Senior Program Manager Katie Norman spent four days in Cairns, Kuranda, and the Atherton tablelands in early June to attend the 2026 Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) Queensland Conference and a series of partner visits linked to the Brain Health in Queensland Schools initiative. The itinerary brought together educators, community leaders, government representatives, philanthropic partners, and rural families to explore opportunities to improve outcomes for children and young people across regional Queensland.
A highlight of the visit was the Far North Queensland Brain Healthy Schools Forum. The third such forum, and the first held in Far North Queensland, it was hosted by the Child Health Research Centre and drew 60 attendees from state, independent and Catholic schools. The forum showcased local examples of excellence and created space for new connections to form between people championing student wellbeing and learning, reinforcing the growing momentum behind brain health approaches in Queensland schools.
Alongside the forum, Katie visited several TFFF partners. At Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good (DIYDG), she met with the leadership team in the organisation’s new home in Manunda to discuss its future direction and ongoing focus on strengthening opportunities for First Nations young people. Jodie Gosel from the John Villiers Trust joined the visit, a sign of the collaborative funding culture growing across the region, and the DIYDG team openly recognised the value philanthropy offers in pursuing their self-determined strategic priorities.
Katie also met with Sheryl Batchelor from Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation and the First Nations Justice Office team, who brought welcome news that the first round of Queensland Justice Reinvestment Grants was almost settled, with $5 million to be distributed to First Nations place-based work in Queensland in the near future. Conversations with Youth Cre8 Kuranda, Cape York Partnership, and local schools, joined by travelling partners Dr Georgia Dawson from the University of Melbourne, Alisha Chand from Queensland Kids Partnership, and Susan Hornbeck and Monica Mudderidge from the Shepherd Family Foundation, offered further insight into the innovation and commitment driving community-led solutions across the region.
Katie’s visit concluded with the ICPA Queensland Conference in Atherton. Ningana Trust supports ICPA Qld State Council Members to attend each year’s conference and participate in delegations with state government and peak body representatives. As always, the conference was an opportunity to deeply listen to the priorities of rural and remote families, with discussions covering educational access, workforce challenges, the growing pressure on early years infrastructure in the bush, and agricultural pathways for young people. It reinforced the vital role organisations such as ICPA Qld play in advocating for equitable educational opportunities for children growing up outside metropolitan centres.
A month later in July, Program Manager Hannah Barr landed on Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country for the 2026 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), curated to the theme Reclamation and Regeneration. As CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn explains it, “Reclamation is the active retrieval of what was taken, lost, archived or forgotten; whilst Regeneration is the renewal and transformation of that knowledge into vibrant, living cultures.”
Queensland’s vibrant, living, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures were expressed in full throughout CIAF’s four-day program across the Tanks Art Centre, new Fashion Performance venue at The Mill, and satellite venues including the refreshed Cairns Art Gallery Precinct and Bulmba-ja.
Hannah’s visit began with the Cairns Art Gallery's 'On the Lawn and Live' event in recognition of NAIDOC Week and CIAF. Five significant Queensland First Nations exhibitions were curated across all three Precinct galleries, showcasing diversity and excellence in weaving, printmaking, painting, and multi-modal installation practice.
The infectious energy of CIAF’s Opening Night on Thursday 9 July set the tone for a successful Fair, with thousands taking in the Art Fair Showcase (90 artists with 800 works) and Artisans Showcase (130 artists across 36 market stalls), and attending powerful dance, music, and cultural storytelling performances. TFFF partner Circa Cairns premiered Nurture, a new female acrobatic duet exploring women’s strength, leadership, and storytelling directed and co-choreographed by Kukuyalanji and Waanyi woman Marilyn Miller, with original music by Yalanji man Luke Briscoe.
TFFF-supported Fashion Performances on Thursday and Friday platformed 24 collections from emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders designers and Art Centres and facilitated Indigenous cultural exchange with international guest designers from Taiwan and New York for the first time.
The visit allowed Hannah to connect with many more of TFFF’s past and present peer and partner organisations across the arts sector, including Aboriginal Art Co, Umbrella Studio, artisan, Dancenorth, QAGOMA, JUTE Theatre Company, QIC, and Arts Queensland and Regional Arts Advisors through the Regional Arts Services Network. It was particularly heartening to see the leadership of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation cheering on the CIAF team and Queensland’s Indigenous Art Centres and independent artists.
