Funded Initiatives

Castlemaine Institute
Community Wealth Building Collective
$663,438 over 3 years
The Community Wealth Building Initiative is a five-year program to strengthen the local economy of Castlemaine and surrounds by protecting essential assets, and growing community ownership. Building on the 2025 Wellbeing Economy Learning Circle, it combines learning, research, and action to support community-led solutions such as childcare, housing, and land trusts. A Community Wealth Building Collective will guide the work through three phases: relationship-building and systems mapping, co-design of a strategic action plan, and implementation of new initiatives. Over time, the initiative will grow local leadership, redirect resources to community priorities, and expand community-held assets for long-term resilience. To learn more about Castlemaine Institute click here       

Mycelia Renewables 
Strengthening the Mycelia Network of energy and climate resilient communities
$400,000 over 3 years 

The Strengthening the Mycelia Network of Energy and Climate Resilient Communities project will help rural and regional communities better withstand power outages, extreme weather and the impacts of climate change and the energy transition. Working with Venus Bay and Loch, the project will co-design resilience and inclusion plans, deliver energy and climate literacy programs, support energy efficiency and electrification upgrades for disadvantaged households, and invest in shared community energy assets. These activities will improve social connection, emergency preparedness, local agency and reliable community-controlled energy systems while strengthening resilience and enhancing social, economic and ecological wellbeing. To learn more about Mycelia Renewables click here. 

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal 
Investing in Rural Communities Futures (IRCF)
$1,360,000 (over 5 years) 

Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) is a grassroots program that aims to build the capacity of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. After being delivered in eight NSW communities, the program is now running in the Victorian communities of Colac, Maryborough and Swan Hill, thanks to the support of Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, The Jack Brockhoff Foundation, The Ross Trust and The William Buckland Foundation. Run over five years, the program will offer flexible and tailored support, including grants, workshops, and participatory planning processes, to strengthen the local NFP sector, so it can work collectively to more effectively advocate on shared issues, contribute to a thriving community and achieve long-term impact across agreed priority areas. Over the next five years, the Colac, Maryborough and Swan Hill communities will travel their own path, guided by local voices and actions, informed by their unique Community Roadmap. The Community Roadmap sets out the goals and priorities for the not-for-profit sector and is a living resource that will evolve throughout the program. To learn more about IRCF click here. 

Mornington Peninsula Foundation
Mornington Peninsula Learning Guarantee
$400,000 (over 3 years)  

Mornington Peninsula Learning Guarantee is working to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage to benefit more than 10,000 people living in the most disadvantaged areas of the Mornington Peninsula. Over the next five years, the project is focusing on a range of strategic priorities including preschool oral language, whole primary and secondary school improvement, music and family and housing systems. Together, these initiatives aim to boost educational attainment, strengthen support systems for children, young people, families and create sustainable changes in schools. Through collaborative school clusters, smoother transitions between school stages and specialist practitioners linking education with local family and housing support, Mornington Peninsula Learning Guarantee is embedding relational wellbeing throughout the community and raising expectations for what is possible. These systemic changes are building the capacity of young people and adults to achieve sustainable economic and social independence through meaningful employment and community participation. Schools are becoming high performing and responsive to the needs of all children while integrated support systems ensure that positive changes last. To learn more about Mornington Peninsula Foundation click here.

Community Foundations Australia 
The Field Catalyst Fund
$150,000 (1 year)

The Field Catalyst Fund, launched in early 2025 by Community Foundations Australia, is an initiative that helps grow and strengthen community philanthropy across Australia. It does this by providing resources and support directly to projects and organisations that are building local capacity, testing new ideas or responding to emerging needs. Rather than funding only individual programs, the FCF focuses on strengthening the whole field by sharing knowledge, pooling funding and backing initiatives identified by a field-led stewardship committee. Its goal is to make sure every community, no matter where it is, can benefit from strong, locally driven philanthropic partnerships. To learn more about CFA click here. 

Mallacoota Wilderness Collective  
Activate 56 - An Innovative Hub for a Thriving Mallacoota 
$95,000 (1 year)   

The Wilderness Collective has successfully secured a main street building in Mallacoota to create Activate 56, a community hub designed to spark entrepreneurship, employment and innovation. This project is helping the town move from trauma and economic insecurity toward hope and renewal. Affordable spaces to lease have been almost non-existent, with rents higher than in larger regional centres, making it difficult for small businesses to start or grow. By establishing this permanent central place, Activate 56 is creating new opportunities for the community, visitors and job seekers to connect and thrive. The hub brings people together in the heart of town encouraging year round economic activity instead of reliance on seasonal work. It provides long term support to the community in a stable space, free from the risks of temporary or uncertain arrangements. Led by the community and grounded in lived experience, the project offers a deep understanding of the complex challenges facing Mallacoota as it rebuilds and strengthens after the bushfires. To learn more about Mallacoota Wilderness Collective click here.