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Driven by a vision of an empowered, sustainable, and united rainbow community sector, Rainbow Giving Australia (RGA) is born of a merger between GiveOUT and The Aurora Group.
Community Foundations Australia was at the launch celebration last month in Naarm, and loved hearing from key Rainbow Giving team members <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/catfay/">Caitriona (Cat) Fay</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/samturner1/">Sam Turner</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyscott22/">Emily (Em) Scott</a>, and friend of CFAus <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiamathewsphilanthropy/">Georgia Mathews</a>, as well as Leonard Vary (<a tabindex="0" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidney-myer-fund/" target="_self" data-test-app-aware-link="">Sidney Myer Fund &amp; The Myer Foundation</a>) and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-granger-mfia-94545853/">Eva Granger MFIA</a> (<a tabindex="0" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/minus18-inc/" target="_self" data-test-app-aware-link="">Minus18 Foundation</a>).
Despite progress, rainbow communities are far from equal, with the underfunded sector often struggling to meet community demand. RGA drives change by funding community-led solutions, growing skills, and expanding the knowledge base about the funding needs across the LGBTQIA+ sector. When just 30 cents out of every $100 in philanthropic giving goes towards LGBTQI+ causes, we are looking forward to working with RGA to support their vital mission.
Learn more about Rainbow Giving Australia <a href="https://rainbowgiving.org.au/">here</a>.

The Community Foundations Australia network welcomes a new, national community foundation for Australia’s LGBTQIA+ communities

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RGA launch

New community foundation for Australia's LGBTQIA+ communities

This week, the community foundation network joined the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP in Canberra to formally announce, and celebrate, historic DGR reform and a new era for community foundations. As the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP remarked, &#8216;Today’s announcement is a story that affects communities across Australia.&#8217;
Community Foundations Australia CEO, Ian Bird, was joined by Philanthropy Australia&#8217;s Executive Director, Policy and Sector Development, Krystian Seibert, Hands Across Canberra CEO, Genevieve Jacobs, local MPs Alicia Payne and David Smith, as well as a throng of local Canberra charities and businesses. As Genevieve Jacobs put it in her welcome &#8211; &#8216;a whole representative floor of the people who do good for the community in Canberra.&#8217;
It was a full and rejoicing room, with community foundations hailed for their unique role in nurturing social capital and building community.
In his opening remarks, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP said that &#8216;community foundations are vital at a time in which Australia has become, over the last generation, increasingly a nation more of ‘me’ than of ‘we’. At a time when we need to deal with these twin challenges &#8211; rising inequality and declining community &#8211; community foundations may be just the answer.
&#8216;They’re about trying to inspire local communities to solve local problems. Community foundations can help join up organisations, build bridges across local charities, and encourage new charities to deal with community challenges,&#8217; said the Assistant Minister, who went on to single out community foundations for their role in &#8216;ensuring that the most vulnerable aren’t left behind.&#8217;
Community Foundations Australia CEO, Ian Bird, said that community foundations &#8216;facilitate the kind of social capital development that comes from being a connected community, not one that’s being pulled apart, and the enabling legislation makes this more possible.&#8217;
Ian Bird thanked the Federal Government for its commitment to these groundbreaking reforms. &#8216;Assistant Minister Leigh is someone who will go down around the world as a leading public figure in community foundation development.&#8217;
Australian community foundations collectively steward $650 million in community assets, and by 2028 that figure is projected to surpass $1 billion. There are currently 50 community foundations operating across the country, with another 74 communities intending to start their own foundation within the next two years.
&#8216;That makes our movement Australia&#8217;s largest philanthropic network, and the fastest-growing community foundation movement globally,&#8217; said Ian Bird.
&#8216;What this means is that more and more Australian communities have a way to govern their own resources and lead their own decision-making processes. When a community has its own foundation, local people can participate in their own development, build up their collective vision, and create solutions that last.&#8217;
Philanthropy Australia&#8217;s Krystian Seibert said of the game-changing reforms, &#8216;It removes the red tape, it removes those roadblocks, it removes those barriers to giving.&#8217;
Hands Across Canberra&#8217;s Genevieve Jacobs said, &#8216;This reform is something that will free up an enormous flow of donations, of goodwill and good work.
&#8216;The significance of these reforms can&#8217;t be overstated,&#8217; said Ian Bird. &#8216;Community assets are now more likely to stay in that community, and become a lever to unlock all sorts of other resources &#8211; networks, trust, new ideas and aspirations &#8211; to build community capacity over time.
&#8216;We’re now setting the pace around the world, and it’s true that none of that would have happened without the leadership from this government. It also wouldn’t have happened without our partnership with Philanthropy Australia and our partnerships with many of the large private philanthropies, who created the capacity for us to sustain a campaign over a decade or more,&#8217; said Ian Bird.
&#8216;What’s happening here is putting Australia at the front of the global development of community philanthropy.&#8217;
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For more information, see:
<a href="/membership">For communities interested in starting their own foundation</a>
<a href="/news/historic-dgr-reform-for-community-foundations-now-legislated">Historic DGR reform for community foundations now in effect</a>
<a href="https://www.communitydirectors.com.au/articles/community-foundation-reforms-help-build-a-multi-billion-dollar-funding-pool">Community foundation reforms help build a multi-billion-dollar funding pool</a>
<a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/media-releases/new-era-community-foundations">A new era for community foundations &#8211; Treasury press release</a>
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The community foundation network and Canberra officials celebrate historic reform

