Philanthropy awards recognise impact

Events, 19 April 2024

FRRR was proud once again to join Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Community Foundations Australia and Australian Communities Foundation in sponsoring the Community Philanthropy Award at the recent Australian Philanthropy Awards.

This year, the selection criteria was updated to shift the emphasis away from community as solely place-based, instead seeing community as being based around culture, shared experience or issues. There was a desire to place greater emphasis on community involvement and participation in its own development –this was reflected in the selection criteria around ‘people-led development’ and ‘power sharing’. With these changes, it was hoped to recognise any forms of philanthropy that centre people and communities as decision-makers and investors in their own development.

The evaluation panel included FRRR’s Program Manager for the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program in Leeton, Junee and the Nambucca Valley, Nancy Sposato, and Community Engagement Producer at our partners at the ABC, Kirra Hampson.

Nancy said that all the applications were fantastic. “I felt very privileged to be able to learn about them all and was very inspired. It would be wonderful to profile them all as a wonderful resource for others working in the community philanthropy space to explore, learn from and connect to. I really valued reading all the applications and the diverse ways people are tackling fundraising and equally wonderful to see the value placed in raising knowledge and social capital in communities,” she said.

“I really enjoyed the robust conversations between the panel around the purpose of the award and which entries were aware of and implementing people-led design and power sharing in their approaches.

“I was also fascinated by the issues that applicants were attending to – youth initiatives, early childhood learning, mental health, health research and awareness, disaster response and preparedness, homelessness, domestic violence and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Kirra said that she is relatively new to the world of philanthropy. “I really learnt a lot about what philanthropy is and specifically what community philanthropy means. There were a few applications that definitely hit home for me and my lived experience. As a proud Woi Wurrung and woman who identifies as Queer, applications specifically seeking to improve the lives of First Nations people and the LGBTQIA+ community were ones I was very happy to see.”

The winner of the Community Philanthropy Award was the Ampilfy Pride Fund, which was established in 2022 by Aurora Group and GiveOUT, two LGBTIQ+ led community funders, to help to tackle the challenges and barriers still facing vulnerable members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Australia – poorer mental health, isolation, homelessness, and social and economic marginalisation.

It was also wonderful to see Terry Snow AM and Ginette Snow, partners in FRRR’s IRCF program, receive the Leadership Award and to see The Bibbulmun Fund (a sub-fund of the Fremantle Foundation), recognised for their work in supporting First Nations communities.

Thanks too to Philanthropy Australia for convening these awards which recognise and celebrate the impact of philanthropy.

Screen showing four logos of partners sponsoring the Community Philanthropy Award
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Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

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Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

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Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

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Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

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Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.