News
Out and About
The VFFF team loves getting out and about to see our partners in action and attend sector events. This quarter, we spent time visiting our partners and attending events focused on supporting young people and regional communities.
What a night!
Congratulations to VFFF grantee, Callum Champagne from Grow the Future, who participated in The Funding Network’s (TFN) collective giving event held in Sydney on 27 March. This event was designed to spotlight high-potential, grassroots non-profit programs delivering social impact for young people. VFFF Director, Emilia Kefford, was delighted to attend and support Callum, along with the other two organisations pitching on the night under the theme of “Thriving Young People”, Australian Refugee Volunteers and Bandu.
VFFF first met Callum in 2022, when he was part of the first cohort of recipients of VFFF’s Backing the Future program and he had an idea for a social enterprise offering young people in the Bega Valley the opportunity to grow food and regenerate the landscape.
“The Backing the Future grant program gave me the foundation from which to make Grow the Future happen. This grant program is very unique in that I felt it really prioritised the impact of the vision that I had, and gave me the support and flexibility to realise that vision," explains Callum.
At The Funding Network event, Emilia took great delight in playing the role of Advocate for Grow the Future, kicking off the crowdfunding by speaking to what attracted VFFF to first support Callum’s initial idea. Emilia was well placed to play this role, as not only was she a member of the VFFF Grants Committee that approved the grant, she had subsequently spoken to Callum in-depth when he featured on an episode of the Stories of Giving and Receiving podcast, which Emilia hosts.
Grow the Future is all about ”creating spaces for young people to grow” and VFFF is likewise delighted to have played a small part in creating the space for this impactful program to grow.
Thanks to The Funding Network for hosting an inspirational evening and your commitment to “Unleashing Australia’s Capacity for Good.”
From Questions to Connections: Highlights from the Girls & Boys Brigade Trivia Night
On 27 March the VFFF team had the pleasure of attending the Girls & Boys Brigade Annual Trivia Night. A ‘not to be missed’ event in the yearly VFFF calendar, the laughter-filled night raises much needed funds to provide educational support and recreational activities to children and youth in need.
Hosted by Jackie Daniels, the evening kicked off with excitement for the gathering of trivia enthusiasts. The range of questions catered to a wide array of interest and expertise - from challenging questions on the periodic table and vexillology to fun facts about Shania Twain and Aladdin. The event offered something for everyone to showcase their diverse knowledge and the lively atmosphere of the evening, fuelled by some friendly competition, really fostered a sense of community among participants.
VFFF has a long-standing relationship with The Girls & Boys Brigade, dating back to 1882 when it was established by Sir James Fairfax as ‘The Boys’ Brigade’. Today, the connection remains strong, with John B Fairfax serving as the President of The Girls & Boys Brigade Board, and Ruth Armytage AM and Andy Fairfax also part of the Board of Directors. The annual trivia night is another way the ongoing connection is maintained, and we thank the team at The Girls & Boys Brigade for hosting such a high-energy and entertaining evening.
Celebrating 25 years of impact: Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal
This year marks FRRR’s 25th Anniversary of supporting remote, rural and regional communities across Australia. For 25 years FRRR have focused on ensuring the social and economic strength of these communities, as well as connecting rural Australia and philanthropy.
VFFF has a proud history of funding and working alongside FRRR to support it’s vision of building a vibrant, resilient and revitalised remote, rural and regional Australia.
On 19 March 2025, VFFF Directors, Tim Fairfax, Joseph O’Brien and Peter Johnstone were thrilled to attend the 25th Birthday celebrations at Cranlana, the Myer family’s home in Melbourne.
FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton, outlined how proud FRRR is to have facilitated more than $200 million to more than 15,000 projects in over 1,700 places across rural Australia, however there is much more to be done to shape a new story of remote, rural and regional Australia – especially the smaller places – one where communities are self-generating; more prosperous; more sustainable; and can drive the kind of future they want for themselves.
You can read FRRR’s Local Solutions Lasting Impact 2000-2025 impact report on their website.
Photography courtesy of Laneway Digital
Meeting the young people dedicated to making regional, rural & remote Australia even better
In February, El Schwanke, Program Manager for Contributing to Society, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s (FRRR) Heywire Youth Summit at Parliament House in Canberra. The event gathers young people from rural, regional, and remote communities who participated in the Heywire and Trailblazers programs.
Heywire and Trailblazers participants spend a week together in Canberra collaborating to generate and develop ideas to improve the lives of young people in their communities. Some of the great ideas presented at the event include intergenerational community events to rekindle community spirit and trust, a program to break down the stigma surrounding food insecurity, and an initiative to make career opportunities more accessible for young people living in the country. Those ideas are eligible for further support through FRRR' ABC Heywire Youth Innovation grants.
The Summit included the presentation of the 2025 ABC Trailblazers – young individuals leading positive change in their communities. VFFF was excited to see familiar faces showcased as part of this program: Avalon, Laura and Oscar from VFFF Contributing to Society partner Sonder Youth, Backing the Future Cohort Four recipient Rheanca and her initiative "We Are Not Alone", as well as Jameson Harvey, Backing the Future Cohort Two recipient, who is a 2023 Alumnus and Trailblazers mentor.
Better evidence leads to better outcomes for all
VFFF was delighted to attend a Funder Roundtable event, hosted by our friends at Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), as part of their announcement of $2.1 million in funding to seven Australian charities selected through PRF’s Experimental Evaluation Open Grant Round.
The roundtable, hosted by Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and PRF, brought together funders and government to consider how robust evaluations can be conducted within a relatively short time frame and with modest budgets, enabling the generation of high-quality evidence to improve outcomes for communities in need.
VFFF took the opportunity to learn more about the Australian Centre for Evaluation, which is supporting PRF at various stages throughout this grant round.
In December 2024, VFFF approved a grant to work with the Australian Government’s Department of Education and two universities, to understand the impact of a payment to a cohort of regionally based students ineligible for the Commonwealth Prac Placement (CPP) payment. This grant is working to build evidence of the impact of this type of payment on regionally based students, who experience particular challenges when undertaking mandatory placements due to the associated travel requirements. VFFF looks forward to engaging with the Australian Centre for Evaluation through the course of this work.
It was clear from the conversation around the table, that Minister Leigh sees the value in government and philanthropy working collaboratively to build good evidence that can be shared with policymakers. Thank you to Minister Leigh and Paul Ramsay Foundation for facilitating such an important discussion.
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