In 2024, a year where the Prime Minister declared domestic and family violence a national crisis, the Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) giving community stepped up to support a range of organisations working to end gender-based violence, including national campaigning organisation Fair Agenda. Backed by the ACF Impact Fund, Fair Agenda is working towards a gender equitable future.

Over the last year, Fair Agenda celebrated the success of two key campaigns: reform to address sexual violence in universities, and the decriminalisation of patient access to abortion across all states and territories with the enacting of legislation in Western Australia.

Fair Agenda also launched new campaigns this year to improve justice system responses to sexual violence, coinciding with the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) Inquiry.

“For too many victim-survivors of sexual violence, navigating the justice system exacerbates trauma,” says Renee Carr, Executive Director at Fair Agenda.

Together, we’re building momentum for a justice system that supports victim-survivors and prioritises their wellbeing

With ACF’s support and in partnership with the Australian Women’s Health Alliance, the Fair Agenda team consulted with service providers, lived-experience advocates, and experts to spotlight critical issues and advocate for trauma-informed, evidence-based solutions. Specifically, Fair Agenda is advocating for reform to (1) enable victim-survivors of sexual assault to pre-record their testimony; (2) remove barriers to accessing forensic medical examinations; and (3) improve access to sexual assault service support.

“Gender-based violence is a systemic issue that requires systemic solutions,” says Laura Mannix, ACF Philanthropy Lead. “Ensuring the justice system supports victim-survivors with dignity and care is a crucial step in tackling this crisis.”

Ensuring the justice system supports victim-survivors with dignity and care is a crucial step in tackling this crisis

Renee says the support from the ACF giving community has been instrumental in enabling Fair Agenda to respond to the window of opportunity presented by the ALRC Inquiry.

“With your support, we’ve ensured the voices of victim-survivors and advocates are central to the discussion. Together, we’re building momentum for a justice system that supports victim-survivors and prioritises their wellbeing.”

To learn more about Australian Communities Foundation’s Impact Fund work, click here.

Six weeks on from the launch of the Impact Fund’s 2024 annual large grant round, our giving community has contributed over $570,000 for four new initiatives working towards justice. 

We still have a little over $200,000 to go to reach our target (as at 20 November). Here’s a quick update on what our Collaborations for Justice partners have been up to since our Impact Fund Showcase on 10 October.

Missed the Showcase or want to relive the night? See highlights and full recording here.

Countering Disinformation: Equipping campaigners with the tools to respond 
$138,000 raised | $62,000 to go 
Impact Area: Strengthening Democracy 

A healthy democracy needs an informed public, but the rise of disinformation puts this essential foundation at risk. As we approach the next federal election, this threat is more urgent than ever. The Australian Democracy Network (ADN) has developed a training masterclass to equip campaigners and organisers with the tools they need to identify, assess and counter disinformation. 

ADN hosted its first Disinformation Masterclass in November with 19 campaigners working on a range of critical issues from climate and renewables to protecting LGBTQIA+ and refugee rights.

Saffron Zomer, Executive Director at ADN, has also appeared on the latest episode of the Community Advocate podcast, raising awareness of ADN’s work and the fragility of democratic institutions and trust in government in the context of the recent US election. 

Common Threads: Harnessing the power of First Nations movements 
$119,000 raised | $81,000 to go 
Impact Area: Supporting First Nations Self-Determination 

Common Threads is a new organisation that harnesses the power of emerging First Nations leadership and changemaking. Led by a First Nations team with expertise in movement building, Common Threads exists to support First Nations leaders to deliver policy wins that create a fairer, more sustainable future for all. 

Millie Telford, proud Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman and First Nations Justice Director at Australian Progress, sits on the organisation’s steering committee alongside Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, Widjabul Wia-bal woman and CEO of GetUp, and Dr Jackie Huggins AM, Bidjara and Birri-Gubba Juru woman and leader working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs for over forty years. 

Millie recently joined a breakfast panel, ‘Influence & Advocacy: Shaping policy with purpose’, hosted by fellow Impact Fund partner, Australian Democracy Network. Millie presented alongside Paul Ramsay Foundation CEO Kristy Muir, and Charities Minister Andrew Leigh, who gave a keynote address on the importance of community-led advocacy in shaping policy.

