What is Hands Across Canberra?
Hands Across Canberra is the ACT’s community foundation.
- We raise funds for Canberra’s most vulnerable people.
- We invest the money to make it grow
- We give it back in grants.
Community foundations are about giving where you live, for the long-term benefit and enhancement of a community.
Hands Across Canberra is only 13 years old but community foundations in Canada, the United States and New Zealand have become powerful tools for giving grants and making investments in their community’s future, sometimes for a century or more.
Canberra is the most generous community in Australia. With your help, big or small, we can make a lasting, transformative difference for all our neighbours and friends right here where we live.
Make
an Impact
There are many ways you can contribute to Hands Across Canberra and it’s network of community organisations. You can give your time and talent through volunteering, attending events, spreading the word about the work of organisations, or running fund-raising events and activities. There are also a range of ways to donate funds, such as directly through one-off donations, regular contributions such as workplace giving programs or by participating in fund-raising activities and events.
You can give in several ways:
- Hands Across Canberra (fcsuite.com) at any time. This money funds our grants to 350 local charities.
- Donate to the charity of your choice through our platform
- Establish a named fund, distributing interest each year to causes you care about. Named funds are professionally managed long-term investments.
- Contact us to offer your services as a volunteer or a community partner.
In this episode, Genevieve is joined by Anna Neelagama, CEO of Master Builders Association ACT, and Richard Faulks, senior partner at Snedden Hall & Gallop, to talk about what it means to build a connected city — one that's better and fairer for every Canberran.
Richard reflects on 45 years at a firm that's been part of Canberra's fabric since 1960, and why community responsibility has always been built into good lawyering. Anna shares the remarkable story of Master Builders ACT, celebrating 101 years this August, from ten builders meeting at the old Hotel Canberra before the city even existed, to the industry rallying to rebuild whole suburbs after the bushfires.
Together they open up about the fifth Charity House now breaking ground — a deliberately designed home built entirely through donated trades and materials, with every dollar raised going to support victims and survivors of domestic and family violence.
It's a conversation about legacy, trust, and why giving back has to run deeper than a line in the annual report.
🎧 Listen to the full episode, featured on Region Canberra
region.com.au/the-givers-master-builders-anna-neelagama-and-snedden-hall-gallops-richard-faulks-o… …
Great conversations about the future of giving.
Our very own Julia Leiser recently attended the 2026 Philanthropy Australia Conference, joining leaders from across the sector to explore how we can build a stronger culture of giving in Australia.
The conference brought together diverse voices from across philanthropy, community and social impact, creating space for important conversations about generosity, collaboration and how we can strengthen impact for the communities we serve.
It was a valuable opportunity to connect, listen and bring new ideas back to our work here in Canberra. Especially with our friends from The Snow Foundation , Bec Bromhead, and Melissa Broers from Aspen Medical Foundation who were also at the conference.
Thank you to Philanthropy Australia for bringing the sector together and continuing the conversation about the future of giving. …
We love seeing our partners using their expertise for to help our community to learn, and build a stronger, more resilient organisations.
The Snow Foundation recently hosted a Canberra Foundations Collaborative Revenue Diversification workshop, bringing together 22 people from 16 community organisations across Canberra.
Facilitated by Jon Davies from Social Impact Hub, the session explored different funding and capital options, helping organisations better understand how to build financial sustainability and identify the right support at different stages of their journey.
The Canberra Foundations Collaborative is a partnership between Snow Foundation, Hands Across Canberra and the John James Foundation, working together to strengthen Canberra's community sector. …