Hannah was fortunate to experience various additional events as a delegate in CIAF’s expanded ‘On Country’ Program hosted by artist Tony Albert and supported by Perina Drummond. Through artist talks and shared meals, artists, curators, collectors, and CIAF supporters built new connections with artists and each other, and learned more about Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country. The TFFF thanks CIAF’s leadership team, Tony Albert, and Perina Drummond for their hospitality, and encourages everyone to bookmark next year’s CIAF dates: 8-11 July 2027.
Both trips underscored something the TFFF team knows well: there is no substitute for being there in person, and there is real strength in funders travelling and working alongside one another. Whether meeting with educators, youth leaders, artists, or community organisations, conversations highlighted the power of local leadership and long-term investment in people and place, and reinforced the value of taking time to listen, learn, and strengthen relationships.
Cover photo: Projection Art by Pormpuraaw Art and Culture Centre at CIAF 2026 Opening Night. Photo: Blueclick Photography.
Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good, Youth Link (Youth Cre8), Circa Cairns, and the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair are supported by TFFF through the Resilient funding stream. The Brain Health in Queensland Schools initiative is supported though the Futureproof funding stream.
The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association Queensland is supported by Ningana Trust.
The State Library of Queensland offers a free, play-based program to support Queensland families to connect, talk, read, sing and play with their babies and young children in the first 5 years. First 5 Forever is an early literacy program delivered by public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres with the primary aim of providing strong early literacy foundations and supporting healthy brain development for all Queensland children aged 0-5 years.
At State Library, this program is delivered in a dedicated space for little ones and their caregivers known as ‘The Corner’. This year, the Corner underwent a full transformation, supported by a Connected grant from the TFFF and an excellent campaign advisory committee that included Gina Fairfax AC. The new look Corner has been purposefully designed to be playful and to create opportunities for imagination, connection, and learning. It has a variety of different spaces, a dedicated art studio, giant building blocks and nooks for books and imaginative play, and a sensory garden to explore outdoors. It has been designed with positive early childhood development at the centre.
Tim Fairfax AC, Gina Fairfax AC, and Senior Program Manager Katie Norman attended the celebration of the new Corner on 9 April 2026 and were pleased to see the enthusiastic engagement of children and their families on the day.
The Family Place is a beloved space in Logan, with families attending playgroups, dropping in for a casual visit and cuppa, or attending any number of social activities. It serves not only as a drop-in, play-based centre for families, but also as a soft entry point for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers to access services for themselves and their children, particularly when it comes to parenting support and child development. Part of the success of the centre has been the longevity of its operations, its central and easy to access location, and its proximity to other facilities, which will soon include a Deadly Kindy next door.
Originally utilised as a community kindergarten in the early 1970s, The Family Place became what is now celebrated for its community and social service when the Salvation Army leased the site from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) in 2014. VFFF and The Family Place are undertaking a major capital works project, and a 10-year lease is in place to ensure this investment will benefit the Woodridge/Logan community for many years to come.
Ningana Trust provided The Family Place with a grant to construct a new play fort in the outdoor area. The bespoke play fort was designed as part of The Family Place outdoor masterplan and made from materials selected for their durability and natural aesthetic. The fort is also designed to harness the imagination of children, foster peer interactions, enable risk taking, and support the development of cognitive and motor skills.
Ningana Trust staff attended the community open day to celebrate the refurbished Family Place on 17 April 2026, and were delighted to connect with The Family Place staff and see just how much the centre means to the community.
Although the centre has only been open for a few weeks, anecdotal feedback from families is extremely positive. One attendee commented that she never thought that such a high-quality facility would be located in a community like Woodridge.
The quality of the overall redevelopment, including the Ningana-funded play fort, is attracting new families that need support but historically were not accessing the free services available. It is also attracting interest from new community service providers and consulting rooms are booking out.
Cover photo: Lucy Coulson, Tim Fairfax AC, Gina Fairfax AC, and Neal Harvey with the new play fort at The Family Place.
The Corner at the State Library of Queensland was supported by TFFF through the Connected funding stream.
The Family Place is supported by Ningana Trust.
Australia's regional arts bring diverse stories and cultural traditions to life, instigate important conversations, and significantly contribute to local economies by creating jobs, attracting tourism, and creating liveable, dynamic and resilient communities where people want to live and work.