Building Power for Climate Justice: Uniting the movement 
$125,000 raised | $75,000 to go 
Impact Area: Safeguarding the Environment 

Australia’s leading climate organisations are coming together to build a strong people-powered movement for climate action led by those most impacted by the climate crisis. As a united coalition, these organisations are working together to develop a strategy for COP31 (the 2026 UN climate summit, which Australia is likely to host) and launch publicly next year with 1,000 volunteers organising, mobilising and shifting the narrative in the lead-up to the election and COP31. 

Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, CEO of GetUp, one of six organisations in the coalition, has been providing updates from COP29 in Azerbaijan (11 – 22 November), where she has been raising awareness of the importance of Indigenous leadership and approaches to climate solutions. 

A Place to Call Home: Co-creating a rental system that works for everyone 
$187,000 raised | $13,000 to go 
Impact Area: Tackling Inequality 

A Place to Call Home is a new national campaign bringing together renters and some of Australia’s leading not-for-profits with expertise in housing. Anika Legal, Better Renting and the Consumer Policy Research Centre are working with renters to build a national roadmap for a rental system that works for everyone and offers renters safe, secure and affordable homes. 

In an early win for the campaign, the Victorian State Government has announced sweeping rental reforms including new policies to stop rental providers from making unfounded claims against tenants’ bonds. This follows recommendations made by Anika Legal, as detailed in the Broken Bonds report, which found that up to 39% of claims made against renters’ bonds were baseless, costing the government millions in VCAT cases and creating unnecessary stress for renters. 

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Get Involved 

Thank you to everyone who has supported this work so far. As funders, we can maximise our impact when we give together to support changemakers who are tackling our country’s biggest issues and advocating for systemic change. 

Contribute from your ACF Fund here or donate directly here. If you would like to learn more about this work or have a conversation before pledging your support, please contact me on 03 9412 0412 or email grants@communityfoundation.org.au  

Victoria’s first new community foundation in eight years, the Southside Community Foundation, is bringing donors together for local action in the Port Phillip area.

St Kilda in Melbourne – part of Port Phillip – is known for its popular beach, its Sunday market on the esplanade, Luna Park, and the cake shops of Acland Street.

And while the Port Phillip area has plenty of affluent people, an estimated 9,000 locals live in poverty. It is home to one of the largest food banks in Victoria, and other challenges exist in mental health, climate change, and the creative industries. Southside Community Foundation has been established to address these issues.

Southside’s first grants will be guided by a Vital Signs report produced by the Foundation. Grants will support the identified areas as well as supporting local First Nations communities to come together and identify needs, priorities and better ways to engage.

The Interim Chair of SCF, John Spierings, has a long connection with the Port Phillip area, which also includes Balaclava, Ripponlea, South Melbourne, and most of Port Melbourne. The Foundation may extend to adjoining local government areas over time if the need arises.

“Independent, democratic and transparent community foundations are increasingly important as communities fragment and economic disparities grow,” says John.

“Many communities are innovative in responding to these challenges and community foundations are essential to enabling more of this to happen. 

“They provide crucial social infrastructure and community capital for the long-term health and sustainability of civil society and local charities. We are thrilled to launch Southside in Victoria.”

One-third of renters in Port Phillip are in housing stress, meaning more than 30 percent of household income is spent on rent. Rental housing affordability and quality are major issues for the area.

Some other key findings of the Vital Signs report are:

• Renters make up half of all residents, one of the highest proportions in Australia
• Only 6.4% of dwellings are classified as social housing, a low proportion for the inner city
• More older men (over 30) are homeless compared to Greater Melbourne 
• Of 9,000 people experiencing food insecurity, 60% are women
• One in three residents live with a long-term health condition
• More than 10% of the adult population report experiencing very high levels of psychological distress
• Loss of tree canopy cover on private land is outstripping gains on public land, and 
• One in five arts and recreation jobs from 2016 no longer exist.

Southside is now a living entity thanks to [ACF’s] research and all the crucial advice, enthusiasm and practical assistance from the ACF Board and staff over the past 18 months… It is a great partnership.

Key ACF figures, the late Marion Webster AM (Co-Founder and Patron) and Trudy Wyse (former staff), considered the feasibility of a southside community foundation more than a decade ago.

“It has taken a while, but Southside Community Foundation is now a living entity thanks to that early research,” says John, “and all the crucial advice, enthusiasm and practical assistance from the ACF Board and staff over the past 18 months. It is a great partnership.”

Andrew Binns, ACF CEO, says the partnership is a great example of ACF’s backend support for emerging philanthropic initiatives.

