A veteran of Queensland’s boat building industry, Bruce Shepherd was always driven throughout his career to give back to the community. 

“Bruce was always conscious of the fact that he had more than many others,” says Bruce’s wife Sue, “and so he gave generously throughout his lifetime.” 

When Bruce passed away in 2019, Sue and the Shepherd family wanted a way to extend Bruce’s legacy of giving back. 

Today, the Shepherd Family Foundation supports Queensland organisations that “enable positive social change and make a real difference in people’s lives,” explains Sue. “Our aim is to support Queensland communities to thrive.” 

Getting help with getting started 

When the family decided they would establish their own foundation in Bruce’s honour, they weren’t exactly sure how to get started. 

“The prospect of establishing our own foundation by ourselves was overwhelming,” says Sue. “We started to learn about the structure that sits behind family foundations – what’s called a private ancillary fund or PAF.” 

“There just seemed to be so much work involved, and that’s not even mentioning the ongoing administration and compliance.” 

Then a friend introduced Sue to Australian Communities Foundation’s Foundation Support Services. 

“Australian Communities Foundation has supported us throughout our giving journey,” explains Sue, “from establishment of our PAF, to helping us articulate and narrow down our giving framework, supporting our granting and ensuring we meet all of our legal requirements. 

“This has allowed us to focus on giving without the burden of administration.” 

Giving for change 

The Shepherd Family Foundation distributed its first grants in early 2022 and has since given over $300,000 across four key focus areas: homelessness, the arts, women and girls, and food insecurity. 

Working with Australian Communities Foundation’s Philanthropic Services team, the family takes a holistic approach to supporting positive change in these areas, funding both service delivery and advocacy. 

Another key principle of the family’s grantmaking approach is to provide untied funding where possible, allowing organisations to decide how to best allocate the funds themselves.  

Grant highlights so far include: 

• $50,000 for Brisbane Youth Service, a specialist youth service creating new futures for young people who are homeless or vulnerable through housing and support services. 
• $25,000 for Queensland Theatre Company, Australia’s third largest theatre company. 
• $10,000 for Sisters Inside, a community-based organisation that advocates for the collective human rights of women and girls in prison, and their families, and provides services to address their individual needs. 

Complementing the Foundation’s granting to Queensland-based organisations is its support for a range of national organisations that also benefit Queenslanders, including the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, OzHarvest and Lifeline Australia. 

Despite the Foundation’s considerable impact in a short period, Sue says this is just the beginning of carrying on Bruce’s legacy. 

“We’re still in the early learning stages. We look forward to continuing Bruce’s legacy as we learn along the way and maximise our impact.  

“To anyone interested in starting their own foundation, the only advice we have at this stage is to work with a knowledgeable partner like Australian Communities Foundation – that support makes all the difference.”