Artlands has been RAA’s flagship sector-wide gathering since 1998, and a cornerstone of its people and place-led approach. Artlands is designed to be responsive, contemporary and strategically positioned – championing best practice, encouraging meaningful exchange and supporting collaboration across sectors and communities.
Artlands 2026, held from 23-25 September, will see the event return to Qld after 20 years, with up to 200 selected delegates meeting on Kabi Kabi Country on the Sunshine Coast. As with previous gatherings, Artlands 2026 will be a carefully curated environment bringing together artists, cultural workers, facilitators, thinkers, and collaborators to meet, exchange, and shape the future of regional arts.
The TFFF has long been a supporter of the arts in rural, regional, and remote Queensland and the Northern Territory. The arts are an essential resource that enrich the liveability, inclusivity, and sustainability of Australia, and the arts in regional and remote areas in particular are integral to our country’s future.
Leadership initiative funding from the TFFF is supporting two part-time roles for Artlands 2026: an Artlands Producer (regional Qld), to lead program development and delivery, and a First Nations Lead (NT), to work alongside RAA’s Indigenous Knowledge Circle and Kabi Kabi Traditional Owners.
The TFFF is pleased to assist the team at Regional Arts Australia to return Artlands to Queensland in 2026, and in particular to facilitate local employment and self-determined First Nations engagement. Leadership is a core value for the TFFF and activities such as Artlands both enact and stimulate leadership from the communities that this Foundation exists to support.
- Tim Fairfax AC
Artlands 2026 will focus on creating the conditions for deeper dialogue, stronger relationships and new forms of collaboration across regional Australia, through the framework Water Connects Everything.
Across regional Australia, water shapes landscapes, ecosystems, industries and livelihoods. It moves between flood and drought, crisis and recovery - revealing the systems communities depend on to live, adapt and endure.
At Artlands 2026, water is the lens, not the topic. It is a connector that opens multiple entry points into conversation, linking Country, culture, creativity and the future of regional Australia. Through this framework, artists, First Nations knowledge holders, scientists, industry voices and policymakers will explore a central question:
What can creativity reveal about the systems shaping regional Australia's future?
Expressions of interest to attend Artlands 2026 are open until 14 May 2026.
Cover photo: Artlands 2023. Photo: Tim Ngo.
Artlands 2026 is supported by the TFFF through the Leadership funding stream.
When it comes to child development, place matters! What surrounds us, shapes us1 – that is, a wide range of conditions, such as the social, built, and natural environments of a place affect lifelong physical and mental health. Systemic factors, such as how health, education, transport, housing, and other systems are delivered in communities also affect development. Systemic influences such as public policies and structural inequities have led to intergenerational poverty and disadvantage, and most often that is concentrated in some places more than others.
Beginning in 2023, place leaders, academics, government representatives, intermediaries, and philanthropic organisations analysed the work of the Queensland Kids Partnership’s (QKP) Thriving Places, Thriving Kids Collaborative, and proposed the Thriving Places Queensland Network. A design team, which included the TFFF, then spent a further year co-developing the model to translate the proposal into an actionable plan that strengthens the network of place-based initiatives in Queensland.
The Thriving Places Qld Network is the first of its kind in Australia. The Network will support the 46 places with place-based initiatives in Qld, ranging from emerging initiatives such as Western Downs Futures to national exemplars like Cape York Partnership.
The vision of the Network is to enable and sustain place-based systems change through strong networks, shared learning, community-led action, and coordinated investment. This will result in a thriving place-based ecosystem capable of tackling complex challenges collectively and innovatively.
For us, the real strength of the Network lies in the quality of relationships and the shared commitment to improving outcomes for children and families. It strengthens local leadership while contributing to a more coherent and collaborative reform effort across Queensland
- Gladstone Region Engaging in Action Together
All place-based partners, including funders, have a role to play in shifting conditions in places of concentrated disadvantage. This pioneering effort will be a national demonstration of the importance of collective efforts in improving outcomes for children and families in the most disadvantaged places.
In its first year, the Network has created the infrastructure for capability building such as just in time peer to peer support, learning exchanges, and Friday chats. The Network has also involved a Philanthropic Funders Community of Practice (CoP), which involved a full-day learning experience in February, and held its first Breakthrough Innovation Group (BIG), hosted by Logan Together in March.
