A rising tide of female-led philanthropy: Celebrating one year of She Gives

An Australian-first campaign to highlight and inspire women’s giving is celebrating its first anniversary with a growing body of evidence showing that change is underway to redefine philanthropy and better recognise the catalytic power of women. 

With women poised to come into greater economic power over the next two decades, inheriting up to $3.4 trillion or two-thirds of our intergenerational wealth transfer, She Gives is bringing together women from across the country to share their collective wisdom and amplify powerful stories of women giving at every level and to a broad range of causes.  

An exclusive interview with Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, is the latest story to be published by She Gives in its mission to celebrate women’s giving and help grow the culture of giving. As Ms Gillard told She Gives: “In a world where we are lacking a variety of women role models, to have women come to the forefront and be prepared to tell their stories of giving is an act of service in itself.” 

Other major milestones include roundtables at Government House in Canberra and in other capital cities to capture insights on women’s giving and help inform the most extensive research project to date on women’s philanthropy in Australia. The resulting report, in collaboration with the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia, will examine not only how much women give, but how they decide to give, what motivates their philanthropy, and what barriers or enablers shape their giving. 

Campaign founder Melissa Smith said the past year had shown there was an enormous hunger for stories that recognised the pivotal role of women in achieving positive change and helped counteract the ‘traditional’ perception of philanthropy as a world dominated by men.  

“Meeting hundreds of women from all walks of life, right across Australia, and hearing first-hand about their giving journeys has been truly inspirational,” Ms Smith said. 

“There is an extraordinary depth to women’s giving in Australia, one that goes beyond financial generosity to a real generosity of spirit, with women giving their time, talents and networks to drive meaningful change. 

“One year in, we’re proud to have shone a light on some of the incredible women who are driving giving forward in Australia, but there is still much more to be done. Early data from our research suggests that greater visibility and awareness of giving, as well as supporting a cultural shift, are key to growing philanthropy. We need to keep the conversation going and ensure the voices of women are heard as we work to grow giving more broadly.”   

The Commonwealth Government has committed to doubling giving in Australia by 2030, supported in this initiative by Philanthropy Australia. The latest data from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) highlights how the cost-of-living crisis has increased pressure on charities and community groups, with services such foodbanks and crisis accommodation reporting that they are sometimes stretched beyond capacity. 

She Gives is also making an impact in shifting the public narrative around giving by proactively driving positive media coverage of female-led philanthropy. Shortly before She Gives launched in 2024, an analysis of the 100 most read articles on philanthropy over the previous 12 months showed 54 focus on men, 32 on organisations or foundations and only 14 on women.  

A recent comparative analysis showed there had been a 12% increase in the number of stories about women since She Gives launched, with 26 of the latest top 100 high-reach articles focused on a woman in philanthropy, 46 on men and a steady 32 on organisations or foundations. 

She Gives has also partnered with the National Library of Australia to ensure female voices become part of the nation’s permanent record on Australian giving, preserving the philanthropic stories of 20 Australian women in a dedicated oral history project.  

“She Gives has been developed as a catalyst for cultural change within philanthropy, deliberately timed around the intersection of great need within our communities and with women coming into greater agency and wealth,” Ms Smith said. 

“We look forward to the next phase of the campaign, continuing to celebrate and expand the visible presence of women in philanthropy to help drive positive impact.”  

She Gives is grateful to its supporting partners, Perpetual Limited (Major Partner), Fairground (Major Partner), Minderoo Foundation (Major Partner) and the McLean Foundation, Snow Foundation, Ningana and Noble Ambition, as well as for the wisdom and guidance of its advisory group:  

• Clare Ainsworth Herschell (Founder of Groundswell) 

• Georgina Byron AM (CEO of the Snow Foundation, Chair of Sydney Women's Fund Advisory Group and Co-Chair of Deadly Hearts Limited)  

• Natalie Egleton (CEO of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal) 

• Caitriona Fay (Managing Partner of Perpetual Private’s Social Investment businesses and ESG Strategy, founding board member of GiveOUT) 

• Tanya Hosch (Executive General Manager, Inclusion & Social Policy – AFL) 

• Michelle Lin (CEO of Vermillion Foundation) 

• Paula McLean (A founding trustee of McLean Foundation) 

• Amanda Miller OAM (Co-founder of Impact Generation Partners and Co-Chair of Philanthropy Australia) 

• Professor Kristy Muir (CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation) 

• Carol Schwartz AO (founding Chair of both Trawalla Foundation and Women’s Leadership Institute Australia)  

• Melissa Smith (CEO, Noble Ambition & Founder, She Gives)  

• Deanne Weir (Founder of WeirAnderson.com and WeirAnderson Films) 

 To view the full list of our sector partners, visit the She Gives website.