Thank you to everyone who tuned in for being part of such a special night and showing such passionate support for three remarkable social enterprises running life-changing programs around Australia: Food Ladder; The Social Studio; and Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia.
Together, these fantastic organisations provide education and employment pathways for remote Indigenous communities; offer employment and learning opportunities for new migrants and refugees; and provide mentoring and ongoing support to vulnerable young people. Together, we raised $157,300 for these innovative projects.
Thank you to all those who pledged, shared words of support, hosted giving parties and attend in person and online. We'd also like to acknowledge the very generous support of matched funders Accenture and IOOF.
Congratulations to Lucy, Dewi and Emily on their compelling, passionate pitches. The amounts pledged to each organisation were:
Food Ladder: $50,300
The Social Studio: $55,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters: $52,000
If you haven't already, please fulfil your pledge. If you need assistance, don't hesitate to email us.
Please note that 10% of funds raised is retained by TFN in agreement with the NFPs pitching as a contribution to our operational costs.
Event partners
Food Ladder exists to provide people in need with the tools to combat hunger and malnourishment. The organisation works with communities to determine their goals and needs – whether it be for their own consumption, to create employment, establish a social enterprise, use in student programs or school canteen lunches. Last year, Food Ladder built seven state-of-the-art hydroponic, climate-controlled greenhouse systems in remote Indigenous communities to tackle the food security crisis.
Find out more: foodladder.org
Meet the presenter: Lucy Payne, Culinary Health Manager, Food Ladder
Lucy joined Food Ladder in 2021 to engage and facilitate partnerships and donors, and spearhead the success of the School Rollout Program. Lucy believes Food Ladder is a positive catalyst for enabling school-age children to have a greater understanding of fresh produce, good nutrition, healthy eating and engaging cooking principles to ultimately improve their long-term wellbeing. She will be pitching for funding to expand Food Ladder’s greenhouse system to other communities in need.
The Social Studio provides work and training opportunities in fashion, design and the creative arts to young people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds. As a fashion school, fashion label, retail store and clothing manufacturer, The Social Studio runs tailored programs to help its students and staff gain employment, training and most importantly, a network of support.
Find out more: thesocialstudio.org
Meet the presenter: Dewi Cooke, CEO, The Social Studio
As CEO of The Social Studio, Dewi leads a team of makers, designers and teachers to celebrate and mentor the creative talents of refugee and young new migrants. Prior to joining The Social Studio, she spent 15 years as a reporter and editor. She will be pitching for funding to enable The Social Studio to support more young people to gain education, work experience and internships within the textiles industry and beyond.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia works with disadvantaged young people aged between 7-17, many of whom are experiencing marginalisation or social isolation. Through a long-term one-to-one community mentoring program, Big Brothers Big Sisters equips young people with the tools they need to build resilience and strengthen their emotional wellbeing.
Find out more: bigbrothersbigsisters.org.au
Meet the presenter: Emily Matthews, Online Coordinator & Youth Ambassador, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Emily is a previous mentee and currently oversees a youth-led program at Big Brothers Big Sisters, called Youth are not Alone. She is passionate about program planning and management, and empowering individuals to improve their mental health through advocacy, education, health communication and program participation. Emily will be pitching for funding to grow and expand the reach of Ourspace, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ online mentoring platform.