The Funders CoP aims to build a shared understanding of what it takes to partner well as a funder within the Thriving Places Qld Network, by pursuing new & better ways to work together and creating space for collective learning & doing.
Facilitated by Eula Rohan (Principal Partnership Manager – Place, QKP), Rowena Cann (Convenor, Places and Hubs, QKP), Margot Beach (General Manager, Dusseldorp Forum), and Katie Norman (Senior Program Manager, TFFF), the CoP involved representatives from philanthropic organisations and leads from several of the place-based initiatives within the Network. Participants explored what effective partnership looks and feels like in practice, examined roles, assumptions, power and responsibility in collaboration, and reflected on what each person and organisation can genuinely contribute.
As a community of practice, the session was designed to invite action – encouraging new partnering approaches that strengthen relationships and improve outcomes for families and children across Queensland.
The BIG focused on collaborative commissioning, with an aim to bring together communities, government, philanthropy, intermediaries, academics and business. Over two days, 40 participants including regional community representatives and federal and state government partners came together to test ideas and develop a three-month action plan.
Cover photo: The Thriving Places Qld Network Funders Community of Practice.
[1] How Environment Shapes Early Childhood. Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University.
The Thriving Places Qld Network is supported by the TFFF through the Futureproof funding stream.
Funding partners: John Villiers Trust, Dusseldorp Forum, CAGES Foundation, Equity Trustees, The Bryan Foundation, Hand Heart Pocket.
The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT) is a philanthropic trust that was established by Traditional Owners of the Warddeken and Djelk Indigenous Protected Areas in 2010, to support their vision for healthy Country. As custodians of much of West and Central Arnhem Land – one of the largest Indigenous estates in Australia – they recognised the potential strength and increased freedom and flexibility of alternative funding sources.
Today, KKT is a shared resource to eight First Nations community-controlled organisations in Arnhem Land, supporting the preservation and revitalisation of culture, and the conservation of over 50,000 square kilometres of land and sea Country.
One of KKT’s six funding pillars is ‘Educating future custodians’, recognising that on-Country, bi-cultural education enables First Nations children and young people to walk confidently in both worlds. This support began with the Nawarddeken Academy: the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area (IPA)’s first independent, bi-cultural school. Expanding on this success, KKT supported the establishment of the Nawarddeken Academy’s Early Learning Program, which centres families as first teachers.
This is a bush library, this is where you learn your knowledge.
- Ross Guymala, Bininj teacher at Nawarddeken Academy
In 2019, Traditional Owners and senior leaders of Bulman-Weemol communities came together to design the Mimal Learning on Country Program: a collaborative, on-Country initiative between Mimal Land Management and Bulman School that safeguards the passage of intergenerational knowledge.
This journey of regional, place-based approaches continued when KKT commenced support for the Homeland School Company, an on-Country, bi-cultural organisation that will support children to learn on their homelands within the Djelk IPA. In particular, the Homeland School Company intends to register independent, bi-cultural schools at three homelands communities, ensuring that families have access to full-time, on-Country education.
By setting up independent schools on the homelands, we’re thinking about how our old people’s knowledge can be respected, and how we can teach the young ones on Country.
- Dale Pascoe, Chair of Homeland School Company
By connecting their partner organisations with additional, often more flexible funding sources, KKT is bolstering this incredible wave of Aboriginal community-controlled education initiatives. This two-way, community-led approach to learning is transforming the state of remote education across West and Central Arnhem Land.
The TFFF first partnered with KKT in May 2023, supporting the expansion of the Nawarddeken Academy at two sites, Manmoyi and Mamadawerre. Now, this partnership will similarly support the Homeland School Company to prioritise the intergenerational transfer of Indigenous knowledge and sustain natural and cultural ecosystems at three schoolhouses within the Djelk IPA.
Cover photo: Manmoyi outstation in the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. Image Credit: Adelaide Ford. All photos courtesy of Karrkad Kanjdji Trust.
The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust and the Homeland School Company are supported through the Futureproof funding stream.
Kaziw Meta aims to create a ‘home away from home’ and to develop culturally-connected Torres Strait Islander future leaders. The five boarding houses accommodate 88 boarders who have access to a ‘house parent’, tutor, and additional support services to ensure student wellbeing.