“Our support through ACF Advisory has ranged from undertaking compliance and acquittal logistics through to advice about long-term sustainability and planning.”

How will the Southside Community Foundation work? 

Southside is a sub-fund of Australian Communities Foundation. All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

It is established in perpetuity and is committed to developing long-term community capacity and adaptability. It is a great option for individuals, families and businesses considering their estate and financial planning and who wish to give back to a community that has given them so much.

Every dollar donated, whether large or small, is leveraged to achieve greater impact at a local level

As demonstrated by its first grant round, Southside is listening closely to the community to anticipate future needs, and fund longer-term systemic interventions.

 “The Southside Community Foundation aims to build a long-term financial asset for giving and responding to need in Port Phillip,” says Interim Board member Sarah Hardy. “It is an exciting new way to help donors be more effective by ensuring every dollar donated, whether large or small, is leveraged to achieve greater impact at a local level.” 

Who is on the Southside Community Foundation Board?

The Interim Board comprises

• John Spierings (Interim Chair), whose career has included higher education, local and federal government, philanthropy and consultancy. 
• Gina Fiske, who has a background in community and human services sector program management and direct service delivery. Her work has led to improvements in the lives of children, youth and families. 
• Lorraine Grove, who has worked in infrastructure finance, investor relations, and as a technical writer/editor. She volunteers at Port Phillip Community Group and PBSfm community radio station.
• Sarah Hardy is the CEO of the R E Ross Trust, and is skilled in governance, finance, strategy and risk, grant making, communication, fundraising and executive leadership.
• Elizabeth Jennings, former Chief Financial Officer at Victoria Legal Aid, Head of Strategic Finance at World Vision Australia, and the Director of Corporate and Community Services at the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
• Aaron McNeilly, the Engagement and Advisory Lead at ACF, who has also held roles with the Enterprise Network for Young Australians, the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance, The Prince’s Charities Australia, The Prince’s Trust and Arts Centre Melbourne. 

Briony Stocker, who has a background in higher education, most recently at Monash Business School, is Southside’s part-time Project Manager.

A skills-based Board will continue to be built early in 2025.

Learn more: southsidecf.org

Get involved: Southside Community Foundation is keen to hear from individual donors, families, businesses, community organisations and civil society interested in supporting, knowing more about the foundation or alerting Southside to local needs. Contact the Southside team here.

The Southside Community Foundation recognises that Port Phillip is located on the lands of the Kulin Nation and has been inhabited by its peoples for more than 40,000 years. We pay respect to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge that lands have never been ceded.

Feature image (L-R): Project Manager Briony Stocker with Interim Board members, John Spierings (Interim Chair), Lorraine Grove and Sarah Hardy, in East St Kilda.

^{Feature image (L-R): Andrew Binns (CEO, Australian Communities Foundation), Saffron Zomer (Australian Democracy Network), Noel Lim (Anika Legal), Amelia Telford (Common Threads), Larissa Baldwin-Roberts (GetUp), Laura Mannix (Philanthropy Lead, ACF) and Carly Severino (Director of Community and Philanthropy, ACF).}

More than 130 funders and friends of our giving community came together on October 10 to hear from and support changemakers leading national campaigns for a fairer and more sustainable Australia.

Hosted by Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre, the Impact Fund 2024 Showcase saw changemakers present their plans to tackle some of Australia’s biggest issues, including climate, First Nations justice, housing and the rise of disinformation.

With this year’s theme, ‘Collaborations for Justice’, celebrating the power of coming together, the evening showcased the intersecting nature of our country’s biggest challenges and the solutions that will take us forward to a better future.

Watch: Highlights Reel

Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson, opened the night and welcomed the audience, acknowledging the significant role of community leaders like those presenting on the night and the importance of listening to one another’s stories.

In his opening address, ACF CEO Andrew Binns gave a snapshot of the Impact Fund’s eight-year history of funding positive change across Australia.

The Impact Fund is where we have the opportunity to model what best-practice philanthropy looks like.

“Since 2017, we’ve brought together a growing community of funders, collectively giving more than $10 million to support organisations across the four key impact areas: inequality, environment and climate, First Nations self-determination, and democracy.

“While ACF’s 600+ Funds are donor-advised, the Impact Fund is where we have the opportunity to model what best-practice philanthropy looks like.”

Presenting the first initiative of the night, Larissa Baldwin-Roberts (CEO, GetUp) introduced a new coalition of Australia’s leading climate organisations building a people-powered movement for climate action.

