Image courtesy of Flying Fox, 2025-2026 grantee (Deaf Young Women’s Peer Support Group). 

Talk about ending the year on a high note! Please welcome our latest cohort of successful grantees for 2025-2026. Each grant continues our proud 40 year tradition of supporting grassroots feminist initiatives that reach crucial segments of the Victorian population.

We received an incredible array of applications (well over 100!) and whittling down the shortlist was no mean feat. In total, our Trustees have approved $152,255 in grants funds towards 20 projects.

Looking through the list of successful applicants, key themes emerge, time and again: empowerment and economic security; culturally safe and targeted community support; advocacy and representation for marginalised groups; social connection and peer support networks; and life-stage and health focused care.

From supporting a range of exciting pilots, for example, a Gender Equity Resource Kit in early years education (From Kit to Practice) to extending the capacity and skills of existing gender equity initiatives, such as Little Dreamer’s support for young women carers to access education and career pathways (The Empowered Care Model) — each grant uniquely meets the needs of an important community group. 

As always, positive social change only happens through the combined, dedicated efforts of many. We deeply appreciate each and every one of our committed donors, especially those who made the bold and visionary move to establish their own named Sub-Fund. Without your support, none of this would be possible. 

 

Congratulations to all 2025-2026 grantees:

 

Christine Friday & Kathleen Pooley Sub-Fund in partnership with the Union of Australian Women Sub-Fund

Koorie Mothers and Babies Possum Skin Cloak-making Two Day Workshop
Koorie Heritage Trust
$7,000

Strengthening Koorie mothers’ connections to Country, family and culture through knowledge sharing workshops.

 

Painting by Jenny Murray-Jones, (Yorta Yorta, Baraparapa, Wiradjuri), Possum skin cloak, 2003. Oil and wax on canvas. Collection of Koorie Heritage Trust. Gift of Beth Charles and Bernard Marin. Featured courtesy of the Koorie Heritage Trust, 2025-2026 grantee (Koorie Mothers and Babies Possum Skin Cloak-making Two Day Workshop). 

Con Irwin Sub-Fund

From Kit to Practice: Gender Equity in Early Years Education (pilot program)
Free From Family Violence (FVREE)
$6,209

Piloting an evidence-based Gender Equity Resource Kit in early childhood education and care settings to help children learn respect, fairness, and inclusion. 

 

Con Irwin Sub-Fund in partnership with the Alma & Albert Tivendale Sub-Fund

Deaf Young Women’s Peer Support Group (pilot program)
Flying Fox Services Limited
$10,000

Creating a safe space for deaf girls (aged 8–15) by deaf young women, supporting connection, exploration of deaf culture and language, and leadership pathways.

 

Deborah Ganderton & John Henry Sub-Fund

Membership Engagement Event and Associated Planning
Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition
$5,000

Strengthening connections among organisations working nationally to address the impact of early pregnancy loss (EPL).

 

Essie Burbridge Sub-Fund

Thrive (pilot program)
Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association
$8,800

Addressing gender identity, cultural stigma, and mental health access among Vietnamese Australians of LGBTIQ+ backgrounds, through community consultation and co-design workshops.

 

 

Fay Marles Equal Opportunity Sub-Fund

Sex Worker Legal Program
Southside Justice
$8,000

Forging stronger partnerships between legal and community organisations to enhance the safety and empowerment of sex workers across Victoria.

Image by Anna Carlile featuring Mel Dye, CEO, and Emily Smith, Program Manager, Southside Justice
2025-2026 grantee (Sex Worker Legal Program).

Fleur Spitzer Sub-Fund

A Blueprint on Respect for Older Women
Elder Rights Australia
$9,000

Advancing safety, dignity, and respect for older women through research and an exhibition, honouring lived experience and challenging ageism.

Empowering Rural Victorian Women through the ‘MicroReady’ peer community program
Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal Public Fund in partnership with The Mallacoota Wilderness Collective Inc.
$9,686

Coaching and mentoring women from rural and remote communities to develop and sustain microenterprises and further their long-term financial independence.

 

Humanitas Sub-Fund

Return to Sister Circle
Australian Neighbourhood Houses & Centres Association in partnership with Kensington Neighbourhood House Inc.
$10,000

Strengthening social connections for vulnerable women living in Flemington, Kensington, and North Melbourne public housing towers through weekly social activities and knowledge sharing.

Image courtesy of Australian Neighbourhood Houses & Centres Association in partnership with Kensington Neighbourhood House Inc., 2025-2026 grantee (Return to Sister Circle).

Joan Hudson Sub-Fund

African Women’s Referral and Support Service
Carringbush Adult Education Inc
$7,000

Providing culturally safe support for women from African backgrounds (including refugees and asylum seekers) ensuring their access to critical services, such as health, housing, family violence, financial hardship, legal aid, education, and employment. 

 

Jan Webster and Sue Peterson Sub-Fund

Beyond Bricks & Bars
Flat Out Inc
$6,500

A new peer-support initiative, led by and for formerly incarcerated trans and gender diverse (TGD) people, providing strong community networks and reducing the risk of re-incarceration.

 

Jean McCaughey Social Justice Sub-Fund

Planning with Purpose: Empowering Older Women and Carers in End-of-Life Care
Anam Cara House Colac
$10,000

Free, personalised Advance Care Planning (ACP) and health navigation assessments for older women and carers to improve “death literacy” awareness, increase social connections, and strengthen referral pathways. 

 

Loula Rodopoulos Sub-Fund

Echo & Bloom
Community Centre Swifts Creek Inc.
$10,000

Establishing an ongoing creative writers’ group, centring the voices of women and gender diverse people from rural Victoria, supporting skill sharing and stronger communities.

Image courtesy of Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association, 2025-2026 grantee (We are Empowered, We Belong, We are One).

 

Nancye and John Cain Sub-Fund

Deaf Women Victoria Outreach
Deaf Victoria
$7,000

Fostering stronger social networks through wellbeing activities for deaf and hard of hearing women, particularly those living in regional and rural areas of Victoria, and migrant and refugee women. 

 

Prue Myer Sub-Fund

The Empowered Care Model: Building Education Pathways for Young Women Carers
Little Dreamers Australia
$10,000

Opening up future education and career pathways for girls and gender-diverse youth aged 12–18 who provide unpaid care for a family member.

Educate the Men, Support the Women
Bakhtar Community Organisation
$10,000

Workshops (delivered in English, Dari, and Pashto) led by Afghan community mentors, Victoria Police, child protection officers, and family violence services to support safer households, reduce harmful behaviours, and help Afghan women and families thrive.

 

Ruth Owens & Kevin Lynch Sub-Fund

Chin Women’s Money Network
Women’s Health East
$7,000

Practical support for women, particularly for single mothers, migrant and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) women, and those experiencing isolation or financial hardship, who are interested in starting their own small business. 

 

Supriya Singh Sub-Fund

Financial Wellbeing for Ageing Women in Victoria
WIRE (Women’s Information and Referral Exchange)
$7,000

Building the financial knowledge, economic security and self-advocacy of women aged 50+ through financial wellbeing workshops.

 

Union of Australian Women Sub-Fund (Vic)

We are Empowered, We Belong, We are One
Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association
$3,500

Fostering belonging and empowerment of Indigenous women, through a co-designed jumper featuring symbolically significant artwork, created by and for participants.

 

Interested in starting your own giving journey? Learn more about our Sub-Fund program here.