Life at Kaziw Meta is holistically balanced to build self confidence in every boarder, by focusing on both education and extra-curricular activities including sport, dance, cooking, technical, and life skills. The Torres Strait Kaziw Meta Dance Team regularly perform a curated repertoire of culturally significant stories with permission from the children’s outer islands leaders.
Kaziw Meta has recently shared with TFFF the good news story that it has recently become the first certified Indigenous boarding facility in Australia. After three years of sustained improvement across governance, boarder wellbeing, staff development, facilities and community engagement, Kaziw Meta has passed an independent audit for Australian schools and residences, marking a major milestone for safe and high-quality boarding in the Torres Strait.
This milestone leads the way for the Indigenous boarding sector and is a big achievement for a remote Torres Strait boarding facility, made possible by the hard work and commitment of Kaziw Meta’s management committee, staff, and boarders.
Kaziw Meta CEO, Thomas Dunsmore, said the certification has strengthened safeguards for young people in the boarding school’s care, supports stronger policies and procedures, and gives families and partners greater confidence in how boarding is run each day.
This certification reflects our boarders, families, Elders, staff and partners working together for a safe, caring and high performing boarding community. Meeting the Australian Boarding Standard shows what is possible for remote and Indigenous boarding students when strong culture and strong systems walk side by side. We are proud to set a leading example on behalf of Torres Strait Islanders and Indigenous boarding communities.
– Thomas Dunsmore, CEO
Australian Boarding Schools Association CEO Richard Stokes congratulated Kaziw Meta and explained how the certification provides a practical structure for ongoing reviews, staff training, student voice and continuous improvement so that high standards are maintained over time.
“We are delighted to see another boarding facility recognised as meeting the Australian Standard,” Mr Stokes said.
“The commitment shown to achieving full compliance and to ensuring the highest levels of care and safety for boarders at Torres Strait Kaziw Meta has proven both worthwhile and exemplary. On behalf of the Association, ABSA congratulates Torres Strait Kaziw Meta on this significant achievement, and we look forward to continuing our work together to best support their boarders.”
Ningana Trust approved a $15,000 grant in October 2025 to support the improvement of boarding school facilities at Kaziw Meta, to create a more welcoming, comfortable, and functional environment that fosters a sense of belonging to support positive daily routines.
Cover photo: Boarders enjoying the view after a long bike ride to Green Hill on Waiben. All photos courtesy of Torres Strait Kaziw Meta.
Torres Strait Kaziw Meta is supported by Ningana Trust.
Millmerran is a small farming town located on the western fringe of Darling Downs. It is one of the largest egg producing regions in Australia and the site of a critical power station for the surrounding area. Higher than average employment opportunities and a lower cost of living have attracted new residents to the region over recent years – many of them families with children.
While the number of young people in the town has steadily risen, suitable activities to engage these young people were not keeping pace with this growth. This growing cohort of disengaged and bored youths was beginning to create antisocial activities for themselves and in doing so creating a raft of wider problems for the community.
To address this emergent issue, The Millmerran Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) was founded. Created to engage, enrich, and inspire students to reach for their potential, MAPA commenced providing music and dance education workshops, training, and events.
MAPA successfully applied for a Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal Strengthening Rural Communities Grant of $10,000 to increase the number of opportunities provided and reduce accessibility barriers for vulnerable community members. The funds subsidised education, dance and choral workshops whilst providing costumes and props for performances and events.
MAPA’s newly accessible choir now boasts a minimum of 15 members at each meet, including adults and young people singing alongside one another. Regular dance classes are offered for tiny tots and seniors with more advanced workshops focusing on contemporary, ballet, and jazz. There are now 32 children aged 2-15 years enrolled across these programs. Participants have performed at various race days, festivals, and concerts which as improved their skills and confidence. The Halloween Disco and 2024 Christmas concerts were particular highlights of the annual program of activity.
Impact outcomes of this initiative include participants’ increased self-esteem and improved feelings of connection within the community. This has resulted in improved mental health and a reduction in isolation and school refusal.
“We have had teenagers whose parents have been so concerned about their isolation and battles with mental health confide of their kids struggles and tell us how they have found safety in our classes, expressing themselves in dance, sharing and creating through movement and growing in friendship and confidence”
“We have walked alongside youth and their families as they have struggled battles with mental health and rural isolation - some even requiring hospitalisation. We provide a safe place with programs designed to support opportunities for mental well-being, growth, confidence, value and self-esteem.”