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Canberra celebration for historic reform - a story for all Australian communities

You can read about the new reforms <a href="/news/historic-dgr-reform-for-community-foundations-now-legislated">here</a>, or <a href="/membership">connect</a> with us to start the conversation.

Policy and Advocacy

Across Australia, communities are looking for ways to govern their own resources, participate in their development, and chart their own futures.

The new Community Charity Guidelines make it simpler for Australian communities to set up their own foundation. Y

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How can the Community Charity Guidelines support your community?

Community Foundations Australia and Philanthropy Australia have welcomed the delivery of tangible reforms that will boost social capital and grassroots giving through Australian community foundations.
The <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L00184/asmade/text">Taxation Administration (Community Charity) Guidelines 2025</a>, which took effect over the weekend, are the final component of a major reform that recognises the importance of community governance in affecting long-term social change.
Community Foundations Australia Chair, Ben Rodgers, commended the Australian Government for the practical action it has taken to support community philanthropy in Australia.
‘The implementation of this reform brings more than 20 years of sector-wide advocacy to a successful close, creating a new and better tax and regulatory framework for community foundations, in recognition of the vital role they play building thriving communities across Australia.’
‘It’s been great to work with the Assistant Minister for Charities, the Hon Andrew Leigh MP, to secure this outcome, and we applaud his personal commitment to the importance of community foundations and their role as social capital enablers,’ said Ben Rodgers.
The reform ushers in a new era for Australian communities and their foundations, which will now benefit from a more flexible and effective vehicle to help them achieve their objectives. 
Until now, community foundations have faced major barriers attracting donations from ‘private ancillary funds’ used by individuals and families for private giving. They have been constrained from directly supporting community groups which lack DGR status. 
The reforms will directly address these issues, by introducing a new ‘deductible gift recipient’ (DGR) category for community foundations in Australia and supporting guidelines, creating a more fit for purpose environment for community philanthropy in Australia.
‘This would not have been possible without the tireless effort and advocacy from so many across the community foundation movement and broader philanthropic sector, both in recent years and across the last two decades. We are very grateful to everyone who contributed,’
‘Australian communities benefit greatly from governments that understand the value of community leadership and local decision-making when it comes to addressing complex challenges,’ said Ben Rodgers.
Philanthropy Australia CEO, Maree Sidey, said that the outcome is a powerful example of what is possible when the philanthropic sector, our partners and the Australian Government work together to achieve a common goal.
‘It’s vital that our policy and regulatory environment empowers people to give, so we’re really pleased that these reforms remove big roadblocks, helping unlock the flow of more resources to important community initiatives,’
‘These are the types of changes that will help achieve the Australian Government’s goal to double giving by 2030, and with the Federal Election not far away, there’s an opportunity for both the Government and Opposition to build on this with further practical reform commitments aimed at growing giving for the benefit of the community,’ said Maree Sidey.
Community Foundations Australia and Philanthropy Australia recognise the bipartisan support for this reform, which had its origins in a commitment made by the previous Australian Government in the 2022 Budget.
‘It’s an exciting time for community philanthropy in Australia, and we appreciate the support of our elected representatives and leaders for the work of community foundations,’ said Community Foundations Australia Chair, Ben Rodgers.
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About Community Foundations
Community foundations are community-owned and -managed platforms, which use a philanthropic fund structure to invite civic participation and build collective agency.
The community foundation model provides a durable and structured way for a community to unlock its many financial and social resources, to build collective capacity, and affect lasting social change. You can learn more <a href="/how-it-works">here</a>.
About Community Foundations Australia
Community Foundations Australia connects and supports community-led philanthropic organisations across Australia, empowering the field to operate more effectively and efficiently, and create lasting social change in communities.
Our mission is to catalyse collaboration, participation and innovation within the community philanthropy movement to create a fairer, more sustainable Australia.
We work with the whole field – community groups, community foundations and other forms of community-led philanthropy, partners and government – to advocate for community governance models, and to empower local communities to determine their own futures.
About Philanthropy Australia
Philanthropy Australia, the national peak body for philanthropic giving, aims to achieve a generous and inclusive Australia through more and better philanthropy. Our members include trusts, foundations, families, individual donors, companies, professional advisers, intermediaries and not-for-profit organisations.