“We have an incredible climate movement, but we don’t have enough people in the right places who are talking about climate,” Larissa explained. “We need to train people across the country to go out and have conversations in their communities.”

Amelia Telford (First Nations Justice Director, Australian Progress) then presented an ambitious plan from new First Nations-led organisation, Common Threads, to break the cycle of under-resourcing for First Nations movements.

“Common Threads… centres Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing to drive solutions to the world’s wicked problems. Our goal is to raise and reinvest $100 million into First Nations-led movements and advocacy over the next decade.”

It’s about surrounding yourself with people who want to make a difference. People who have the skills and the tools and the knowledge.

In a Q&A facilitated by ACF’s Director of Community & Philanthropy, Carly Severino, Larissa and Amelia shared their reflections on what brings them hope and sustains them in their work.

“It’s about surrounding yourself with people who want to make a difference,” Amelia reflected. “People who have the skills and the tools and the knowledge. That’s what keeps not just me going… there’s science behind this in terms of movement building and organising.”

Noel Lim (Founder and CEO, Anika Legal) then took the stage to share his experience with Australia’s housing crisis and the details of a new national campaign with a plan for a better rental system.

“Renters are living in homes so unsafe that it’s harming their health, and renters are transitioning into homelessness faster than people can transition out… We have to do something about this. We need to change the story and shift the narrative to housing as an essential service, and the system needs to reflect the simple truth that everyone deserves a home.”

Led by Noel and the team at Anika Legal in partnership with Better Renting and the Consumer Policy Research Centre, the ‘Place to Call Home’ campaign will work with renters and experts to create a national roadmap for “a better rental system that works for everyone”.

Closing the evening’s presentations, Saffron Zomer (Executive Director, Australian Democracy Network) put forward a solution to tackle the rise of disinformation, which threatens every pathway to a fairer and more sustainable Australia.

 “While it’s clear disinformation isn’t a new problem, it is really accelerating right now,” explained Saffron. “Part of the reason for that is that our traditional media ecosystems have been severely eroded, and in their place, we’ve seen the rise of these massive, mostly unregulated social media platforms.”

Saffron presented the framework informing Australian Democracy Network’s (ADN) response, which includes advocating for policy and regulation, countering narratives, and disrupting disinformation sources. With a rise in disinformation expected ahead of the upcoming federal election, ADN’s top priority is to host masterclasses for civil society leaders to build their skills in countering disinformation.

Laura Mannix, ACF’s Philanthropy Lead who oversees the Impact Fund, closed the evening with a reflection on the value of collaboration.

“On a night showcasing some of Australia’s leading networks and coalitions, the ACF community itself is an example of collective impact,” said Laura. “We are so much stronger when we give together.

“Australian Communities Foundation is proud to stand alongside these initiatives and we hope that you will join us.”

On the night, the Foundation committed $300,000 from the Impact Fund towards this work and raised an additional $150,000 in generous contributions from individual donors.

With $350,000 to go to reach our target, Australian Communities Foundation is now calling on our giving community and independent funders to join us in supporting this work for a better future.

Contribute now

Maximise your impact by giving together with the Impact Fund community.

You can either contribute to the 2024 Collaborations from your ACF Fund here or donate directly here. Alternatively, contact Laura Mannix on 03 9412 0412 or email grants@communityfoundation.org.au

You can also give to support the work behind the Impact Fund. Learn more and contribute here.

View photo gallery

Watch: Impact Fund 2024 Explainer

Watch: Impact Fund 2024 Showcase – Full Recording

^{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. 

Tip 1: Think long-term for real impact 

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. 

Tip 2: What feels like a step back can still be progress 

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. 

Tip 3: Movements need to be led by those with lived experience 

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: 

• A Place to Call Home: Co-creating a rental system that works for everyone 

• Building Power for Climate Justice: Uniting the movement 

• Common Threads: Harnessing the power of First Nations movements 

• Countering Disinformation: Equipping campaigners with tools to respond

Tip 4: Give together, work together 

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.  

Tip 5: Giving goes beyond money 

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. 

Want to put these tips into action?

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. 

^{Image: Laura Mannix (Philanthropy Lead) and Camille Furtado (Director of Philanthropy), who drive the work of the ACF Impact Fund.}

Over the past few months, the Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) team has had many meetings with fundholders across the country. And one question we keep hearing from you is ‘What is the Impact Fund and how can I get involved?’

