PHILANTHROPY
Australian giving circles moved 76.6 million dollars without a backbone
A report published by Philanthropy Australia found that 55 collective giving groups distributed 76.6 million dollars between 1999 and 2025, engaging more than 11,000 people directly. In their most recent annual grant rounds those groups directed 9.3 million dollars to over 300 organisations. In 2017 only 17 such groups were identified; hundreds are now believed active nationally.
The same report describes a sector with strong foundations and growing momentum that still operates without the enabling infrastructure required to realise its potential. Growth came group by group, each new circle answering local energy rather than a mapped end point. The recommendations point the other way: a national backbone entity, shared data, core funding for staff roles and technology, so that scale serves a chosen direction.
Source: Alliance Magazine · September 14, 2026