About
Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund
About the Fund
The Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund was created in June 2018 with the objective to assist in meeting the social, economic, cultural, educational, environmental and other charitable needs of the community in the Australian Capital Territory (and the immediately surrounding region) for the public benefit. The ACT Government invested $5 million as seed funding to kick-start a long term commitment to our local charities and community sector to support their incredible work and also explore innovative solutions to meeting community needs. The Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund Grant Program is aimed at addressing the needs of vulnerable people by supporting and working with charitable organisations and social enterprises. The fund is managed by Hands Across Canberra.
Hands Across Canberra is uniquely equipped to respond flexibly to critical needs throughout the city and nearby region. This is due to our deep connections within our community; an understanding of the organisations that serve it; and relationships with multi-sector partners who can join with us to foster change.
The Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund has provided substantial support to our community sector since it’s inception in 2018:
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69+ organisations supported
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89+ projects funded
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$1m+ granted to the Canberra community
In July 2018, Hands Across Canberra announced the creation of the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund (CMCF) with an initial gift of $5 million. The CMCF’s first year comprised the start-up phase of what is intended to become a substantial community fund, characterised by growing funds invested, sourced from government, business and the broader community. The first year saw the CMCF become an established legal entity with formalised processes, a board, three-year businessplan, a website presence and JBWere appointed as the investment advisor.
We also launched the first CMCF grant round, with the processes being determined. Vulnerable families, the homeless and LGBTIQ+ people were among the many Canberrans set to benefit from $408,756 in funding awarded as part of the grant round. The 28 projects include e-learning platforms, mobile outreach services, innovative approaches to transitional housing, youth engagement, a social enterprise hub, food rescue, work skills programs, retrofits and workshops. All awarded projects will be rolled out between 2019 and 2020. The CMCF grant round in 2019 saw us working collectively with peer organisations and agencies. Six partnerships provided an additional funding for 10 projects worth $300,355.
In 2019–20 we were able to distribute funds from the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund to assist communities in our region severely affected during the year – first by a summer of bushfires and then by the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown measures.
Responding to pressing needs throughout the Canberra region, Hands Across Canberra:
» granted $227,000 from the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund to 29 organisations, and leveraged a further $343,000 from peer foundations in a combined COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round
» committed a further $250,000 from the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund towards
the Canberra Recovery Appeal. These funds supported a suite of programs to meet the needs of our community, ensuring that our not-for-profit sector had access to
sufficient funding in time to make an impact.
As part of our activities this year we have further developed our relationship with the Snow Foundation and the John James Foundation which expanded our grant rounds by injecting $343,000 into community projects. Areas that the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund was able to support this year included family assistance and domestic violence services; adapting service provision through improved technology and IT literacy for service participants; crisis support to the culturally and linguistically diverse community (CALD) as well as to migrants and refugees and through enhanced services that kept our community connected through the pandemic.
At a time when our community is still recovering from the impacts of COVID restrictions, the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund distributed more than $280,000 in grant funds in the Spring of 2020. The funds helped award approximately 30 projects and supported a range of beneficiaries including people experiencing mental health issues, elderly people, at-risk children and youth, people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people experiencing homelessness, and those who are otherwise economically disadvantaged. Projects include support for palliative care, mental health and wellbeing and mobile outreach services. A further grant round is scheduled for May 2021.
