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Community giving shines in national philanthropy spotlight
Earlier this month more than 1,000+ philanthropy professionals gathered in Adelaide for three days of shared learning at the Philanthropy Australia national conference. It was the first time the conference was held outside of Melbourne and Sydney, and it was the largest conference in Philanthropy Australia’s history!
Foundation SA CEO, Sophie Doyle, jointly hosted a half-day pre-conference workshop and a conference session with our SA community foundation peers to highlight a new initiative that is supporting our local communities by growing place-based philanthropy.
The initiative builds upon the strong community foundation network here in SA which includes our colleagues at Stand Like Stone, Foundation Barossa, Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation and Fleurieu Community Foundation. Together, with support from peak body, Community Foundations Australia, our vision is to leverage local giving to grow healthy, confident communities that are using local knowledge and local solutions to determine their own futures.
With a goal to grow the number of community foundations across South Australia, the initiative is working with government, private foundations and community in a collaboration that hasn’t been done before in Australia. We’re thrilled to be part of it.
Community foundations are uniquely placed to convene grassroots groups and bring new voices and perspectives into discussions that tackle local challenges our communities face. Nationally, the community foundation network continues to grow in reach and impact, forming part of a growing global movement of over 2,000 community foundations.
Creating the local futures our communities want to see
During the half-day community foundation workshop, participants took a deep dive into what could 2040 look like, with several key themes emerging, including regional connection across geographic areas; collaboration within community; future leaders; and community-led decision making and development.
Kerry Jones, Acting CEO of TACSI (The Australian Centre for Innovation) shared valuable knowledge about the role of hope and imagination and the power of community-led innovation and change that encourages participation and shared decision-making.
Several Foundation SA donors participated in the conference, and it was wonderful to see the work of six local not-for-profits showcased in short video interludes throughout the program.
Other local highlights from the conference included inspiring sessions with Fay Fuller Foundation and Spinifex Foundation and a presentation by former Foundation SA CEO Stacey Thomas, who in her capacity as CEO of The Wyatt Trust, shared five powerful learnings from the Wyatt’s truth telling journey.
We’re looking forward to the 2026 conference which will be held in Brisbane, and hope that we’ll be joined there by many new SA-based community foundations!
Contact us
- www.foundationsa.org.au
- hello@foundationsa.org.au
- +61 8 8223 3597
Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) is Foundation SA’s implementation partner and Trustee of funds under management.
Main Fund (tax deductible) ABN 57 967 620 066
Extension Fund (non-tax deductible) ABN 57 485 460 977
Scholarship Fund (tax deductible) ABN 82 218 603 765.
We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide region on which our office stands, the Kaurna people. We acknowledge all First Nations peoples and their deep connection to the land. The dispossession and treatment that has occurred, still impacts on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today. We walk hand-in-hand with all First Nations peoples on the path to reconciliation.