If you are one of those people, this update is for you…

Established in 2017 as ACF’s flagship fund, the Impact Fund is a way for you to get involved in best-practice collective giving. And it’s back for 2024.

How the Impact Fund works

Step One. Identifying opportunities for impact: Each year, the ACF team works on your behalf to identify changemakers working on critical issues of national significance across four Impact Areas: Tackling Inequality, Safeguarding the Environment, Supporting First Nations Self-Determination, and Strengthening Democracy.

Step Two. Showcasing the work: The shortlisted organisations are showcased at our annual Impact Fund event in October. The Foundation commits funding from the Impact Fund, which is then pooled with generous contributions from our giving community (this is where you come in).  

Step Three. Supporting the work: The Fund usually awards four Large Grants annually (one in each Impact Area), as well as smaller grants across the year through the Agile stream, designed to provide rapid funding in response to urgent needs.

Step Four. Amplifying our impact: Finally, we leverage our community’s support by inviting other foundations to co-fund with us, and together, we maximise our impact.

Where are we now? The Impact Fund in 2024

Our Philanthropy Team has been busy meeting with dozens of community organisations and has identified four priority issues for the 2024 Large Grants program:

• Housing (Tackling Inequality)
  Supporting access to safe, affordable and sustainable housing to tackle the cost-of-living crisis
  
  
• Climate Justice (Safeguarding the Environment)
  Building the power of those most affected by climate change
  
  
• First Nations Justice (Supporting First Nations Self-Determination)
  Supporting First Nations-led movements for justice
  
  
• Disinformation (Strengthening Democracy)
  Combatting disinformation which threatens every pathway to a fairer and more sustainable Australia

The Impact Fund commits approximately $400,000 every year across the four Impact Areas, and when we invite our giving community to give alongside the Fund this often results in six to seven times as much being granted overall. This year, a group of donors, including the Eastbourne Fund and Ewan Ogilvy, have generously helped grow our initial pledge, meaning we are starting with a grants pool of more than half a million dollars.

Brad Fresia of the Eastbourne Fund says he and partner Allister “believe strongly in the work of the Impact Fund building a fairer and more sustainable Australia.”

“The talented ACF team has the expertise to maximise impact by directing funding and guidance to organisations doing amazing work. These are organisations we most likely would not have identified on our own. This leaves us confident that our support is being deployed in a smart way aligned with our goals.”

You don’t need to wait to get involved…

There are lots of ways you can get involved this year:

• Help grow the Impact Fund’s 2024 grants pool: Join the group of generous donors who have donated into the Fund to help grow our initial pledge for the year. Contact Laura Mannix, Philanthropy Lead, to learn more or indicate your support. Contact details below.
  
  
• Attend one of our online Learning Circles: Learn more about the Impact Fund’s issue areas for 2024 at an upcoming Learning Circle event. Register now for our First Nations Justice session on 15 May
  
  
• Co-fund a current Agile Grant: We have seen a strong response in co-funding for Agile Grants to Common Threads ($58,000 raised; $27,000 to go) and Media Diversity Australia ($14,500 raised; $11,500 to go), and have just announced two more Agile Grants for Our Islands, Our Home ($10,000 raised; $33,000 to go) and Fair Agenda ($10,000 raised; $70,000 to go).
  
  
• Mark your calendar for the annual Impact Fund Showcase in October: Can’t make the Melbourne event? We’re currently exploring hosting Watching Parties across the country – register your interest here. Stay tuned for more details.

If you have any queries or suggestions relating to the Fund’s focus areas this year, please contact Laura Mannix on 03 9412 0412 or email laura.m@communityfoundation.org.au

^{Image: Maree Sidey (CEO, Australian Communities Foundation) and Larissa Baldwin-Roberts (CEO, GetUp) at the 2024 Australian Philanthropy Awards.}

Australian Communities Foundation has won its fifth Australian Philanthropy Award, receiving the 2024 Collaboration Award alongside partners, Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, GetUp and Australian Progress for the Impact Fund’s 2023 program, Voices for Impact.

Established in 2017, the Impact Fund harnesses the power of collective giving to address critical issues in Australia across the areas of inequality, democracy, environment and First Nations self-determination. In 2023, ACF adapted the Fund’s annual grant program to concentrate efforts on supporting self-determination, particularly in the context of the Voice referendum.

Designed and implemented under the guidance of ACF’s First Nations Advisory Group, Voices for Impact ultimately raised over $2.3 million for the movement.

