Best practice lives at home too: Insights from North American philanthropy
Andrew Binns, CEO, Australian Communities Foundation
Fri, 11 Jul 2025
North America often looms large in the philanthropic imagination. It’s home to some of the world’s most storied foundations, biggest givers and boldest initiatives. Andrew Binns, CEO of Australian Communities Foundation, has had two weeks of meetings and conversations across Canada and the US. He has returned with a powerful reminder: the most effective and innovative philanthropy isn’t confined to one part of the world. Best practice lives here, too.
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The power of Five Bucks: founder Brianna Kerr on ‘going small to go big’
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News and Storytelling
Fri, 27 Jun 2025
Five Bucks – a giving community where members chip in $5 a week – is all about ‘going small to go big’. Giving News talks with the founder of this collective giving initiative as the community distributes its first $62,000. In this Q&A, Brianna Kerr shares fascinating insights on the democratisation of giving in action – and what’s in store for year two.
Queensland Philanthropy Awards 2025 cap off another inspiring week of highlights
Fri, 13 Jun 2025
Seven exceptional individuals and organisations were honoured at the 2025 Queensland Philanthropy Awards – the centrepiece of a week-long celebration of giving and events, including Genevieve Timmon’s Savvy Giving Essentials.
Philanthropy Leadership Summit 2025 – draft program released!
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News and Storytelling
Fri, 30 May 2025
Amid much anticipation and registrations filling fast, Philanthropy Australia is excited to announce the first round of program highlights for its Leadership Summit 2025. They include keynote speaker, the international author and ‘polycrisis’ expert Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon, Australian social commentator Dr Rebecca Huntley, highly regarded MCs from the Australian sector, stimulating lightning talks and much more.
Sector leaders react to Gates Foundation’s historic plan to spend down US$200bn
Fri, 16 May 2025
Bill Gates has announced that the Gates Foundation plans to spend its endowment and ‘virtually all’ of his personal wealth totaling US$200 billion in the next 20 years to accelerate its mission of ‘saving and improving lives around the world’. Here, four leaders from the Australian philanthropic sector, Daniel Petre, Audette Exel, Peter Johnstone and Maree Sidey react.
The Wyatt Trust: How we embedded lived experience into funding practice to change outcomes
Dee Rudebeck, News and Storytelling Advisor, Philanthropy Australia
Fri, 16 May 2025
The Wyatt Trust has released a report on its learnings from the first four years of its journey to embed lived and living experience of financial hardship in its grantmaking, program design and beyond. In this Q&A, CEO Stacey Thomas shares key reflections to inspire and encourage others to explore this work more widely.
Shifting practice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Funders Reporting Survey results
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News and Storytelling, Philanthropy Australia
Fri, 2 May 2025
Philanthropy Australia has published findings from Australia's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Funders Reporting Survey. The results establish vital benchmark findings – and key challenges for the sector and beyond.
