Dear Friends and Colleagues,
This edition arrives fresh off the energy of Women Deliver 2026 in Naarm (Melbourne) and what an experience it was. Joining more than 6,000 advocates from around the world, I left energised, connected and deeply inspired by the collective commitment to gender equality on display.
One of the most exciting announcements to come out of Women Deliver was the launch of the Coalition of Funders for Women and Families. We are thrilled to be among 11 philanthropic organisations committing $32.8 million to sustained, coordinated support for women leading in communities and breaking the cycle of family violence.
That momentum extended further, with the announcement of the Community Funds for Gender Equity, a national alliance bringing together community foundations, women's funds, giving circles and philanthropy to unlock millions of dollars for grassroots gender equity work across Australia. Again, really proud to be partners in this, and seed funders with Paul Ramsay. I’m sure many more will join. We have backed Community Foundations in Sydney and Canberra, including Sydney Women’s Fund, for well over 15 years – it’s brilliant to see the growth!
It was a joy to support ten Sydney Women's Fund scholars — grassroots leaders from across Sydney — to attend Women Deliver. Together with our partner NACCHO, we also hosted a meaningful side event, shining a light on First Nations communities and Rheumatic Heart Disease.
We've been focused on our gender work more broadly, including: Economic Justice Australia's report on social security for women, Dr Anne Summers' Intimate Relationships Report, the Life Could Be A Dream film, and the second ACT Men and Boys Wellbeing Summit.
This season has also brought some of our most meaningful moments yet. Our Snow Entrepreneurs retreat and the opening of our key leadership program, Lead the Way, were truly special, and reminded us why we invest in people for the long term.
Finally, I'm delighted to welcome four new members to our team: Emily Fuller, Alex Bentley, Bec Bromhead and Julie Lintvelt. Each brings talent, heart and fresh energy and we're lucky to have them.
Thank you, as always, for your interest and support. I hope you enjoy the read, and enjoy the two videos.
Georgina Byron AM
CEO Snow Foundation
Snow Foundation First Nations Advisor Maree Meredith, Georgina Byron and Head of Partnerships Sally Grimsley-Ballard at Women Deliver.
Coalition of Funders for Women and Families
Across Australia, women and families are navigating compounding pressures, from the rising cost of living to the ongoing impacts of family violence. Community organisations are working hard to meet that need, but they're telling us they need funding that is sustained, co-ordinated and built on trust.
We are thrilled to be part of the newly formed Coalition of Funders for Women and Families — a group of 11 philanthropic organisations committed to a combined $32.8 million over three years. The coalition focuses on two priority areas: women leading in communities, and breaking the cycle of family violence for women and children.
When funders align and act together for the long term, philanthropy becomes genuinely catalytic.
(L-R) Prof Kristy Muir, Georgie Byron AM, John Hartman, Stella Avramopoulos, Leonie Bell, Fiona McLeay, the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Stacey Thomas, Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, Annika Freyer, Tamika Sadler. Michael Barr and Kerry Gardner AM, not pictured. Image courtesy of Hynesite Photography.
Sydney Women's Fund Scholars at Women Deliver 2026
Together with our long-term partner Sydney Women's Fund, we provided scholarships for 10 leaders from Sydney -based grassroots organisations working to advance gender equality to attend Women Deliver 2026
Congratulations to the scholars: Elizabeth Tunha - African Women Australia, Zainab Jalloh - Women's Welfare Australia, Licia Heath - Women for Election, Jessica Brown - Warrior Woman Foundation, Brenda Gaddi - Women of Colour Australia, Makakhiwe Masuku - Amplify Black Women, Shareeka Helaluddin - Outloud, Shandana Usman - Communities in Fellowship Together, Rosaline Parker - The Root Crop, Elaine Jolliffe - First Nations Economics.