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DGR reform cake 1

CFAustralia Update

After 20 years of sector-wide advocacy, DGR reform ushers in a new era for Australian communities and their foundations.

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Historic DGR reform for community foundations now in effect

Annabel has been the Executive Officer at the South West Community Foundation since 2020, with previous experience in private philanthropy, local government, and community engagement and development. Proudly regional and an advocate for community-led, place-based approaches, she is a natural communicator with strengths in strategy, governance, regional leadership and grants management. She is also the current Board Chair of are-able, a regionally based disability employment and social enterprise organisation.
Sarah is currently the CEO at the The Ross Trust. She has over 33 years experience working in the philanthropy, local government and the non-profit sectors, with demonstrated skill in governance, cultural change, communication and reputation management, fundraising and executive leadership. With a particular interest in rural and regional Australia and place-based initiatives, Sarah is a co-founder of the national non-profit Youth Live4Life and a Trustee of the National Parks Conservation Trust, as well as holding positions on the boards of the Victorian Council of Social Services and the Southside Community Foundation.
We are thrilled to count them amongst our peers, and grateful for the guidance they will provide in 2025 and the years to come.

CFAus appoints Annabel Cussen and Sarah Hardy as newest Board Directors

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Annabel Cussen and Sarah Hardy

CFAus welcomes new Board Directors, Annabel Cussen and Sarah Hardy

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Dylan joins us with a distinguished career in philanthropy, having served as Director, with our partner at Philanthropy Australia and as the founding Executive Officer at the Fremantle Foundation. He is well known to the Australian community sector through his contributions to First Nations engagement in philanthropy, enabling the growth of collective giving in Western Australia, and a leadership style predicated on relationships of trust and collaboration. This new role and Dylan&#8217;s appointment marks a key leadership position within Community Foundations Australia during a period of rapid growth in the community foundation sector.
Community Foundations Australia CEO Ian Bird shared his enthusiasm for Dylan’s appointment, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Dylan to our team. His strong track record of values-based leadership and unwavering commitment to fostering community foundations, in Australia and internationally, make him an ideal fit. Dylan&#8217;s start-up journey in Fremantle is especially valuable as he will be working with a growing number of communities beginning their own community foundation journey. We can count on him to be a steady hand and valued mentor in the field.&#8221;
“I&#8217;m delighted to be joining the team at Community Foundations Australia at a time of excitement and opportunity. I&#8217;m keen to contribute my own experience and love of community foundations to support the growing network across the country. I&#8217;ve been committed to the community foundation movement for many years now and I&#8217;m so pleased to have the opportunity to continue our collective work in this role,” said Dylan.
Members and partners will have the chance to connect with Dylan at Horizons 2024, our bi-annual Forum being held this year in the Northern Rivers on Bundjalung Country. Learn more about our Forum events <a href="https://forumweek2024horizons.mailchimpsites.com/">here</a>.
Dylan commences in the role on 3 December 2024.

