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Feature image: Impact Fund 2024 Collaborations: A Place to Call Home, Building Power for Climate Justice, Common Threads, and Countering Disinformation (from top left to bottom right)
How do we give for lasting change? It’s a common question from our community, and one we seek to address through the ACF Impact Fund.
As our flagship fund for collective giving, the Impact Fund brings together hundreds of funders and changemakers each year to drive long-term, meaningful change for a fairer and more sustainable Australia.
Since launching in 2017, our journey with the Impact Fund has taught us a lot about what it takes to fund change. Here are five key takeaways and an update on this year’s Impact Fund program.
Creating lasting, systemic change takes time, patience and persistence. Real impact doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a commitment to the cause and a willingness to support long-term strategies, even when progress seems slow or setbacks occur.
A great example of this is the Impact Fund’s support of advocacy for improved energy efficiency standards in Australian homes. The Impact Fund first invested in national sustainability organisation Renew to lead this work in 2018. While we didn’t see immediate progress in this space, Renew’s advocacy ultimately secured policy changes four years later. All new homes in Australia now need to meet these improved energy standards, reducing both emissions and energy bills.
Setbacks are inevitable, however they don’t necessarily mean progress has halted. Even when a movement doesn’t achieve a key goal right away, your support is still strengthening the movement itself. Think of it like building a team of doctors to treat an ongoing health crisis. You may not solve the crisis immediately, but you now have more hands and minds to tackle the problem moving forward.
When ACF supports organisations in building movements, it recognises that the journey can be as valuable as the destination. Campaigns aimed at policy reform may not always yield immediate wins, but they often lead to greater awareness, stronger alliances, and a more mobilised community ready to continue pushing for change. Each effort builds the movement’s capacity to achieve future victories.
One of the most crucial elements of effective change-making is ensuring that those directly affected by the issue are at the forefront of the movement. Funding leaders with lived experience means communities can take charge of their narratives with solutions that are relevant, authentic, and sustainable.
This approach is central to the Impact Fund 2024 Collaborations:
There is power in numbers, especially when it comes to philanthropy. Collective giving allows individuals and organisations to pool their resources, making a greater impact than they might achieve alone. It also provides a sense of shared purpose and community among funders and a shared learning experience, where funders can exchange insights and strategies, amplifying the overall impact of their contributions. By combining resources, we can also fund initiatives that might be too ambitious for a single funder.
The Impact Fund brings together hundreds of funders every year to support critical issues in Australia. Our annual Impact Fund event is coming up on 10 October – a great opportunity for you to be part of a growing collective giving community.
Funding is undoubtedly vital, but lasting change requires more than just financial support. True impact often involves giving time, expertise and advocacy, and leveraging networks and spheres of influence. Funders who go beyond giving money better contribute to the sustainability and effectiveness of the movements they support.
At Australian Communities Foundation, we encourage funders to get involved in various ways. This holistic approach to giving not only maximises impact but also builds stronger, more connected movements.
Join our upcoming Impact Fund events.
Join us at the Impact Fund Showcase in Melbourne on Thursday 10 October. If you’re based in Sydney, come to the Sydney Watching Party to be part of the experience.
For ACF fundholders living interstate, consider making a trip to either event – your travel costs can be deducted as a Fund Expense. Can’t make it in person? Presentations at the Showcase will be recorded and shared shortly after.