“While a lot of us still have sore hearts over the referendum loss, it was an incredible moment for advocacy in this country,” Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, proud Widjabul Wia-bul woman and CEO of partner organisation GetUp, told the room at the Art Gallery of NSW when accepting the Award.

“[The program’s grants] powered an amazing organising effort. These are the types of collaborations that are going to create change, and we’re not going to give up.”

Maree Sidey, ACF’s outgoing CEO, acknowledged the Foundation’s strong history of supporting self-determination in accepting the award alongside Larissa.

“This support has taken many forms including the handing over of corpus to First Nations-led funders. Last year, however, we stepped into our maturity as a funder of movements and had the extraordinary privilege of partnering with amazing organisations and their leaders.”

These are the types of collaborations that are going to create change, and we’re not going to give up.

The program featured Rapid Response funding partnerships with Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, GetUp and Australian Progress, and involved broader collaboration among 100+ co-funders and 80+ community groups and organisations supported through the program, including Large Grant recipients: the Uluru Dialogue (UNSW Indigenous Law Centre), Yes23 and Passing the Message Stick campaigns.

“Each partnership required something different from each of us. Moving money quickly, making small grants to build capacity, making large grants to fund campaigns, raising awareness, staging events, fundraising, supporting advocacy – the list goes on,” Maree explained.

“We accept this award on behalf of every Australian who stepped forward to vote yes, all the funders and civil society leaders who showed up, and all the amazing collaborations that emerged. They are what matters. They are what will get us there in the end.”

Australian Communities Foundation congratulates all other recipients and finalists, including Future Generation Global, Social Outcomes and Seer Data and Analytics for the Future Generation Global Impact Measurement Initiative, which also took out the Collaboration Award.

Learn more
Australian Philanthropy Awards 2024 wrap-up
List of all award recipients

“What we are doing is trying to protect not only our island against climate change, but to save our language, our tradition and our culture as well,” explains Yessie Mosby from Masig Island in the Torres Strait.

“We are training our young people to take up the responsibility of fighting against climate change and being the voice for tomorrow, especially down south and in mainstream Australia because a lot of people in Australia don’t even know we exist.

“A lot of Australians mistakenly think the Torres Strait Islands are part of Papua New Guinea.”

Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands and surrounding seas) is home to Traditional Owners who have lived with a deep connection to land, sea, sky and culture for over 60,000 years.

As a spokesperson for the Our Islands Our Home campaign, Yessie is one of eight claimants, also known as the #TorresStrait8, who made international legal history in September 2022 when the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that the Australian Government is violating the rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to act on climate change.

The landmark decision sets a precedent for First Nations Peoples across the world.

The Our Islands Our Home campaign, is supported by 350.org, an Impact Partner of Australian Communities Foundation. The campaign is now building community support to urge the Australian Government to adopt the Torres Strait 8’s five demands:

1. Fund adaptation programs that will allow Zenadh Kes communities to adapt to climate impacts
2. Commit to going 100% renewables in Australia in the next 10 years
3. Support Zenadh Kes communities to build community-owned renewable energy
4. Transition away from fossil fuels as rapidly as possible through a just transition for workers
5. Push the world to increase global ambition and keep warming to less than 1.5 degrees

”We’ve been waiting for over a decade for the government to build sea walls here,” Yessie explains. “We’ve had to use driftwood and whatever we can find lying around to try and save a home or to slow down the process of inundation.”

We are training our young people to take up the responsibility of fighting against climate change and being the voice for tomorrow.

The impacts of the climate crisis in the Torres Strait are seen not only in rising sea levels and erosion but also in the changes to local wildlife populations.

“There are many seabirds we don’t see anymore on the island,” Yessie says. “And we used to have hundreds of Hawksbill turtles too and a big nesting ground here. When I was young, we had hundreds of turtles that would crawl into the village, they would lay under people’s yard, or under houses and it’s not like that anymore.

“Fifteen years ago, we counted over 300 turtles. Last year, we counted 18.”

The natural world plays a pivotal role in the cultural traditions and passing down knowledge to younger generations on Masig Island. For instance, seeds that grew medicine plants used to treat stings by poisonous sea creatures, are no longer being activated by migratory birds because they no longer visit the island.

“These particular animals are not here to help in this continuous way of living and way of surviving, and it affects our culture, and our language and our tradition,” Yessie says.

“It makes it much harder to teach our kids about this ancient knowledge which been practised for thousands of years because in the way of our culture, these things are not written down, it is all oral speaking and it’s documented in the songs we sing to our kids.

