A new funder coalition to help drive impact for women and families

Across Australia, community organisations are seeing rising demand from women and families, driven by cost-of-living pressures, housing instability and the ongoing impacts of family violence.

Yet responses are often fragmented, with short-term funding that is disconnected and hard to scale.

A new coalition of philanthropic funders aims to change that by aligning capital behind community-led solutions and working in a more coordinated way.

The news of the coalition was celebrated by the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, at the opening of the global Women Deliver 2026 conference in Melbourne. The coalition brings together 11 philanthropic funders committed to improving outcomes for women and children.

Together, they have committed an initial $32.8 million to support community-led initiatives, backed by long-term collaboration, co-funding and shared learning.

Backing what communities know works

Convened by the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), the coalition starts from a simple premise: communities are already leading solutions that work. Philanthropy’s role is to back this work in ways that are sustained, aligned and responsive.

The coalition will focus on two priority areas:

• Women leading in place: investing in community-led leadership and local solutions
• Ending family violence: including prevention, and supporting women and children in their recovery and long-term safety

For organisations on the ground, navigating multiple funding sources with different priorities and timelines can limit impact.

The coalition shifts the model towards coordinated investment — funders working together on shared goals, rather than in isolation.

Participating funders include Andyinc Foundation, Australian Communities Foundation, Barr Family Foundation, Bell Family Foundation, Fondation CHANEL, Minderoo Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, Snow Foundation, The Myer Foundation and others who wish to remain anonymous.

These funders are committing to make significant investments over one to three years in the focus areas, and to work collaboratively through co-funding, shared learning and transparent reporting.

The approach is designed to provide flexible, responsive and sustained support for community-led work.

Our CEO Georgina Byron AM says: “Community organisations are telling us they need funding that is sustained, co-ordinated and built on trust. This coalition is our collective response — and we’ve seen time and again how much further philanthropy goes when funders align. When we share learnings, commit for the long term and act together, we become genuinely catalytic and create greater impact.”

Read the media release here.

Read the Australian Financial Review article here.