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.
This episode brings together Debra Parker, founder of family law firm Parker Coles Curtis Lawyers, and Jess Scanes from Canberra tech company Netier, for a conversation about what it really looks like to build community wellbeing into the everyday work of business.
Debra shares how growing up without much privilege shaped the values behind her trauma-informed, compassionate approach to family law — and how her firm consciously budgets for pro bono work and community partnerships every year.
Jess opens up about Netier's culture of "loving your work," the initiatives that have brought over 200 medical garments to Canberra Hospital through their Supertee partnership, and why giving back is something her team actively asks for, not something they're asked to do.
It's a conversation about care, culture and what happens when giving becomes part of a company's DNA rather than an afterthought.
🎧 Listen to the full episode featured on Region Canberra
region.com.au/the-givers-why-givings-good-for-your-workforce/994802/ … See MoreSee Less
HAC Heroes are more than supporters. They are champions of the Canberra community who go above and beyond to create meaningful local impact.
One example comes from Netier, who supported The Supertee Project through the donation of Supertees to children receiving care at North Canberra Hospital. These specially designed garments help make hospital stays a little more comfortable for young patients and their families during difficult times.
As one of Hands Across Canberra's valued HAC Heroes, Netier demonstrates what community leadership looks like in action. Through their generosity, advocacy and commitment to making a difference, they help strengthen the network of support available to those who need it most.
Thank you to Netier for continuing to lead by example and for helping build a stronger, more connected Canberra. … See MoreSee Less
In the first episode of our brand new podcast series, our CEO Genevieve Jacobs sits down with two of Canberra's most influential business leaders: Greg Boorer, founder and CEO of CDC Data Centres, and Rob Fisher, CEO of the Village Building Co.
From a single facility in Hume to a $25 billion data centre business spanning Australia and New Zealand, to nearly 40 years of building affordable homes and community spaces across the region — Greg and Rob open up about what "social license" really means, why purpose keeps their teams motivated, and how giving back at scale is woven into everything they do.
It's a conversation about legacy, community and what it means to invest in Canberra for the long haul.
🎧 Listen to the full episode featured on Region Canberra
region.com.au/the-givers-why-cdc-data-centres-ceo-greg-boorer-and-village-building-company-ceo-ro… … See MoreSee Less