Backing the Blue Pacific: why Australian philanthropy has a bigger role to play

The Pacific Islands region is globally significant. Often called the Blue Pacific, it covers nearly one fifth of the Earth’s surface. It holds more than a quarter of the world’s coral reefs, supports major global fisheries, is home to remarkable linguistic and cultural diversity, and has been a stalwart leader in the fight for global climate action. 

The region is on the frontline of climate change, facing rising sea levels, stronger storms, ocean acidification and threats to food security and livelihoods. Despite this, the Blue Pacific receives only a tiny share of global philanthropic funding, particularly compared with regions such as Africa, Asia or the Caribbean. 

The Pacific Community (SPC) reports that just 4.6% of adaptation finance allocated to Asia-Pacific goes to the region, which is less than 0.22% of all global climate finance, and only 4% of climate finance in the Pacific comes from private funders, compared with up to 49% globally. Between 2015 and 2023, all of Oceania received only 3% of global ocean funding from foundations (Lewis, 2025).  

Australia is a key part of the Blue Pacific, as the largest land mass and economy in Oceania and a member of key Pacific governance bodies. But when it comes to philanthropy, it has largely overlooked its island neighbours. This history and gap present both a challenge and a powerful opportunity for funders. 

Challenges that hinder the flow of funds 

While a lack of research and data makes systematic assessment difficult, there are practical reasons why philanthropy has had a limited presence in the Pacific. 

• For decades, the region has been a major focus of government-to-government aid, particularly from New Zealand and Australia, where 43% of the total aid budget goes to the Pacific (Lowy Institute, 2025). While this support is vital, it can unintentionally obscure the role philanthropy could play. Government aid to the Pacific is now facing record declines, with the Lowy Institute reporting a 15% drop in 2023 (the last year for which data is available).  

• The Pacific’s relatively small populations and dispersed geography can create a perception that investments will not achieve scale, even when the issues at stake have global consequences. 

• Small public services and outward labour migration can constrain human resources for project delivery and the timely spending of development finance. 

• Australian charitable giving laws can limit donations to the region. Well-meaning tax codes have constrained options for giving to a region with limited DGR organisations based in the Pacific. 

• There are fewer established philanthropic networks or intermediaries in the Pacific than in other regions (e.g. Asia Philanthropy Circle or the Caribbean Philanthropy Alliance). This can make it harder for funders to identify partners, understand local priorities, or enter the region with the knowledge and connections to engage meaningfully.

• The Pacific Islands have small private sectors and a limited diaspora of wealthy individuals compared with other regions, which may limit private giving. Nevertheless, a strong culture of giving exists through remittances: in Tonga, they account for 40–50% of GDP (among the highest globally), and in Samoa, 23–32%. 

These challenges have often masked the need, and potential, for philanthropic engagement in the Pacific. Although populations are small—Fiji with around 950,000 people and Niue with around 1,820 people—their challenges and leadership are outsized. Severe climate change impacts, limited access to water, sanitation and hygiene; entrenched gender inequality; high prevalence of non-communicable diseases, combined with rich cultural traditions, a history of resilience, and globally significant ecosystems, mean there is a significant opportunity for philanthropy to partner with Pacific-led solution to make a transformative difference.   

Opportunity for Australian funders 

Globally, but especially in Australia, there are significant moments for philanthropy to engage with Pacific partners. Next month, the Oceanic Pacific will host the global Women Deliver Conference in Melbourne, spotlighting funding partnerships for gender equality and feminist futures. Then in October, Fiji will host the Pre-COP for the COP31 international climate conference, offering a powerful platform to mobilise philanthropic and private climate finance across the region.  

There are many important ties that bind Australia to the region. The vast Pacific Ocean connects critical habitats and wildlife (like the green turtles that migrate between Great Barrier Reef nesting sites and feeding grounds in New Caledonia) and there is a long history of people flowing across the region. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Pacific Islanders living in Australia doubled, now at nearly 400,000. And from a health, security, and biosecurity perspective, the region depends on aligned surveillance systems and deep collaboration.

There is also a lot of learn from Pacific leaders, who have long been global advocates on climate action: from championing the 1.5‑degree target in the Paris Agreement to pushing for recognition of loss and damage. Pacific leaders have articulated a vision for the region to be one hundred per cent powered by renewable energy, a bold ambition that philanthropy could help accelerate. 

Much of this leadership has been delivered on modest budgets, driven by determination rather than resources. Relatively modest investments can have transformative effects. They can strengthen local institutions, unlock innovation and back leadership that is already having global influence. 

There is also strong potential to support areas that are often underfunded in traditional aid, including gender equality, LGBTQ+ inclusion, independent media, cultural heritage and Pacific‑based research and education institutions. Strengthening local universities and think tanks can counter brain drain and support solutions rooted in Pacific knowledge systems. 

There are encouraging signs that some funders are rallying to support the region’s leadership. The Pacific has set clear, forward-looking priorities through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, and has developed its own pooled funding mechanisms and regional initiatives, such as the Pacific Resilience Facility, the Micronesian Conservation Trust and the Niue Ocean Wide Trust. The Micronesian Conservation Trust was recently awarded a USD 12m unrestricted gift from Mackenzie Scott’s philanthropic organisation, Yield Giving, the Niue Ocean Wide Trust a received USD 4m Bezos Earth Fund grant, and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Resilient Reefs Pasifika features a AUD 15m commitment to the region. 

The opportunity is clear. Now is the time for Australian philanthropy to look closer to home, listen to Pacific priorities and invest in a more resilient, equitable and thriving Blue Pacific. 

About the authors 

• Amy Armstrong is Principal at New Zealand-based advisory firm Weaver Collaborations.
• Beth Sargent is a Pacific Islands specialist and a former manager at Pacific Community and United Nations.
• Heather Wrathall is an Australian foreign policy expert who most recently worked as Senior Policy Analyst at Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue. 

Main image: Illustrative image generated using artificial intelligence, representing Pacific marine and island ecosystems.