Women take centrestage at The Funding Network’s First Nations Crowdfunding Event
Fri, 31 Oct 2025
The annual First Nations Crowdfunding Event held by The Funding Network (TFN) is set to showcase an all-women line up of finalists. All leading high potential, community defined programs, they will pitch to TFN’s network of funders, philanthropists, corporate partners, peers and everyday Australians.
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How Australian funders are adopting organisational effectiveness
Julia Keady, CEO/Founder, Benefolk
Fri, 17 Oct 2025
Julia Keady, Founder and CEO of Benefolk, has been championing an integrated way for funders and grantee partners to achieve a capability and wellbeing uplift using the Organisational Effectiveness framework, which she calls 'reverse grantmaking'. It is one of the topics covered at the Beyond the Grant webinar series, hosted by Philanthropy Australia and Benefolk. Julia explains how 'OE' developed and its possibilities.
AusArt Day: Australia’s first ever national giving day to arts and culture
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 17 Oct 2025
Creative Australia’s inaugural national giving day for arts is a significant initiative to raise funds and profile the sector. While the day will urge people to support musicians, artists and cultural organisations across the county, it’s a vital opportunity to preserve our unique and diverse voices, said Creative Australia Chair, Professor Wesley Enoch AM, who spoke with Giving News.
Next-gen donors say environment is their top priority, AEGN report finds
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 3 Oct 2025
A report released by the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN) reveals that 83% of next-generation donors who were surveyed identified the environment as their top priority to fund and expect that to increase to 93% by 2035. The findings could indicate a shift in the giving landscape as the intergenerational wealth transfer plays out.
The Canva mission: ‘We want our giving to grow as fast as the company is growing’
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 22 Aug 2025
Tech company Canva’s unique approach to corporate giving is baked into its business model – to provide its visual communication platform free to educators and not-for-profits. That mission has just passed some remarkable milestones. More than 100 million teachers and students, and 870,000 NFPs in 190 countries now benefit, a gift valued at $1.5bn annually. On top of this, the Canva Foundation gave out $50m+ last year. Head of Social Impact, Robyn King, says there is much more to come.
Impact-driven networks – this is how philanthropy can ‘fund the glue’
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 22 Aug 2025
Julia Gillard’s call to action was possibly the most oft-repeated at the Philanthropy Leadership Summit 2025. This Q&A with Darius Polok, Managing Director of the International Alumni Center (iac Berlin), who spoke at the event, delves into how philanthropy can invest in supporting the community networks and ecosystems necessary to achieve systems change. However, this will require shifts in perspective and practice.
‘Fund the glue’: Julia Gillard sets a compelling tone at Leadership Summit dinner
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 8 Aug 2025
The Pre-Summit Dinner at the National Press Club with the Hon. Julia Gillard AC was the perfect way to kick off the Philanthropy Leadership Summit 2025.She delivered a powerful opening address to frame the coming discussions on leadership for our times. The only woman to have held the Australian prime ministership, she spoke of the two roles that are now “incredibly close to my heart” – Chair of the Wellcome Trust in London and Founder and Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.