| Organisation Name | Project Title | Amount | Year granted | Grant Round |
| Abbeyfield Garran Inc | Abbeyfield Garran lounge room update | $ 8,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Arthritis ACT | Art Therapy | $ 8,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Australian Capital Territory Council of Social Service Inc | Building Digital Capacity for Transformational Service Delivery | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation | Activity Days for Young People living with Familial Mental Illness | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Barnardos Australia | Queanbeyan Homework Club | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Better Renting | Protecting vulnerable renters from unfair rental contracts | $ 8,700 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Canberra Community Law Limited | Dhurrawang AMC Legal Clinic | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Canberra Refugee Support Inc | Canberra Refugee Support Scholarships. | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Cerebral Palsy Alliance | GaitRite: physiotherapy equipment for people with disability in Canberra | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Council on the Ageing ACT | Measuring the impact of COVID on the mental health of senior Canberrans | $ 6,520 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Heart Support Australia | Canberra Heart Support Australia Branch | $ 4,995 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Kulture Break | Dance Nation – inclusion and well-being through movement | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Lifeline Canberra | Lifey Leadership Program | $ 10,756 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Marymead | Sporting Equipment – Young Persons (ages 8 – 13) | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Mental Illness Education ACT | Parent Hub: Online learning platform | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Meridian | Meridian Community Garden | $ 8,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| OzHarvest | OzHarvest Canberra Food Rescue | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Palliative Care ACT | Leo’s Place | $ 9,600 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Raw Potential | Mobile outreach program for at-risk and vulnerable youth | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Rebus Theatre Inc. | Acting Out – On Screen | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| St Vincent de Paul Canberra | The Night Patrol Program, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Technology for Ageing and Disability ACT (TADACT) | Intelicare Home Monitoring System | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| The Farm in Galong | ASES accreditation | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| The Shepherd Centre – For Deaf Children | ‘Chime Time’ – a world-first music therapy program for deaf children and their families. | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| UnitingCare Kippax | Health and Wellbeing for all – activity and connection | $ 7,012 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Warehouse Circus inc. | Warehouse Circus Inclusive Equipment Purchase | $ 9,680 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Women’s Legal Centre ACT | Making legal services accessible for CALD women | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Women’s Shed | Tutors for Women’s Strength and Community | $ 9,360 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| Yeddung Mura (Good Pathways) Aboriginal Corporation | Crisis Support Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander detainees and their families | $ 10,000 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| YWCA Canberra | Clubhouse Crew Disco’s | $ 9,997 | 2020 | CMCF Spring 2020 |
| ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group | Family Assistance | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Adopt Change Limited | Support for Foster Carers During COVID-19 | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Directions Health Services | Service Access for Vulnerable Clients | $ 9,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Australian Relief & Mercy Services – Canberra | Pantry Equipment | $ 6,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Canberra Refugee Support | Emergency Income Support for Asylum Seekers | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round | |||
| Catholic Care Canberra & Goulburn | MacKillop House | $ 15,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Community Services #1 | CS#1 Studio Set Up | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Companion House Assisting Survivors of Torture and Trauma | Supporting asylum seekers and refugees on temporary visas | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Conflict Resolution Service | COVID – 19 Disruption | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Feel the Magic | Virtual Camp Magic ACT | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Greek Orthodox Community & Church of Canberra & District | Project Apollo – Connecting elderly community members | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Guide Dogs NSW/ACT | Critical support for older people in the ACT with blindness or low vision in the time of COVID-19 | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Hartley Lifecare | Hartley Hall Markets | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Havelock Housing | HHA COVID Mental Health Support | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| KULTURE BREAK | Social Connection | $ 8,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Lifeline Canberra | Crisis Support Services | $ 15,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Marymead Child & Family Centre | Online with Families | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Mental Health Foundation (ACT) | Mobile Home-Based Service Model | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| OzHelp | OzHelp Service Transitions – COVID-19 Response | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Philanthropize Pty Ltd | Adamas Nexus Online | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Print