Who are Australia’s biggest charity donors? What are the types of structures they use for philanthropy? What can we learn from their giving?
All questions we have the answers to!
Australia’s top 50 philanthropists were revealed recently, with the combined total of donations from this cohort reaching a record high of $1.37b, almost triple the amount given 10 years ago ($470m).
The amount of funds going back into the charity sector continues to grow and structured giving is becoming more popular; from those on the list, there are now 25 donors who give more than $10 million annually, and four over $100 million.
But what structures do Australia’s biggest philanthropists use to donate money? In this article we take a look at who’s on the list and examine the different ways to give money in Australia.
The Top 10 Philanthropists in Australia
| Rank | Name | Amount | Areas of focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yajilarra Trust | $214m | Australia’s First Nations people, climate change, disability, Christian faith |
| 2 | Minderoo Foundation | $210m | Children through thriving communities, gender equality, healthy ecosystems, existential threats and urgent challenges |
| 3 | Paul Ramsay Foundation | $183m | Children and young people, First Nations, barriers to employment, under-resourced communities and disadvantage |
| 4 | Estate of Marc Besen & Besen Family Foundation | $144m | Eva and Marc Besen Centre at TarraWarra incl. artworks, Jewish community, early childhood education, environment |
| 5 | Stan Perron Charitable Trust | $45m | Community, wellbeing and medical research particularly for children in Western Australia |
| 6 | Ian Potter Foundation & Cultural Trust | $38m | Arts, community wellbeing, early childhood development, environment, medical and public health research |
| 7 | Judith Neilson Foundation & charitable trusts | $33m | Disadvantaged and marginalised rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and women/girls in Australia, arts |
| 8 | Kinghorn Foundation | $31m | Medical research, poverty and talented Australian youth |
| 9 | Pratt Philanthropies | $31m | Food security, mental and medical health, arts, education, cancer care, Jewish life, environment, community, veterans affairs |
| 10 | Susan McKinnon Foundation | $29m | Improving government through effective elected representatives, robust state institutions and quality policy dialogue |
Philanthropic Structures to Donate Money
1. Private foundations
This is a popular option for philanthropists who want to establish a permanent and independent organisation to manage their giving. A private foundation can have its own board of directors and employees and can make grants to a wide range of charitable organisations
2. Sub-Funds of PuAFs
This structure allows the donor to make a tax-deductible contribution to a public charitable foundation and then request their nominated charity to distribute funds to. If you don't want to deal with the administrative and investment management responsibilities that come with setting up your own foundation and you want to start early from $50,000, then a Sub-Fund or Named Giving Fund account might be a better fit.
3. Public Ancillary Funds (PuAFs)
PuAFs are established by trust instruments and can be funded by private & public donations. The funds are invested and managed by a trustee (generally a corporate trustee) and distributions are made to other deductible gift recipients (excluding other PAFs). PuAFs can offer Sub-Funds within its structure.
4. Private Ancillary Funds
PAFs are established by trust instruments and can be funded by private donations from associated parties. The funds are invested and managed by a trustee (generally a corporate trustee) and distributions are made to other deductible gift recipients (excluding other PAFs). The starting point is generally $500,000 to $1 million in a tax-deductible seed donation.
5. Direct giving
Some philanthropists choose to make direct contributions to the causes and organisations they support, without using any intermediary structure.
6. Social impact bonds
This is a relatively new structure that allows philanthropists and impact investors to fund social programs and receive a return on their investment if the program achieves its goals.
7. Charitable trusts
This is a legal arrangement that allows the donor to specify how the trust assets will be managed and used for charitable purposes, which is not tax-deductible. These can be created during a lifetime or ‘testamentary trusts’ can be created from the estate upon passing away.
Public and Private Ancillary Funds are the fastest growing structure in Australia – read more on the difference between Private and Public structures . The choice of structure will depend on the specific goals and preferences of the philanthropist, as well as the type and scale of the giving.
Corporate Giving
While individual and family philanthropists make a huge impact, Australia’s top 50 corporate donors distributed a record $1.7 billion last year. Standout founder-led companies—Canva, Atlassian and Cotton On—are embracing philanthropy as a core business value, often out-giving even major ASX50 companies.
These businesses use a wide mix of structures too: from their own charitable foundations and grants arms, to innovative customer-driven donation programs, and big in-kind contributions like food rescue. They’re also blurring the lines between personal and company giving—Canva’s co-founders, for example, have pledged 80% of their wealth to the Canva Foundation.
The result? Australia’s philanthropic sector is stronger than ever, with businesses and families alike leading the charge towards smarter, more engaged giving.
Discover BlueRock’s Philanthropy Consulting Services
When you work with our philanthropy experts and the Be BlueRock Foundation, we take care of the administration of your philanthropy, including maintaining financial records, distribution requirements, secretariat services and reporting to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC).
When it comes to the good stuff – supporting charities you care about – our grantmaking service can help you and your family or business decide on your giving philosophy and the causes and charities that you would like to support…all with the right tax strategy in place.
Get in touch with our BlueRock philanthropy consultants to discuss what option best suits you.
