This CEO letter accompanied the June 2026 edition of Community News.
As we approach the end of the financial year, I’ve been reflecting on the power of collaboration and the role it plays in creating lasting change.
Earlier this month, I joined fellow philanthropic leaders in Sydney for a meeting of the Coalition of Funders for Women and Families. A key takeaway was the importance of collaborating for impact at scale – ensuring that, by coming together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
For Australian Communities Foundation (ACF), this coalition is about more than mobilising funding. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate how funders can work collectively to support long-term, community-led solutions and help strengthen the systems that underpin them. I’m encouraged by the momentum behind this work and hopeful it inspires more collaborative approaches across our sector.
The value of listening and learning together was equally evident during National Reconciliation Week, when we hosted our webinar, First Nations-Led Change. We were joined by Cherie Heslington, Shaun Middlebrook and Louis Mokak, who generously shared their knowledge and experience. Conversations like these create space not only for learning, but for truth-telling and reflection. Meaningful reconciliation requires us to engage with difficult histories and perspectives, and as funders, we have a responsibility to support First Nations leadership with trust, respect and long-term commitment. I encourage you to explore the resource we developed following the event, which captures key insights for funders.
This same spirit of shared learning and working together sits at the heart of the Impact Fund, which continues to bring our community together to fund, learn and act collectively. As you’ll see in this month’s Impact Fund update, we’re evolving the Fund to deepen its impact while remaining grounded in community leadership. Thanks to the generosity of our giving community, our 2026 Catalyst Grant for RE-Alliance is now just $30,000 short of its $300,000 co-funding target. I invite anyone interested in contributing to be part of this collective effort.
Collaboration is a value similarly reflected in Philanthropy Australia (PA)’s new strategy, which highlights the importance of mobilising generosity with greater purpose and coordination across the sector. It’s a vision I strongly support, and one that I reflected on more deeply for PA’s Giving News.
It’s also great to see Fundholders and friends of the ACF community recognised this month in the King’s Birthday Honours:
- John Spierings AO (Southside Community Foundation): For distinguished service to social policy research and advocacy, to the not-for-profit sector, and to the community of Port Phillip.
- Terence Jeyaretnam AM (Jeyaretnam de Fontgalland Endowment Fund): For significant service to social justice, and to environmental conservation and sustainability.
- Tina Jackson OAM (Impact100 Sydney North): For service to the community through a range of organisations.
As you may have heard, we’ve recently introduced more flexible giving options through our Community Charity, including our Named Fund Plus and Future Fund Plus. Importantly, the expanded granting flexibility of the Community Charity can also be accessed through our standard Named Fund offering, enabling Fundholders to support a broader range of grassroots and community-led initiatives.
With the 30 June deadline fast approaching, I encourage both new and existing Fundholders to consider their EOFY giving. A contribution before 30 June allows you to receive the tax benefit now and take the time to grant thoughtfully in the future.
Thank you for being a part of the ACF journey and for the role you play in creating positive change.
Cheers,
Andrew Binns
CEO, Australian Communities Foundation
