2023 EVENTS
2023 Grant Awards Celebration
The annual live Grant Awards Celebration was held at RACV City Club on Thursday, 16 November 2023.
The event was a resounding success with over 100 attendees.
Our collective effort awarded $160,000 to six outstanding non-profits, all dedicated to creating a future where women and families in Melbourne thrive.
Prison Network were awarded the $80,000 Signature Grant and St Kilda Gatehouse received the $45,000 Nurturing Grant.
Our runner-up finalists Women’s Property Initiatives, St Kilda Mum’s, For Change Co, and Beautiful Bunch each received $8,750 in untied funding.
Evans and Partners presented a donation of $16,650 in honour of Jo Crawshaw’s steadfast commitment to the Melbourne Women’s Foundation. This memorial donation was made possible by the kind-hearted efforts of Evans and Partners staff, and the dedicated leadership of Katrina Tull and Monique Gourlay. Presented on the night by Amy Spofforth and Hibah Jamal, this gift stands as a testament to Jo’s enduring influence.
Gold Sponsors, Bendigo Community Bank Elwood, were recognised for their unwavering and continuous support Melbourne Women’s Foundation activities.
The powerful nature of collective giving on the night was alive and well as representatives from several private funds at the event pledged an additional $30,000 to the finalists.
Shaping Futures for Women and Families
2023 GRANTS INFORMATION EVENING
The power of collective effort was on full display at our 2023 Grants Information Evening!
We’re so grateful to our amazing community for their support and to our Grants Committee for their hard work in selecting six incredible organisations and projects for funding.
$80,000 Signature Grant Finalists
$45,000 Nurturing Grant Finalists
Be inspired, read about each of the six finalists
Grants Information Night presentation prepared by the Grants Committee.
- Link to Grants Information Program
- Link to Grants Information Presentation
We encourage members to find out more about our finalists before you cast your vote and in preparation for the big event of the year, the Annual Grants Awards Celebration on Thursday 16 November at RACV, City Club Melbourne.
Tickets on sale shortly – stay tuned!
A special thank you to host and sponsor SHAPE Melbourne, who added to this incredible evening with their generosity and warmth.
We were especially delighted on Shape’s selection of event caterer – Free to Feed a former MWF grant finalist!
Working Wonders with Women
Many thanks to everyone who attended the Working Wonders with Women event on Thursday August 3rd.
You Matter CEO, Maxine Gross and Service Coordinator Jen McMahon, and Tradeswomen Community Foundation CEO Janet Cribbes and Project Manager Sarah Curley, spoke about their organisations and how they have leveraged the funding to date, to pursue their missions. Read more about their progress in Latest News
Tradeswomen Community Foundation was the recipient of our 2022 $75,000 Signature Grant and You Matter was the recipient of our 2022 $40,000 Nurturing Grant.
We were also delighted to welcome Liza Nadolski, Melbourne Women’s Fund new Executive Officer to her first official event. We look forward to her leadership as we embark on our exciting next chapter.
Thank you to Josh Rutman and Annabelle Crowe of JLL, Marketing Chair Sandra Castro and Grants Co-Chairs Diane Carey and Susan Feldman for their key roles in making this event possible. And special thanks to our Events Chair Pandora Kay, who wonderfully orchestrates all our events.
This event was generously sponsored by JLL.
Autumn Luncheon 2023
MWF members and guests gathered at Denmark House Friday, 5 May for our Autumn Luncheon to connect and hear Dr Gypsy O’Dea, Clinical Psychologist on The Royal Women’s Hospital Women’s Mental Health Service Team.
Dr O’Dea’s presentation provided valuable insights into the risk factors underpinning women’s mental health, how the increased number and depth of these factors can exacerbate a woman’s potential for mental health challenges and create barriers to accessing assistance, and the evidence-based, customised treatment plans ‘The Women’s’ deliver to address each woman’s situation.
The luncheon included the presentation of the Sue Beecher Memorial Award for outstanding leadership and contribution to MWF, which was awarded to MWF’s pro bono Executive Officer, Christine Darcas. Plus, thanks to the generous Wheelton family, all attendees received a copy of the book ‘Because She Can’ by Marina Brbot.
Our thanks to everyone who attended. Your contribution achieved a sell-out event with several new members signing up to our Giving Circle on the spot!
Next Gen – Australian Philanthropic Services Workshop
On March 22, several of the Melbourne Women’s Fund Next Gen cohort gathered for a workshop, generously presented by Australian Philanthropic Services at Macquarie Private Bank, to learn how to develop and deliver a well-constructed and documented philanthropic giving strategy.
The session empowered our Next Gens to connect, share and consider their individual values and understand how to link them to the ‘why, what and how’ of their personal giving in a structured way. The group came out feeling inspired, informed and excited. Our thanks to Australian Philanthropic Services for this special opportunity!
‘Welcome Back’ Morning Tea
Generously hosted by Evans & Partners, our first in-person gathering for 2023—our ‘Welcome Back’ Morning Tea—took place on Friday, 24 February. Members and guests connected with people who share a concern for supporting our community while hearing Dewi Cooke, CEO of The Social Studio, discuss that organisation’s collaborative work with Aboriginal women in clothing design and production. The Social Studio has collaborated with several Aboriginal female textile artists to successfully launch their work as seen by garment examples with arts centres in Broome and Mt Isa.
Attendees also heard from Nina Fitzgerald—Co-Founder of Laundry Gallery and Director of Going North Agency—who zoomed in from Darwin to discuss her experiences in Indigenous art, clothing design and production.
Special thanks to Monique, Briana and Katrina of Evans & Partners, and our dear Jo, who made this event possible.