Handicapped Radio of ACT | Support of Radio 1RPH Remote/Home recording and broadcast | $ 1,900 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre | Crisis Support for CALD Community | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Riding for the Disabled of the ACT | Pegasus COVID-19 remote working grant | $ 1,500 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Soldier On | Soldier On Connect Hub | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| The Mill House Ventures | CRN Connect Centre | $ 8,400 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| The Shepherd Centre for Deaf Children | ‘Care in Crisis’ – Supporting deaf children in the ACT | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| This Is My Brave Australia | Mental Health Support | $ 3,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| UnitingCare Kippax | SPARK Expansion Computer and Data Bank | $ 10,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Woden Valley RSL Subbranch | SIV Program Response to COVID-19 | $ 5,000 | 2020 | COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round |
| Action Aids and AGA | LGBTIQ community -retrofit space for a community clinic | $ 4,500 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| AIDS Action Council of the ACT | Innovative employment project (working name) | $ 30,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Anglicare NSW South, NSW West and ACT | Arawang Emergency Relief Hub Set Up | $ 4,856 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Buoyed Up Canberra Yacht Club | Buoyed Up | $ 10,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Canberra Community Law | Women in Prison Legal Empowerment Sessions (WIPLES) | $ 15,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Canberra PCYC | Canberra PCYC Youth Engagement Program | $ 25,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn | Addressing homelessness in the ACT – Pilot Project | $ 20,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Construction Charitable Works | Construction Charitable Works Case Management and Site Talks | $ 7,500 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| CREATE Foundation | Connecting for Change | $ 10,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| GetAboutAble Pty Ltd | Accessible Canberra | $ 17,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Global Sisters | Building Financial Resilience in Disadvantaged Women | $ 10,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Marathon Health | All Hands on Deck | $ 5,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Marymead | Access Days Project | $ 15,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Mental Illness Education ACT Inc | Mental Health 101 – Youth – Digital Program Exemplar | $ 15,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| OzHarvest | OzHarvest Canberra Food Rescue | $ 10,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Parentline ACT Inc. | Parenting Advice for Vulnerable Parents from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background | $ 4,900 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Parentline ACT Inc. | Parenting Outreach Advice at Paint and Plays | $ 5,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| People with Disabilities ACT (PWDACT) | Addressing barriers to employment for people with disabil ities | $ 20,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Post and Ante Natal Depression Support and Information Inc (PANDSI) | PANDSI Specialised Care Pathways Project (PSCPP) | $ 10,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Raw Potential Canberra (YouthCARE Canberra Limited) | Mobile outreach service | $ 20,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Rebus Theatre Inc | Acting Out | $ 15,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Technology for Ageing and Disability ACT | Outreach Mobility Service | $ 15,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| TransMasc | TransMasc Workshop Series | $ 5,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| UnitingCare Kippax | UCK – Ginninderry Social Enterprise Hub | $ 35,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| VOCAL ACT | Volunteers Supporting Victims of Crime | $ 5,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Volunteering and Contact ACT | Connections Program – youth focus | $ 25,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Warehouse Circus Inc. | Jump Start | $ 5,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| Yeddung Mura Aboriginal Corporation | Dhurrawang Reintegration Program | $ 25,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
| YWCA Canberra | A-Z Work Skills Pilot Program | $ 20,000 | 2019 | CMCF 2019 Grant Round |
For information about current grant rounds please click here.
Grants funded by chief Minister’s Charitable Fund
The Shepherd Centre
Lifeline Canberra supports school students mental health
Lifeline Canberra has developed a training program to run throughout schools in Canberra; students are trained and mentored as LIFEY LEADERS – which promote the skills and confidence to support a more mentally healthy school community.
Canberra Community Law
Dhurrawang is a legal service developed to provide individually tailored and culturally sensitive legal advice and representation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the ACT in the following areas of law – Housing and Homelessness, Social Security, Human Rights and Race Discrimination. The Dhurrawang team is comprised of one Aboriginal lawyer, one non-Aboriginal lawyer and one Aboriginal paralegal.
Canberra Refugee Support (CRS)
A scholarship recipient, Tenzin who came to Canberra as a refugee in 2020. Immediately enrolled himself at Reid CIT where he is now completing a Certificate III in Barbering. Reid CIT nominated Tenzin for a scholarship based on his dedication to classes and explained that he actively seeks to assist and encourage other students.
Barnardos Australia
Barnardos Australia received a $10,000 grant from the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund in 2020 to fund the running of the Queanbeyan Homework Club following impacts associated with COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