(L-R) 1. Christie Maria James, Nicole Abadee, Loredana Fyffe, Joanna Ryan, Candice Van Doosselaere, Georgina Byron, Gabrielle King 2. Candice Van Doosselaere, Zainab Jalloh 3. Jessica Brown
A New Parliamentary Voice for Ending Rheumatic Heart Disease
On 25 March, community leaders, researchers and parliamentarians gathered at Parliament House to launch the Parliamentary Friends Group for Ending Rheumatic Heart Disease, a new bipartisan forum co-chaired by Matt Smith MP, Julian Leeser MP and Allegra Spender MP, with 20 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum.
Convened by Snow Foundation, NACCHO and the RHD Alliance, the group will champion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led progress and maintain accountability for Australia's commitment to eliminate rheumatic heart disease by 2030.
Every Heart, Every Voice: Rheumatic Heart Disease Advocacy at Women Deliver with NACCHO
Every Heart, Every Voice was an official side event at Women Deliver 2026. Co-hosted by Snow Foundation and NACCHO, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
The session explored what it will take to end rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia and what these lessons can offer to global conversations on health equity and community-led approaches to eliminating preventable disease. Thank you to NACCHO CEO Dr Dawn Casey, lived experience
expert Perpethua Ali and the panel - Snow Foundation First Nations' Advisors Associate Professor Vicki Wade and Adjunct Professor Maree Meredith, and CEO Georgina Byron AM.
Gratitude also to Rebecca White MP who shared on video, an acknowledgement of the disproportionate impact of RHD on First Nations women and children and reaffirmed the Government's commitment to prevention and elimination.
Every Heart, Every Voice panel members (L-R) Associate Professor Vicki Wade, Adjunct Professor Maree Meredith, Georgina Byron, Perpethua Ali, Dr Dawn Casey
A Retreat to Remember
The Snow Entrepreneurs gathered for four days of connection and growth, bringing together Cohort 2 (Gidgees) and Cohort 3 (Bunyas). Watching one generation of change-makers welcome the next was a genuine highlight, as was hearing from our First Nations Snowies on leadership and allyship. Their perspectives deepened the group's understanding of what it means to be a better ally, and Jason Davis's smoking ceremony left a lasting impression on all of us.
Hearing from the Gidgees, their growth is evident after 2.5 years in the program. The social entrepreneur journey is rarely linear — full of ups, downs, testing and iteration. Snow Entrepreneurs meets that reality with three years of flexible funding, wrap-around support, and a strong peer cohort to lean on.
Lead the Way is back — and underway
Twenty-four leaders from 12 of our partner organisations officially kicked off our 2026 Lead the Way program at the opening retreat held at Wildbark Nature Escape outside Canberra.
Co-designed and delivered with Social Impact Hub, Lead the Way brings together for-purpose CEOs and senior leaders from Sydney and Canberra, with equal representation from both cities, to strengthen their leadership, connect, and deepen the impact of their organisations.
The cohort will now move through five masterclasses and individual coaching sessions before reuniting for a closing retreat in Sydney in September.
Impact Investment Summit Highlights
The Snow Foundation had much to celebrate at this year's Australian Impact Investment Awards. CEO Georgina Byron AM received the Individual Outstanding Achievement Award for her leadership in building Australia's impact investing ecosystem.
To date, Snow Foundation has committed $26.2 million across 38 impact investments, 12% of its corpus — with ambitions to grow this to 20%.
Congratulations to Snow Entrepreneur Pia Clinton-Tarestad and Clean Slate Clinic, named Impact Enterprise of the Year.
Alongside the awards, Snow Foundation's Bhanvi Kapoor Anand joined a panel at the Summit exploring how to reduce friction in impact capital markets. Our CIO, Craig Betts, also joined Minderoo and the Gates Foundation for First in, many follow: How Foundations are anchoring the next wave of blended finance.
(L-R) Jessica Mendoza-Roth, Hanna Ebeling, David Hetherington, Robert Klupacs, Pia Clinton-Tarestad, Chris Davis, Georgina Byron, (back) Gavin Reid, Adam Long, Riley Guerin (front) Linh Tran, Maddy Jackson
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