Holding and growing what matters most, locally

A community foundation for Greater Darwin

We're building a fund that belongs to Darwin, shaped by local people, for local priorities. Right now we're listening. We'd love to hear from you.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Darwin is a city where people keep moving on. We want to change that.

Darwin draws people from all over Australia and the world.But many don't stay. Not because Darwin isn't worth it, but because putting down roots takes more than a job. It takes feeling like you belong.Belonging is built through connection: knowing your neighbours, trusting your community, feeling like part of something that lasts.Those connections don't just happen by themselves. They need to be supported over time.

"People stay where they feel connected, welcomed and embedded. Belonging isn't a soft outcome. It's infrastructure."

Darwin already has incredible people and strong organisations. What it's missing is a permanent, community-owned fund — one that pools what we have and puts it to work strengthening the connections that make people stay.

WHAT WE'RE BUILDING

Think of it like a shared savings account for Darwin's future, except instead of saving for yourself, the whole community saves together. Donations from local businesses, families and individuals are pooled and invested. Each year, the returns fund community-led projects: things that build connection, trust and belonging across Greater Darwin.

Not government grants. Not one big donor calling the shots. A permanent fund that belongs to all of us — and that Darwin people decide how to use.

Community foundations exist all over Australia. The Greater Darwin Community Foundation would be ours — built for this place, accountable to this community.

WHERE WE'RE AT

Right now, we're listening.

The Greater Darwin Community Foundation is still being shaped — and that's deliberate. Before we decide how this works, we want to hear from Darwin's communities. What we hear will genuinely shape what we build.

  1. Listening — talking to community members, organisations, businesses and government about what Darwin needs

  2. Co-designing — working together to shape the model, the priorities and the governance.

  3. Deciding together — what comes next will be determined by what we hear and build together.

We're currently in step one. This is your moment to have a say.

GET INVOLVED

You don't need to be an expert. You just need to care about Darwin.

WHO WE ARE

We're a small team with deep roots in Darwin's community, research and social sector. We don't have all the answers — which is exactly why we're asking.

CM

Dr Cindy Reese Mitchell

Co-lead · Steering committee

Based at Charles Darwin University, Cindy researches how communities build economic resilience. She has worked in venture capital, social enterprise and philanthropy across Australia and the US, and is committed to centring First Nations voices in everything she does.

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AE

Dr Amber Earles

Co-lead · Steering committee

Amber has spent her career building the structures that help communities thrive — connecting organisations, funders and government around shared goals. She specialises in governance and place-based social change across the NT.

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AG

Adya Goswami

Steering committee

Adya is AI Literacy Program Manager at the National AI Centre, working from Larrakia country. She focuses on making technology understandable and accessible to everyday people — work that sits at the intersection of innovation, community and responsibility.

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KW

Kate Williams

Project coordinator

Kate coordinates the listening and co-design phase — organising the community conversations and helping bring what we're hearing together into something useful.

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The Greater Darwin Community Foundation is currently operating under the fiscal sponsorship of Anglicare NT.
"Greater Darwin Community Foundation" is a working name. The community will choose the public-facing name following the listening process.