“It’s confusing for them, because they don’t have anything to look at to say, ‘Ah, yes, this is a confirmation of what’s in the song. It’s here.’

“When we sing our weather songs about the star constellations, we talk about when monsoon will come when the star sits at a certain area in the atmosphere in the skies and signifies that the monsoon will come. But we don’t see monsoons now till the end of February or sometimes late March when we used to get our cyclones at the end of December. It’s very sad.”

Listening, seeing, learning

In late 2023, a small group of philanthropic funders were invited by the Masig community to spend a week on the island and see the impacts of the climate crisis firsthand.

“When you come to my country, you see what’s going on,” Yessie says. “You see it’s not a myth, it is actually happening.

“When you’re here on the Island, it’s island time and everyone is laid back and strong. And you know that you’re free, you’re free to laugh. You’re free to do things when you want to. But also you’re free to help save what you see needs to be saved.

“Everyone who came here, they were part of our family. They walked with us on the beach, they shared food with us. They shared stories. And they had the loving patience to sit and listen and learn.”

Laura Mannix, Philanthropy Lead at Australian Communities Foundation, was one of those guests and says the experience was transformative on both a personal and professional level.

We saw the beauty of the island itself, but also the realities of what the climate crisis is doing to that island. And that was devastating. You can’t unsee that.

“When you’re invited to become part of the Masig family, everyone there is brother, sister, auntie, uncle,” Laura explains.

“Being able to see firsthand the water, the soil, the trees, and what that means for the livelihoods of people there and the ancestors that came beforehand, was incredible, because it brought me such a sense of honour and also accountability and duty to make sure that I go out into the world and continue to fight for it, to make sure that the people, the people that I have grown to know and have love and affection for there, will be supported, and that their culture can thrive.

“We saw the beauty of the island itself, but also the realities of what the climate crisis is doing to that island. And that was devastating. You can’t unsee that.

“It was such a profound experience in so many ways.”

Take action

Support the Our Islands Our Home campaign by making a grant request from your Fund, donating or signing the petition to protect the Torres Strait.

“Please support us to help us build sea walls or sign the petition,” Yessie says. “Your actions will help our people, this ancient race of people, to live and reside on our home for another 60,000 years.”

Join Our Islands Our Home for a powerful night of storytelling and protest through culture, music, dance, art and spoken word in Naarm/Melbourne on Thursday, 6 March. Event details here.

Our Islands Our Home has been supported by the ACF Impact Fund and a group of other Named Funds since 2020. Learn more about the Impact Fund’s support

A new website aimed at driving national truth-telling has been launched thanks in part to early philanthropic support.

Backed by Australian Communities Foundation’s Impact Fund and 10 other ACF Named Funds since early 2022, the Towards Truth website maps laws and government policies that have affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since 1788. It is the first attempt to document and analyse the full scope and impact of these laws on First Nations communities.

A partnership between the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre (ILC), the project has also been made possible through pro bono support from across the legal field.

The website maps a history of dispossession and disempowerment across four key themes – Kinship, Country, Law and Culture, and People – alongside the ways in which laws have sought to protect and provide for reparation.

Described by Professor Megan Davis (Pro-Vice Chancellor Indigenous, UNSW and Co-Chair of the Uluru Statement from the Heart) as the ‘engine room of truth-telling’, the project is also testament to the long history of First Nations resistance.

The database speaks to the need for structural reform and the power of law and policy-making to make a difference.

“Before working on Towards Truth, I didn’t have an understanding of the pervasiveness of laws designed to erase First Nations culture,” Towards Truth Project Coordinator, Corey Smith, told the National Indigenous Times.

“From voting rights to participating in court, child removals and suppressing languages, our work shows a history of harmful government decisions that have a lasting impact on families and communities. My work has helped me understand the pressures my own family were under to hide or diminish their Aboriginality.”

‘A database that shows why a Voice is so overdue’

Professor Davis said laws and policies analysed through the project demonstrate “the damage of legal exclusion and control”.

“The database speaks to the need for structural reform and the power of law and policy-making to make a difference. Without the kind of structural reform the Uluru Statement from the Heart envisages, truth-telling is meaningless.

“Towards Truth provides context to individual experiences and histories by shining a light on how formal legal processes and bureaucrats drive the direction of communities. It’s a powerful database that shows why a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament is so overdue.”