“We offer opportunities for older students to mentor younger ones, not only increasing their confidence amongst peers but giving them a sense of purpose, belief and greater value to their community.”
Natasha Hollis – MAPA President
One student has found so much joy in helping others that she would like to become an exercise physiologist for dancers - we currently are connecting her with mentors who can assist in supporting her journey so that she can successfully finish her schooling and achieve her goals.
– Natasha Hollis, MAPA President
Cover photo: The Milmerran Academy of Performing Arts at the Goondiwindi Apex Eisteddfod.
All photos courtesy of FRRR and the Millmerran Academy of Performing Arts.
Case study from the FRRR in 2024.
The TFFF thanks the Millmerran Academy of Performing Arts for providing permission to reproduce this story.
The Millmerran Academy of Performing Arts was supported through the Connectedness stream in partnership with FRRR.
The seeds of GUTS were planted in 2012 when Frankie and Maddy, as independent artists, created Alice Can Dance, an in-schools education initiative. Alice Can Dance now engages over 200 students annually across Central Australia – from all government-funded schools, including Alice Springs School of the Air and Owen Springs Youth Detention Centre – culminating in a community showcase where students create, rehearse, and perform their own dances.
GUTS is a vital partner in the Central Australian region in providing students access to the Arts curriculum and world class dance teachers, artists, and practitioners who understand the unique context of the area. Alice can Dance 2025 will showcase at the Araluen Arts Centre on 21 November.
Creating pathways and spaces for young people is foundational to GUTS’ work, and this legacy has continued through programs like Brave Bodies, a weekly initiative for female-identifying and non-binary young people aged 12–18 that provides access to dance, mentorship, and public performance opportunities. The program is focused on First Nations engagement, but also includes culturally diverse and other disadvantaged youth, providing them with transport, food, uniforms, mentorship, and paid performance opportunities.
Since its inception, 30 young women have engaged with the program, showcasing their work on multiple public platforms including Parrtjima Festival, DesertMob, The Desert Festival and Alice Can Dance. Brave Bodies has also supported the professional development of local teaching artist Toni Lord (Arrernte, Yankunytjatjara), who facilitates the program.
I have had the privilege to be able to watch my granddaughter Toni Lord…evolve as a role model and mentor for the young women of Alice Springs who participate in the program. I have been able to observe the development of the program, and the positive impact it makes in our community for young women to have the opportunities to learn, perform and create dance within a positive and safe environment that nurtures them as individuals and artists.
– Phyllis Gorey, local Arrernte Elder
Participating in the various programs GUTS offers in our community has helped me with my dance training, connected me with other young Aboriginal women/girls that share the same interests as me, and most importantly it has always been a safe place for me and my peers to go.
– Jasmine McGinness, who has danced with GUTS for nine years.
A recent increase in requests for activities for young men to participate in has resulted in GUTS introducing Young Men’s Intensives in partnerships with schools, facilitated by Chandler ‘Cheeky’ Connell (Wiradjuri, Ngunnawal) and Casey Natty (Kamilaroi), creating inclusive spaces for young men to grow in confidence and creativity.
GUTS is equally committed to making and touring new contemporary dance works from the region. Since 2018, it has supported artists to develop and present six new works – all of which premiered in the Territory before touring regionally, nationally, and some internationally. GUTS is dedicated to ensuring the Australian cultural narrative is reflective of artistic expression found all over the country.
It’s exciting to discover high-quality Australian dance companies. It’s even better when they’re from regional locations, where nurturing new art is important…GUTS is top-quality Australian modern dance, of the calibre and polish you might ordinarily associate with big cities.
– Chantelle Ngyuyen, reviewing a Sydney performance of Value for Money in 2023 for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Looking forward, GUTS’ strategic goals focus on:
GUTS embodies the vibrancy of regional Australia. Through its youth programs, artist residencies, public classes, and touring works, it is creating pathways for the next generation while raising the profile of regional and remote artists on the national stage.
At its heart, GUTS is about connection, creativity, and courage – using dance to bring communities together, invest in young people, and ensure that bold artistic voices from Central Australia are heard across the country.
Cover photo: SUB, GUTS Dance X Ashleigh Musk 2023. Photo: Ivan Trigo Miras. All photos courtesy of GUTS Dance.