Community Foundations Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Dylan Smith as Senior Director, Foundation and Field Development. 

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Dylan Smith appointed to Senior Director, Foundation and Field Development

Starting at CFA in 2021, Rosie has emerged as a key connector and storyteller within our network, supporting and facilitating diverse collaborative efforts and circles of practice.
The role of Director, Communities and Members will focus on supporting the people and relationships that underpin our vibrant network, and will benefit from Rosie&#8217;s three years of strong relationship building.
We couldn&#8217;t be more pleased to have her take on this new responsibility.

We're delighted to welcome Rosie Funder into her new role as Director, Communities and Members.

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Rosie Funder steps into a new role!

&#8220;Communities can only be built by the people that live and work there.&#8221;
Jeff has been visiting with a number of established and emerging community foundations &#8211; from Kalamunda in WA, Upper Hunter in NSW and Kingaroy in Qld &#8211; sharing valuable insights on community-led approaches to creating long-term economic and social legacies.
On Friday, Victorian community foundations were lucky enough to spend some time together with Jeff at the Lord Mayor&#8217;s Charitable Foundation&#8217;s new For Purpose Hub discussing regional approaches to community development. Asset-based community development (ABCD) is core community foundation practice, with a focus on making visible the resources that are already in a community to build strength and resilience from the bottom-up.
Abundance! Not scarcity
Assets! Not needs
Opportunities! Not deficiencies
We are so thankful to Jeff for generously sharing his philosophies and experience with our network!

Member Update

This past month we've had the pleasure of hosting international guest, Jeff Yost, who has dedicated 25 years of his career to developing asset-based approaches to community development at the Nebraska Community Foundation.

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Jeff Yost visits Australia from the Nebraska Community Foundation

This vital project will address one of Australia&#8217;s most critical contemporary issues: the affordable housing crisis. Rents and house prices are at an all time high, and as the demand for affordable housing increases, more and more people are left without options.
While a number of not-for-profit developers try to address the issue, many come up against insummountable financial barriers. However, a number of models from overseas show that with low or no interest loans the cost of development can dramatically decrease, leading to a far greater range of affordable housing.
With this Fellowship, Erin Dolan will be supported to learn from these overseas models to create Australia’s first philanthropic housing fund.

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Erin Dolan receives Churchill fellowship to investigate affordable housing

Back in July, Ben Rodgers (EO of Inner North Community Foundation) and Nina Fitzsimons (Community Impact Manager at the Ballarat Foundation) travelled to Indonesia to join with 19 other organisations (16 participants from 22 different countries!) for a 3-day ‘Measuring What Matters’ (MWM) meeting led by the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF).
So what is the ‘Measuring What Matters’ movement? It&#8217;s an ongoing global discussion about the dominance of the donor voice in determining what counts as &#8216;impact&#8217; and how we measure it. As Nina writes in her blog post, it&#8217;s about putting community in the centre of our evaluation approaches. &#8216;Transformational change doesn’t have to be dramatic; little steps can become big steps&#8217;. We can reframe annual reports as learning reports, assessors as enablers, and stakeholders as careholders. Sometimes it&#8217;s an intentional shift in language that brings about new and radical ways of thinking.
We&#8217;re excited to go deeper into these discussions around measurement and learning during our Forum Week with Ben, Nina and visiting Barry Knight, advisor to the GFCF who holds the space globally for these MWM discussions.

Ben Rodgers (EO of Inner North Community Foundation) and Nina Fitzsimons (Community Impact Manager at the Ballarat Foundation) join a 3-day ‘Measuring What Matters’ meeting led by the Global Fund for Community Foundations.

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GFCF

Measuring What Matters

Impact

Community Foundations Australia

Policy and advocacy

Vital Signs® is a community-driven data program that uses local knowledge to measure the vitality of a community and support action towards improving the collective quality of life.
First developed by the Toronto Community Foundation in 2001, it became a national program spearheaded by Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) in 2006 and is now licenced by CFC for use by community foundations throughout the world.
In Australia, twelve Community Foundations have so far collaborated with local stakeholders to undertake this pulse check in their communities with further Vital Signs reports by Australia’s Community Foundations due to be released in 2022.