We invest in and partner with organisations and communities across Australia that focus on enabling people and places to thrive. We build the capability of organisations and the for-purpose sector and we aim to influence through collaboration and advocacy.
We grant and invest in communities and organisations across Australia, funding early exploration to substantial investment.
Our philanthropic funding extends beyond traditional grant-making to impact investing.
To date we've granted around $800 million to more than 200 partners, and invested $100 million in a portfolio of impact investments.
We are committed to building insights, data, and knowledge in the areas where we're working, while also building capability within the organisations we partner with.
As one of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations, we are uniquely positioned to use our platform to amplify other voices. We aim to positively influence policy and outcomes through collaboration and advocacy.
People and communities around Australia deserve to have the opportunity to thrive, but it is not a level playing field. PRF is uniquely positioned to help shift the conditions causing inequities.
The earliest years of a child’s life provide an unparalleled opportunity to establish the foundations of learning, health and development that can positively impact outcomes across their whole lives. Equally fundamental is a child’s opportunity to learn and engage in quality education throughout their school years. We invest in initiatives that help kids arrive at school ready to thrive and seek to increase the number of young people who engage with learning.
Employment is one way for people to have economic dignity and social mobility. Yet many people face systemic barriers to entering the workforce or hold low paid and insecure jobs, which keep them trapped in poverty. We invest in initiatives that help reduce the systemic barriers to employment, so all people have access to secure work and economic dignity. We aim not only to confront the immediate manifestations of unemployment, but also the deeper social and economic conditions that perpetuate unemployment and prevent social mobility.
We recognise that too many of our young people are derailed by contact with the criminal justice system. Focusing on early intervention, place-based models, and justice reinvestment, we invest in initiatives to prevent and minimise contact with the prison system and reduce recidivism. We also recognise the link between individuals that are exposed to domestic and family violence, and incarceration. We aim to increase the safety of women and young people supporting services for those escaping violence. We also seek to address data deficiencies and fill gaps in understanding about the links between violence and social disadvantage.
We recognise the importance of place and the people who live there – their resources, strengths, opportunities, and ability to respond to adversity. We particularly acknowledge the importance of Country to thriving First Nations communities. PRF supports communities in place to strengthen social capital, to improve social outcomes, and ultimately to ensure communities can determine their own futures.
Outside of our strategic impact areas, there are additional initiatives and population groups that we pay close attention to. We understand that advantage and disadvantage are multidimensional, and that we need to act systemically to create impactful lasting change. Addressing disadvantage requires us to look beyond our strategic impact areas, to additional areas and population groups that are disproportionately affected by social policies.
We recognise Australia has a lack of access to affordable and appropriate housing which increases homelessness and compounds disadvantage.
The not-for-profit sector plays an important role in Australian society but is often constrained by limited access to resources and capacity challenges. We want to help build the capability of the sector to create a thriving ecosystem for for-purpose organisations.
We work to strengthen the disaster resilience of Australian communities in the face of climate change, building community-led resilience to increase community adaptability.
We cannot end cycles of disadvantage without addressing the systems that perpetuate it. We help to amplify diverse voices and use our influence to advocate for evidence-based change.
We acknowledge our existing systems are inadequate to end family and domestic violence and address its consequences.
We acknowledge living with disability can be a barrier to fair access to work, education and housing.
We recognise social enterprises and other for-purpose organisations as powerful contributors to redressing social disadvantage. We invest in and strengthen high impact social enterprises and help grow the social venture ecosystem.
Impact investing is a powerful and financially sustainable tool for philanthropy to use alongside traditional grant-making opportunities. We aim to create, deliver and build a greater appetite and understanding for how impact investing can be used to create positive change.
We work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and acknowledge their important and unique place as Custodians of our land and waters.
We recognise mental ill-health can be a barrier to accessing work, education and housing, and can compound a person's experience of disadvantage.
Ending cycles of disadvantage is one enormously complex challenge that cannot be solved alone, quickly, or with simple solutions. It’s why we collaborate with communities and organisations to collectively disrupt disadvantage, recognise and build on strengths and create opportunities that will help people and communities thrive. Since 2016, we have committed more than $800 million to more than 200 partners.
Read about How we like to work in partnership.
In partnership with universities, we support PRF Fellows to explore the systems, drivers, and cycles that lead people and places to experience disadvantage. The fellowships start by posing big questions without immediate answers. The Fellows' research and networks create opportunities to share evidence-based solutions and recommendations with those who can translate them into meaningful action.
We partner with a wide range of peer funders to enable stronger collaboration, shared learning, and innovation in philanthropy to break cycles of disadvantage.
Our philanthropic peers
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