Welcome back to Impact Fund Notes, our monthly reflections on best-practice giving and updates on the ACF Impact Fund, our flagship collective giving initiative.
Who gets a seat at the table when climate decisions are made? It’s a question that sits at the heart of the Impact Fund’s 2026 focus on climate.
In the lead-up to COP31 and the Australia-Pacific Pre-COP, organisations supported through the Impact Fund are helping communities on the frontlines of climate change have a voice in global discussions. Closer to home, others are strengthening the democratic foundations that enable communities to participate in the decisions that affect them.
The same principle informs how the Impact Fund approaches grantmaking: recognising that people closest to the challenges often have the clearest understanding of what change is needed.
Backing frontline voices ahead of COP31
Climate leaders will gather in early October for the Australia-Pacific Pre-COP meeting, ahead of COP31 in Türkiye this November, where Australia will serve as President of Negotiations.
At this important moment, the Impact Fund has committed $10,000 to Our Islands Our Home, a Torres Strait Islander-led climate campaign. We’re now inviting our community to join us in raising $50,000 to support Torres Strait Islander leaders to participate in Pre-COP and COP31.
For communities in the Torres Strait, climate change is already threatening homes, culture and livelihoods. This funding offers a direct way to help ensure those experiencing these impacts firsthand have a voice in shaping the global response.
Our Islands Our Home is a campaign of 350.org, a long-standing Impact Fund partner. The campaign has a strong track record, helping secure the landmark Torres Strait 8 human rights victory and a $77 million federal investment in climate resilience infrastructure for Torres Strait communities.
Fundholders wishing to support this work can request a grant from their Fund before 30 September, or get in touch for a conversation.
Learning together: Impact Fund webinars
Alongside funding, a key part of the Impact Fund’s refreshed approach is creating opportunities for our community to learn from each other and the organisations working on the issues we fund.
Since June, we’ve heard from:
- Our 2026 Community Advisory Group about the approach to shortlisting this year
- ACF Fundholders Luci Folder and Ben Sharpe about developing a climate justice giving strategy
- Volunteer-powered NFP, Climate for Change, about ways to support climate action beyond grantmaking, including volunteering and advocacy.
Next, we’re turning our attention to the systems that shape climate action.
Next up: Democracy and Climate – Funding at the intersection
With Australia leading global negotiations at COP31, attention is also turning to how climate decisions are made here at home – whose voices are heard, and what it takes to turn climate commitments into meaningful action.
ACF Fundholders and other funders are invited to join us online on Tuesday 13 October for a one-hour conversation exploring the relationship between climate and democracy in Australia.
We’ll be joined by leaders from the Australian Democracy Network, Centre for Public Integrity and Grata Fund to explore:
- Why democracy matters for climate progress
- How influence, transparency, and accountability affect climate policy
- Insights from organisations leading at the intersection of climate and democracy
- Opportunities to strengthen democracy for ambitious climate outcomes
Whether you already fund climate or democracy, or are simply interested in understanding how the two intersect, we hope you can join us.
The Impact Fund’s five-year partnership with the Australian Democracy Network (ADN) offers one example of why this work matters. Our support has helped ADN strengthen the not-for-profit sector’s ability to participate in public debate through initiatives including the Stronger Charities Alliance, as well as its work to protect democratic participation.
As ADN’s profile and influence continue to grow, the organisation is increasingly shaping the national conversation on democracy reform. Most recently, CEO Saffron Zomer appeared on ABC Four Corners to share ADN’s research on Australia’s federal lobbying system and outline practical reforms to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Reflecting on this momentum, the ADN team recently shared a generous note with ACF, acknowledging that the Impact Fund community’s early and sustained support helped build the organisational capacity that has enabled this growth.
It’s a useful reminder that the value of long-term funding isn’t always confined to a single project. Sometimes, it creates the conditions for important work to happen years later.
Register here for Democracy and Climate: Funding at the intersection, Tuesday 13 October.
More opportunities from Impact Fund partners
There are also several opportunities to hear directly from Impact Fund partners over the coming weeks:
- Environmental Justice Australia is hosting an online conversation with its First Nations justice team about working alongside First Nations communities to protect Country, uphold rights and strengthen community voice in land and water decisions. Wednesday 30 September, 12.30pm AEST, online. Register here.
- Economic Media Centre is celebrating six years of training community spokespeople to contribute to economic and social policy stories, with events in Sydney on 20 October and Melbourne on 29 October.
- Australian Democracy Network is hosting a Melbourne conversation on unlocking better politics in Australia and laying the path for a national Lobbying Act. Wednesday 21 October, 6.30pm, Melbourne.
ACF Fundholders can register their interest in any of these events by emailing [email protected].
