News and stories

News and stories

Who were the two founding ‘godmothers’ of Philanthropy Australia?

Philanthropy Australia Fri, 26 Apr 2024

In this fascinating look back in time, we share an archival story about the two women founders of Philanthropy Australia, first known as the Australian Association of Philanthropy (AAP). This extracted article is taken from a 1989 edition of our newsletter at the time, called Philanthropy. Pat Feilman and Meriel Wilmot are introduced as ‘the two people most instrumental in setting up the association’. In the interviews, they reflect on the state of philanthropy at the time, why they wanted to establish an association of philanthropists – and the initial reluctance of many in the sector to be involved.

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News and stories

Australian Philanthropy Awards 2024 – in pictures

Philanthropy Australia Fri, 19 Apr 2024

Take a look at some of the highlights and key moments from the Australian Philanthropy Awards Showcase event including guests, award recipients, finalists, presenters and more.

News and stories

Australian women are set to inherit trillions – what will that mean for giving?

Allison Harding Fri, 12 Apr 2024

JBWere’s recent report, The Growth of Women and Wealth, estimates that Australian women will become custodians of more than 65% of the nearly $5 trillion in intergenerational wealth transfer in coming years – but what does that mean for charitable giving?

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Startling research shows cost of living pressures hitting Sydney women hard

Lisa Grinham, Head of Sydney Women’s Fund Fri, 22 Mar 2024

Philanthropy Australia co-hosted an event with Sydney Women’s Fund to launch its Portrait V Women of Greater Sydney Research on International Women’s Day 2024. The study is conducted every three years and takes the pulse of women in Sydney, highlighting the issues that matter to them and the challenges they face. Here, Lisa Grinham, Head of Sydney Women’s Fund, shares the findings, which inform the organisation’s granting process.

News and stories

The book on miscarriage the Victorian Women’s Trust knew had to be written

Dee Rudebeck, News and Storytelling Advisor Fri, 22 Mar 2024

Around 285 pregnancies result in miscarriage each day in Australia – or around one every five minutes. It’s an extraordinary figure and yet the most common complication associated with childbirth is shrouded in silence, and unfortunately shame, for many of the thousands of affected families. Author Isabelle Oderberg has set out to change some of the perceptions around this all-too-common experience in her book Hard to Bear, the writing of which was supported by philanthropy.

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‘Watch out – when women support a cause, they become activists’

Kimberly Downes Fri, 8 Mar 2024

Philanthropic strategist Kimberly Downes is author of one of the few pieces of research into how women give in Australia. Here, she shares a story and some of the key findings. Despite women finding it difficult to consider themselves philanthropists, she says, but they instinctively look after those in the community and through philanthropy have the power to give hope.

News and stories

‘Great example of female-led philanthropy’: Paula McLean’s $1m gift and the Stella Prize

Nick Place Fri, 8 Mar 2024

It must have been a Zoom call for the ages. Philanthropist Paula McLean had left the board of the Stella Prize, Australia’s groundbreaking literary award for female writers, at the start of 2021. Later that year, board members informed her that they were planning to use the organisation’s 10-year anniversary celebrations to try to secure the remaining $2 million needed to endow the prize money in perpetuity. It was a bold target and they only had 10 months to achieve it.

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