Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This season has been one of milestones and momentum – from the graduation of our first Snow Entrepreneurs, the Banksias, to the impact of our five-year partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal. We’re also progressing our community-driven work in Western Sydney, empowering Liverpool leaders through Sydney Women’s Fund and forging collaborations to improve education outcomes in youth.

We recently shared an update on the fifth Deadly Heart Trek, delivered in partnership with local health workers and schools across 12 communities in Katherine and the Big Rivers Region. The team reached around 1,000 people with education and heart scans for rheumatic heart disease. We remain committed to working alongside communities to improve health outcomes through self-determination, and to supporting First Nations leadership.

It was also a privilege to co-MC the Philanthropy Australia Leadership Summit with First Nations leader Michelle Steele. Across sessions, a clear call emerged: be bold, accountable and long term, take big bets and accelerate the pace. The Summit challenged us to lift our gaze and embrace philanthropy’s role in funding capacity building and convening opportunities that help organisations collaborate more effectively.

We are delighted to welcome David Hardie to our Board. With extensive experience in government, not-for-profit and philanthropy, including a long tenure at the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, David is widely respected for his thoughtful approach and commitment to community-led solutions. We look forward to the insight and wisdom he brings.

Thank you for your interest and we hope you enjoy this edition.

Georgina Byron AM
CEO Snow Foundation

Photo above - the first cohort of Snow Entrepreneurs graduate! Front row: Alex Lagelee-Kean - Snow Foundation, Summer Petrosius - Kindship, Joe Kwon - Confit Pathways. Back row: Loki Ball - Performl, Pia Clinton-Tarestad - Clean Slate Clinic, Jess Brown - Warrior Woman Foundation, Neala Fulia - MoreGoodDays, Skye Riggs - Ripple Opportunities, Geoff Smith - Australian Spatial Analytics, Georgina Byron and Bhanvi Anand - Snow Foundation 

Snow Foundation Board welcomes new member David Hardie (centre). Stephen Byron, Louise Walsh, Georgina Byron, David Hardie, Ginette Snow, Scarlett Gaffey, Craig Betts. (Absent: Stephen Gaffey, Andrew Leece).

Snow Entrepreneurs: The Banksias Graduate!

In May 2022, the Snow Foundation welcomed the very first cohort of Snow Entrepreneurs – the Banksias. Three years on, these eight inspiring social change leaders have graduated, with remarkable progress and impact to celebrate.

Over the course of the program, Snow Foundation:

• Granted $3.5 million and invested $1.6 million to help scale their ventures

• Provided tailored support including peer cohort learning, mentoring, diagnostic assessments, advisory services, Antler expert sessions, 1:1 support and introductions to other networks

The combined results speak volumes:

• Beneficiaries - grew from 916 to over 14,000
• Annual revenue - expanded from $415K to $16.5M 
• Employment - increased from 24 roles to 158, including neurodiverse people, parents of children with disabilities and people returning from incarceration

This milestone is not the end of the journey. The Banksias now become our first Snow Entrepreneurs Alumni – staying connected as mentors and collaborators for future cohorts. We also continue to back some through impact investments, including Clean Slate Clinic, MoreGoodDays and Kindship.

Strengthening Education Equity: Two powerful workshops in Canberra 

In August, we deepened our focus on education outcomes for all students by supporting two important workshops in Canberra, convening many interested parties.

The first, Philanthropy & Education Equity, hosted by Snow Foundation in collaboration with the Education Funders Network, brought together leaders across philanthropy, education and research to explore how philanthropy can play a catalytic role in closing the equity gap in education. The workshop revealed the biggest opportunities for change including a clearer, knowledge-rich curriculum, stronger teacher training, targeted student support, and ensuring programs are backed by solid evidence.
Philanthropy can help by funding and scaling what works, fostering collaboration, and strengthening advocacy. Next steps include working with other funders on curriculum reform, teacher education, and joint projects to drive systemic change.

The second, Reading Rewired, delivered by Dr Nathaniel Swain at the University of Canberra and supported by Think Forward Educators ACT, gave local teachers access to high quality professional development on applying learning science to reading instruction.

Together, these workshops highlighted the power of collaboration to lift outcomes for all students.

Read the report funded by Snow Foundation - Closing the Equity Gap, Philanthropy's Role in Education.

Scarlett Gaffey - Snow Foundation, opening the Philanthropy and Education Equity workshop in Canberra with the Philanthropy Australia Education Funders Network

Building Stronger Communities on the NSW South Coast 

Over the past five years, we partnered with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to deliver the $2.65 million Investing in Rural Community Futures program in Nowra, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay. The program supported 100+ local not-for-profits with tailored solutions, roadmapping, and collaboration. It also helped them navigate the challenges of bushfires and COVID-19.

Key Outcomes

• Capacity uplift: local not-for-profits reported significant increases in strategic clarity, collaboration, leadership capability and organisational resilience
• First Nations partnerships: deepened relationships with Aboriginal organisations, with communities shifting towards walking alongside First Nations leaders and embedding cultural knowledge into practice
• 103 grants awarded to strengthen strategy, people, systems and efficiencies across 40 not-for-profits
• $6.6 million in additional funds leveraged by local organisations, multiplying the impact and stimulating the regional economy

Evaluation shows the model builds more capable and sustainable organisations, leaving a lasting legacy for communities.

Ulladulla road map session

Doorways to the Future: Listening to Women in Liverpool  

Building on over a decade of work in Western Sydney, Sydney Women’s Fund has launched a new long-term investment in Liverpool: the Doorways to the Future Project. This five-year,
$2.5 million partnership with Judith Neilson Foundation and Snow Foundation continues their place-based, locally driven approach.

At its heart is deep listening and discovery. Through focus groups and pop-up kiosks, almost 100 women have already shared their stories, challenges and aspirations. Their voices are shaping priorities and ensuring this initiative is grounded in lived experience and driven by the community it seeks to support.

Focus group session at Liverpool Women's Health Centre

Philanthropy Australia Leadership Summit

In an era of polycrisis—climate shocks, polarisation, and eroding trust—government alone cannot solve the challenges we face. Philanthropy must play a different role: backing innovation, funding advocacy, and empowering communities to lead solutions.

Collective impact was a recurring theme, reminding us that progress comes from collaboration across diverse voices, many voices, shared governance, and amplifying stories of change. The people furthest from power are often closest to the problem and the solution. It's critical to involve these voices at the outset and throughout collaborations.

As Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon reminded us, “Bold, connected, accountable – that is our work to do.” He also spoke of hope as a discipline—grounded hope that acknowledges hard truths yet fuels agency and action. This sense of hope is essential to sustaining leadership and change.

“Leading through the Polycrisis” brought together two extraordinary leaders shaping systems for the better: Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission with decades of work in justice reform and truth-telling, and Carol Schwartz AO, a trailblazer in business, philanthropy and gender equity. The session was co-hosted by Michelle Steele and Georgina Byron.