GUTS Dance is supported through the Resilience funding stream.
FY25 saw the TFFF distribute $8.096 million to 43 for-purpose organisations through values-based philanthropy. This included the commencement of three nine-year funding agreements in a new strategic partnership program – the terms of which may constitute a first for Australia’s arts sector – reflecting the Foundation’s belief that long-term, trust-based partnerships enable organisations to focus on their mission with clarity and stability.
The TFFF has long recognised the significance of the work carried out by Indigenous-led organisations in Australia, and the importance of listening deeply to Traditional Owners, amplifying their voices, and supporting their solutions for meaningful change on their own terms. In FY25, the TFFF supported 27 First Nations-led organisations, distributing a total of $3.36M to First Nations leaders, organisations, and projects.
We would like to extend sincere thanks to TFFF Trustees Tim Fairfax AC, Gina Fairfax AC and Jim Peterson, and Advisors Sarah O’Brien, Lucy Coulson, Fiona Poschelk, and Prue Pateras for their commitment to the work of the Foundation. Above all, we thank the for-purpose sector leaders, staff, and volunteers who give their time, energy, and passion to build stronger, happier, healthier, and more inclusive communities. Your work inspires ours.
View the full 2024-2025 Annual Report here.
Cover photo: Lighting the Dark Brisbane Festival Premiere Season - Chris Dyke and the Dancenorth Ensemble. Image: David Kelly 2024, courtesy of Dancenorth.
Founded in Palm Island as the Cathy Freeman Foundation in 2007, Murrup has grown to support communities in Woorabinda, Galiwin’ku, and Wurrumiyanga. ‘Murrup’ is the word for Spirit in Woi Wurrung, the language of the Wurundjeri People, who are the traditional owners of the lands where the organisation’s head office is based in Naarm/Melbourne. The transition from the Cathy Freeman Foundation to Murrup, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, is a significant step forward for the organisation and demonstrates its renewed focus on culture, First Nations leadership, and place-based impact.
Two-thirds of Murrup’s Board are First Nations Peoples and 100% of staff in Murrup’s four partner communities are local people, ensuring that programs are culturally relevant and delivered with a local lens.
In each of the communities Murrup serves, co-design is undertaken to develop and deliver place-based programs, supporting young people and families in their homes, schools, and neighbourhoods, while helping them navigate systems and services.
Murrup’s programs span:
Murrup’s programs are designed to support children and their families across the life course and are underpinned by emerging neuroscience research combined with cultural ways of knowing and doing. All programs are implemented on the ground by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, ensuring projects are appropriate to the community context, and also providing positive role models for young people and building the capacity of the community in a long term and sustainable manner.
Strong Transitions was conceived in 2021 in Woorabinda, when a group of young people asked for help to get their learner’s licences. In the process of supporting them, Murrup discovered that few of them had the necessary identification, which created a barrier to them getting their permit, and accessing many of the tools needed for employment, further study, and to lead a healthy and productive life.
From there, the Strong Transitions program expanded to support 15–18-year-olds to obtain necessary IDs, industry-specific micro-credentialling and certifications (such as a Blue Card and White Card), clothes, and equipment, and to connect with work experience.
Since its inception in Woorabinda, the program has supported 58 young people and has expanded to Palm Island (QLD) and Wurrumiyanga (NT). The program recently supported three young people in Woorabinda to obtain their Bronze Medallion and then gain employment at the local pool.
“The [Murrup] team helped me to get the IDs I needed, which took a few months to get sorted. Without them, it would have been much harder,” – Michael Singho, program participant and lifeguard
Murrup recently brought staff together from its four remote communities for professional learning – many travelling outside their communities for the first time. The organisation is now committed to creating a learning and development program for its community-based staff, supporting both their ongoing employability and improved outcomes for children and young people.
Murrup has been successful in its first Queensland State Government grant, which will support its workforce strategy in Palm Island and Woorabinda. A new funding agreement with TFFF will support Murrup’s learning and development strategy in the Northern Territory, in Wurrumiyanga and Galiwin’ku.
By investing in education, leadership, and capacity-building, Murrup is creating pathways for young people to thrive and shaping stronger futures for families across its remote communities.
Cover photo: Young community members on the beach in Galiwin'ku. All photos courtesy of Murrup.
Murrup is supported through the Resilience stream.
