About Sydney Community Foundation

Mission

"Encouraging progressive philanthropy in greater Sydney "

We do this by:

Developing a clear understanding of community needs
Providing leadership on issues of broad community concern
Assisting people to support projects that make a real difference in their community

What is a community foundation?

A community foundation is an independent public structure comprising a collection of endowed funds established by individuals, families, companies and other charitable trusts – a community of donors – to make a lasting difference to the life of the people in their community. The foundation acts as trustee for such donations, consisting of a Board of Directors made up of community leaders representing a cross section of society. Funds donated are pooled and carefully invested under the supervision of this Board. The income generated each year from this permanent and growing investment is distributed in form of grants to areas of need within the community. By providing leadership on issues of broad community concern and developing a body of local knowledge, a community foundation helps donors fulfil their charitable goals both during and after their life time.

Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide. In Australia there are community foundations established in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and in many regional areas.

Why Sydney Community Foundation?

Greater Sydney, with a population of nearly 5 million people, is the nation's foremost economic, cultural and social hub, yet it is also a region of great social divide, economic disadvantage and exclusion.

The Sydney Community Foundation is the first foundation especially created to serve the needs of the people in the greater Sydney area on an ongoing basis. It builds a permanent endowment fund which distributes its earnings, as grants, to areas of need within greater Sydney. It also works with donors to support and engage with innovative community initiatives in their life time.

The aims of Sydney Community Foundation are to:

Identify and support grass-roots community needs
Advocate solutions for identified needs in the Sydney community
Support and promote community initiatives and solutions to problems that would not normally attract funding
Make a difference in areas such as youth at risk, women and children, the aged, indigenous and culturally diverse communities and the environment
Enable donors to make a lasting contribution to their community as their gifts combine to meet changing needs – forever

What we do:

We connect donors with innovative community initiatives and engage them in the process
We create a lasting legacy by pooling and prudently investing the gifts of many donors in permanent endowment funds
The earnings are used to give grants to a wide range of community groups
We work closely with our donors to ensure their gifts achieve their charitable goals and meet immediate community needs
We use local knowledge to stimulate partnerships and nurture the relationships that hold our community together
We provide leadership, where necessary, on issues of broad community concern
We help promote the value of charitable giving

For Donors

Sydney Community Foundation provides one of the best ways to support the causes in your community that you care about.

Successful grants made to date