Taking a risk with a world-first

The website’s launch comes after years of dedicated work from the First Nations-led team, said PIAC Chief Executive Officer, Jonathon Hunyor.

We’re a long way now from when it was just an idea, and philanthropy’s played a vital role in that.

“There’s nothing like this in the world. That’s been one of the reasons why these first years have been such hard work, but we’re now really interested to see how people engage not only nationally but overseas too.

“We’re a long way now from when it was just an idea, and philanthropy’s played a vital role in that.

“The willingness from our funders to recognise the long game and take the risk of our ambitious idea made all the difference, and the support from the ACF Impact Fund gave us that real shot in the arm.”

The website currently includes laws and policies in New South Wales across four themes. The Towards Truth team is now working to secure more funding to cover more topics and jurisdictions.

Learn more: towardstruth.org.au

Interested in supporting Towards Truth? Contribute

Hailing from a family of allied health workers, the values of social justice and compassion played an important role in Sophie and Georgia Einfeld’s upbringing, across multiple generations.

“Our grandmother (Maadi) and grandfather (John) were regular givers and had strong values of compassion, justice and civic responsibility,” Sophie explains.

“They lived a modest life and supported their community in Sydney through fundraising and volunteering. John was a lawyer and community leader and Maadi was an artist and supported his work, running an open house often full of locals and friends.

“They were amazing people and both believed in creating paths to opportunity.”

When their beloved grandmother Maadi passed away in Sydney in 2022, Sophie and Georgia’s family decided to turn the inheritance into a Named Fund at Australian Communities Foundation.

“We wanted to create a lasting legacy to honour our grandparents’ own commitment to supporting community through fundraising and volunteering,” Sophie explains.

“That meant doing more than just giving money away. We wanted to be able to extend the impact of our giving by doing fundraising and other volunteer work.”

“We were raised with progressive values and we share that as a family, so the values of Australian Communities Foundation were very much aligned with our own and the causes we wanted to support.”

“The John and Maadi Einfeld Fund allows us to provide ongoing support in a sustainable way to the causes we care about as a family.”

We were raised with progressive values and we share that as a family, so the values of Australian Communities Foundation were very much aligned with our own

The two Einfeld sisters and their parents Steve and Judi come together as a family each year to decide what to support.

“The first cause we all wanted to get behind was supporting a First Nations Voice to Parliament,” Sophie says.

While on maternity leave, Sophie along with her sister Georgia and a group of their friends, organised a fundraising event for the Yes 23 campaign at Thornbury Bowls Club.

“We wanted to support grassroot efforts to get the message out that now is the time to vote Yes for a First Nations Voice that is recognised in the Constitution, and we were really inspired to see how we could rally our community to support the cause too,” Georgia says.

We wanted to support grassroot efforts to get the message out that now is the time to vote Yes for a First Nations Voice

“We worked with Yes 23 and Australian Communities Foundation connected us with changemakers and organisations and helped support the event.”

With food, raffles and family-friendly activities, the event included a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, a performance by Charlie Needs Braces, a live auction, comedy by Kimmie Lovegrove and an inspiring discussion between Josh Reid Jones and Australian Communities Foundation Director, First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria member and proud Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg.

During the Q&A discussion, Rueben shared his aspirations for the future.

“From an Aboriginal perspective, we just want to be able to take control of the things that affect us,” Rueben explained.

“At the moment there’s a whole variety of decisions that the government makes on our behalf, whether that’s decisions about how we live our lives as Aboriginal people, whether that’s around what happens to our land and our waters, what happens to our communities more broadly.

“The government is making all those decisions, so my aspiration from a community perspective is that we become in charge of making those decisions. It’s about making sure it’s no longer someone else making those decisions for us.

“My aspiration from a broader perspective is that I hope that people no longer think about Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal people as something ‘else’ from some ‘other’ place,” Rueben continued.

“That everybody recognises that no matter where you are, you are on an Aboriginal place and you can connect to that and not see our culture as some sort of ‘other’ that you’ve got nothing to do with, but that people can celebrate and see it is being recognised and celebrated, and people can share in that celebration.”

The Einfeld family raised over $65,000 in donations for Yes 23 – more than double their original fundraising target, with more than 200 people from the local community, family and friends attending the event.  

“It was such an uplifting day that showed what we can achieve when we come together as a community” Sophie says.

Listen to the Q&A discussion (36 min) with Rueben Berg as part of the Random Acts of Conversation podcast here