Philanthropic collaboration puts Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands

The Spinifex Foundation SA (Spinifex) began implementing a project in 2023 called Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands: Responding to COVID-19. This innovative initiative was First Nations-led and supported by three philanthropic organisations including the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). Jo Kemp, FRRR’s then Philanthropic Services Manager, shares some key learnings on behalf of the group.

This program brought new ways of working to FRRR and it eventually saw more than $900,000 invested in a broad range of projects to address immediate and systemic health challenges faced by Aboriginal communities throughout South Australia due to the pandemic.

Spinifex is formerly known as The First Nations Philanthropic Funders Working Group and represents key Aboriginal-led health organisations in South Australia. The other partner organisations were the Fay Fuller Foundation, offering critical resourcing, mentorship and support, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), as the major donor.

This four-way partnership enabled solutions to be identified and led by Aboriginal people, for their people, and offered a strong blueprint for future First Nations-led philanthropic funding opportunities.

For Spinifex’s CEO Warren Miller (main image, standing), the impetus was to create pathways for First Nations people to access resources outside current structures and “shape how and in what ways we interact with philanthropy and evolve and influence sustainable change while preserving our cultural identity”.

As the Funding Coordinator, FRRR was able to bring our experience in granting processes and regional networks, while acting as an intermediary. Together with Spinifex, we created a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) setting out our roles.

FRRR supported Spinifex to award the funding and we acted as a sounding board to provide maximum impact from each dollar spent. We were learning and trying a new approach together.

Representatives from the partner organisations travelled to South Australia to listen, observe, offer support and continue to build collective understanding of the priorities of Spinifex. Trust was strengthened across the board, allowing meaningful engagement as the program continued.

While FRRR had worked in the past with funding partners that supported flexible granting, this was at a whole new level – a true example of trust-based philanthropy. This flexibility also extended to the way that PRF worked with FRRR to fund Spinifex’s activities.

The grant agreement set out a broad purpose and named few formal reporting requirements.  PRF’s main request was to be kept informed throughout delivery, so they had an opportunity to learn alongside the project as it progressed. They also maintained a direct line of contact with Spinifex through their First Nations Manager.

Michelle Steele, Chief First Nations Officer at PRF, says that this approach empowers communities to innovate at their own pace and demonstrates how philanthropy can partner with Aboriginal organisations differently to support self-determination.

And Warren summed up the partnership beautifully by calling it a blueprint – “We are proud to have created a model that shows funders that if they can place their trust in Aboriginal people to know what’s best for their community, it can enable innovative and flexible outcomes that address the local needs of each community.”

Lessons learned for funders:

With many other funders looking to increase their support for First Nations-led groups, the partners have collated some of the lessons learned along the way.

• Trust is critical and actively building trust and creating strong partnerships must be a focus from the outset. Existing relationships can help create a foundation and accelerate this, but bilateral connections need to be nurtured and invested in.
• There is much to learn from each other – as we try to find new ways to be allies and successful together.
• Allow time and space to build relationships and develop the cultural constructs to ensure successful programs. It may feel frustrating, especially when there is acute need, but it will yield better long-term outcomes. It also takes time for philanthropic funders to adapt and feel comfortable to lean in to what is a new model.
• Things don’t always go completely to plan. Events happen in Community, such as cultural activities and Sorry Business, which may lead to changes in priorities or approaches. If the core intent remains consistent, be as flexible as you can.
• Resource the work appropriately – pay what it truly takes – on all sides. As this is a relationship-based way of working and by its nature must be less transactional than traditional grant programs, resourcing needs to allow for conversation and connection not tied to busy calendar appointments. It’s these conversations that ensure everyone is heard, needs are met and knowledge is shared.
• Be less prescriptive. Support was offered when useful – connecting in to see how things were going and what partners could do to help – but partners also left Spinifex to reach out as needed.
• Relinquish as much ‘control’ as you can. While there is a recognition of the need for due diligence and probity, consider how to do this together. Strip it back as far as you can to what is essential – and even then, think laterally and try to find ways for things to be done that enable decisions to be truly First Nations-led.
• Bring a community development lens, where you can. It was as much about building capacity and genuinely coaching, supporting and nurturing the groups on the ground, as it was getting funding out for projects.

The partners are mindful that each on our own can have a little impact, but collectively we can do it better.

To learn more, read findings from the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Funders Reporting Survey, published in May 2025 by Philanthropy Australia.