ACF community gave generously in response to the bushfires and outbreak of the pandemic in 2019/20 and we’ve given even more this year in the face of the uncertainty presented by Covid’s ongoing challenges, granting a record total of $13.4 million.

Dive into this year’s Annual Report, starting with a welcome from our Chair and CEO, or scroll down to jump ahead.

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WATCH: MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

The Year at a Glance

Granting

$ Million

total granted

$ Million

crisis response

grants distributed

orgs + individuals supported

Funds + Foundations

new funds + foundations

total funds + foundations

Financials

$ Million

total corpus

$ Million

total donations

$ Million

revenue from investments

$ Million

total operating costs

At Australian Communities Foundation, we put our values at the centre of everything we do, including where we direct our investments. One hundred per cent of our investment portfolio is invested responsibly in areas like renewable energy.

Our Impact

In 2020/21, our community distributed more than ever across five key focus areas: inequality, Indigenous communities, the environment, democracy, and arts & culture.

We welcomed over 100 new givers into our community in 2020/21 through 40 new funds and foundations.

Our new givers span individuals and families, collective giving and fundraising groups, scholarship providers, corporates and not-for-profits.

Harry Townsend plants a tree in his son’s honour. Harry and his partner Tory created the Finley River Fund at Australian Communities Foundation after the incomprehensible loss of their newborn son. The Fund supports medical research into the impacts of bushfires on pregnant women, and the creation of climate-resilient forests. Photograph: Jackson Cheng.

The Victorian National Parks Association established the National Parks Community Fund at Australian Communities Foundation to support its work in protecting Victoria’s unique national parks and conservation reserves, including Wombat Forest pictured here. Photograph: Sandy Scheltema.

Our Strategy

In 2020/21, the Foundation took significant steps forward across the five pillars of our strategy for a fairer and more sustainable Australia.

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Annual Report 2020/21

Smarter Giving.

Greater Impact.

Smarter Giving. Greater Impact.