Stream 1 – Sisters of St Joseph – 2026
| Organisation Name | Project Name | State |
|---|---|---|
| Diocese of Pt. Pirie S.A. | Assisting community members in the rural parishes of Burra, Pr. Broughton/ Snowtown and Jamestown with their emotional, mental & spiritual well-being through visiting, offering support and being present to those who are elderly, geographically isolated & differently able. Sr. Kerry’s work spans 14 small towns across the 3 rural parishes which are poorly resourced and geographically distant. | S.A. |
| NSW Founders and Followers Committee | Professional Printing of Pilgrimage Booklets The project aims to present the idea of pilgrimage in a holistic way which weaves together the historical and spiritual aspects of the journey and presents it in the form of a booklet which each person can read and experience in a personal way as a self-guided tour. The pilgrimages are based on the legacy of Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods and the work of the Josephite Sisters. There are four pilgrimages to be printed as booklets, namely Waverley, Rookwood, Kincumber and Southeast NSW, while the Gore Hill Cemetery – first burial site of Mary MacKillop needs to be reprinted to replenish numbers. | NSW |
| Josephite Justice Network (JJN) | Community Welcome Weekend Two-day residential weekend gathering that will provide opportunities for refugee & asylum seeker families to build social connections, access information about support services and meet local community members. It goes beyond meeting these families’ material needs – it lays the foundation for these communities to feel included, connected to wider networks and begin their journey in a new country feeling safe and supported. | NSW |
| Josephite Action Group (JAG) | Youth Advocacy Training Providing training through workshops covering areas of advocacy strategies, public speaking & community organising for young people who are passionate about social justice and positive change. Focuses on youth who may feel excluded from traditional leadership pathways or lack the opportunity to access formal advocacy training/mentoring in building leadership & communication skills. | TAS |
Stream 2 – General (Non SOSJ) – 2025
| Organisation Name | Project Name | State |
|---|---|---|
| Isabella Plains Early Childhood School | Wags for Wellbeing Implementing a well-being dog program in the school with the support of Dogs Connect which will help children from vulnerable backgrounds who have experienced trauma, domestic violence, neglect or family tragedies leading to behavioural issues improve emotional regulation, social skills, empathy, and reduce behavioural escalations. | ACT |
| AutismMATES Incorporated | Model MATES – Expanding the Reach Addresses the lack of representation and employment opportunities for young Australians living with disabilities in our community, particularly in the media and fashion industries. Participants gain essential life skills that enhance employability, self-esteem, and social engagement fostering long-term personal & professional growth. Builds wider community capacity through inclusion, diversity & engagement. Program hoping to expand to 2 x new locations in Sydney & regional NSW. | NSW |
| Mungindi Community Education Association Incorporated | Mungindi Children’s Services Providing an outdoor play area for kids at the local childcare centre (0-5yrs) many who are from a disadvantaged background. It is hoped that creating outdoor natural play environments would provide a blend of natural areas, environmental features and plants to interest children in learning about nature and its elements while enabling those who don’t have these opportunities at home, access to these resources. | NSW |
| Project Kindness Incorporated | Project Kindness Pop-Up Community Hub A pop-up hub that allows Project Kindness to have a base for those they support to drop in and collect items they require, such as groceries or essential household items. It provides a place of connection, inclusion & feeling valued for vulnerable community members – “to combat depression & mental illness, to make people feel happy and valued as well as boosting physical health”. | NSW |
| Revolve Recycling Foundation | ‘Wheely Great’ Bike Education and Access Program for Refugee Families The project empowers newly arrived refugee and migrant families, especially youth within the Liverpool community by providing bike skills training and access to high quality bicycles diverted from waste. Program of capacity building, inclusion, environmental sustainability & lifeskills. | NSW |
| Young Minds Thrive Inc. | School Ready: In-Home Learning Program Provision of in-home learning packs designed to develop essential school readiness skills including literacy, numeracy and social-emotional abilities. Parents will receive detailed guidance on using these resources, empowering them as their child’s first teacher. Area with high rate of poor school readiness skills & delayed development. Rural/regional focus. | NSW |
| Prison Fellowship Australia (PFA) | Bus service & volunteer recruitment for Alice Springs Correctional Centre Program maintains a vital link between the families of prisoners and those in prison – the bus service allows families and friends to visit their loved one in prison. The bus operates in Alice Springs on weekends, and around 90% of bus users are Aboriginal women and children. Having a PFA volunteer at the Correctional Centre itself helps with practical issues like helping visitors complete the correct paperwork; providing footwear (thongs) if needed – a condition of entry and helping to alleviate some of the discomfort & challenges associated with visiting prison. | NT |
| North West Youth Accommodation Service | NWYAS Cookbook Using the process of selecting and cooking recipes with young people and affected community members to explore the journey from homelessness to housing. Sharing of anecdotes, experiences and enjoyment of food creation, networking, self-efficacy in household management, healthy eating options, budgeting skills & overall independence allows participants to reflect on and share their culture including First Nations people. | QLD |
| Older Women Co-Housing Association Qld Inc. (Sharing with Friends SWF) | Gladstone Workshops Purpose is to design and deliver affordable, safe and long-term secure accommodation for older women to live in privacy, with dignity in a supportive community as they age – “Older women are the fastest growing group at risk of homelessness in QLD”. This project will fund a series of 10 capacity building workshops covering wellbeing and empowerment; financial literacy; budgeting; ageing in place/design; legal tenure documents; downsizing; navigating conflict; values and beliefs. | QLD |
| United Way South Australia | Imagination Library – North (IML North) Building the literacy skills of developmentally vulnerable children from a disadvantaged background through the provision of an age-appropriate book each month for a year – “Research highlights the critical role of early reading in brain development, vocabulary building, and emotional growth”. | SA |
| Big Little Buddies Inc. | Younger & Older Making Music & Memories – Intergenerational Music Programs Intergenerational music program bringing together aged-care residents and pre-schoolers with their caregivers through engaging in musical activities, tackling social isolation and building meaningful connections. By addressing both social isolation among seniors and the intergenerational divide, this project enhances community cohesion, supports emotional, social and physical health for all participants and helps reduce ageism. Children learn important values of respect, empathy and compassion from a young age through these interactions. | VIC |
| Breakaway Youth | Summer for School Success A 5-day field camp to regional Victoria which provides 20 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to learn important lifeskills of social connection, goal-setting and exploring the benefits of good nutrition, physical activity and sleep habits in a positive way through outdoor recreation, creative activities, team collaboration and reflective sharing. This project is part of a longer 6 year journey with these youth. | VIC |
| Magical Getaway Foundation | Empowerment through Mentorship Addresses challenges faced by vulnerable women and families in the community including long-term financial instability & emotional trauma, exacerbated by a lack of access to ongoing support networks. Mentorship program which connects women who have overcome similar hardships – Reciprocal support system developing leadership and mentoring skills among former beneficiaries while addressing the immediate needs of women overcoming challenges such as abuse or widowhood. | VIC |
| Cockburn Integrated Health | Cockburn Aboriginal Ear Health Project Program that provides free audiology, speech pathology, Ear Nose Throat, and related surgical services to aboriginal children with Otitis Media (middle ear disease) in Perth and wider Western Australia, free of charge. Funding is to update and expand therapy resources for the speech pathology service. | WA |
