Impact

Prison Network assists women in and beyond prison, providing the support and courage they need to navigate positive pathways and create change.

In 2023, Prison Network’s Recovery Program received our $80,000 Signature Grant. The program facilitates a fortnightly peer support group for women released from prison, helping them develop strategies to reduce the risk of family violence, substance misuse and re-incarceration. It includes a phone-based chat group for regular/daily connection, encouragement and accountability.

“We have days when someone is down, and everyone gathers round and picks that person up. The love that is shared with us all is something that I have never actually experienced before”.

St Kilda Gatehouse provides spaces of belonging and safety for women reliant on sex-based work in St Kilda. Many are tackling complex issues such as addiction, homelessness, mental illness, poverty, domestic violence and social isolation.

In 2023, St Kilda Gatehouse received our $45,000 Nurturing Grant to reinforce its employment capacity to continue its Step-Up Program. The program provides trauma-informed support, practical resources—such as meals, clothing, toiletries—plus safety and community for these women.

Lynne experienced such challenges throughout her life. She first visited St Kilda Gatehouse for a meal and found the support she needed, affordable housing, and a caring community.

Tradeswomen Community Foundation strives for gender equality and empowerment for all girls and women to access, participate and succeed in trades.

In 2022, it received our $75,000 Signature Grant for its Remade for Trades Program. The program provides mentoring, peer support, job readiness, and entry programs to assist unemployed women experiencing disadvantage in Brimbank, Nillumbik, and Dandenong shires to enter trades. It targets women from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including immigrants and/or refugees, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and women of all ages.

“The program gave me a lot. I have my dream apprenticeship to top it off. I can’t begin to tell you how much this means,” says Aysa (pictured).

You Matter supports women and children who have experienced family violence by supplying and setting up the contents of their long-term accommodation, called ‘Havens’. Through a fully equipped and comfortable home, women are empowered to re-establish stability, independence and connect to their community.

You Matter used the 2022 $40,000 Nurturing grant towards setting up homes for 56 women and 78 children survivors of domestic violence and hiring a dedicated Haven Service Coordinator.

“You Matter re-introduced my self-worth, I feel like a human being again … They created a home that let me be me.” Haven 126 – Women Survivor 99

With our 2015 inaugural $60,000 Signature Grant, Women and Mentoring (WAM) was able to establish its innovative early intervention mentorship program for female offenders in western Melbourne. At the time, WAM was operating this program in only the City of Yarra with $74,000 annual revenue.

It then expanded into five courts, increasing its beneficiaries by 800 percent with 80 percent not re-offending and 95 percent avoiding a custodial sentence.

In 2023, the Victorian Government granted WAM $3.2 million over three years. It now delivers the program across all metropolitan Melbourne and in the Ballarat area.

MWF and WAM received a Philanos Spotlight Award for their partnership and the catalysing effect of this grant. Philanos is a leading US-based giving circle network.

The 2017 $75,000 Signature Grant allowed Justice Connect to continue its innovative Women’s Homelessness Prevention Project (WHPP). WHPP was providing integrated legal and social work assistance to keep women and children safely housed, but required further funding to continue.

The grant not only helped Justice Connect maintain WHPP over the next year, it also provided the necessary time for Justice Connect to raise the philanthropic and government funding to sustain it.

In 2024, WHPP marked its 10-year anniversary having helped 1,405 women and children avoid homelessness through wrap-around, trauma-informed legal and social work supports, achieved a 87% success rate in sustaining tenancies, and saved the government and wider community over $11.4M.

Our Spark Grants, formerly called Merit Awards, are untied funding for runner-up finalists to use as they need to reinforce their operations.

First Step allocated their Merit Award funds to their Road Home Project, a collaboration between housing support staff at Launch Housing East St Kilda (LHESK) and First Step practitioners GPs, mental health nurses and lawyers. The project provides free health and legal services one day per week within a women-only emergency housing facility.

First Step is also now achieving positive outcomes for clients and staff at a second Launch Housing site. An independent evaluation of the service is underway.

The Social Studio is a not-for-profit social enterprise school, manufacturer and brand that creates with refugee and new migrant communities.

In 2021, our $35,000 Nurturing Grant supported The Social Studio’s Designing Our Futures: Women’s Empowerment Scholarships. The program enabled 18 women from refugee or migrant backgrounds to participate in a range of educational and/or employment opportunities. These included a 24-month accredited Certificate III in Clothing Production, showcases of their work, printmaking workshops, business planning skills and fashion portfolio training and access to paid employment in the fashion industry.

At the program’s completion, 87% of their Designing Our Futures graduates were preparing to transition to further employment or study.

Lighthouse Foundation received our 2019 $80,000 Signature Grant for its Young Women’s Freedom Project. The project aimed to empower young women escaping an early or forced marriage to transition successfully to independent living, with a restored sense of self-esteem and the life skills to manage on their own.

Lighthouse Foundation provided the women with a safe home with 24/7 carers, therapeutic care, psychological counselling, and individual development plans to address past trauma and its ongoing effects.

A two-year evaluation found the women increased their self-agency and advanced their life skills leading to independent living. The participants also identified a feeling of belonging and attachment after experiencing intense isolation from abandoning their former family and social attachments.

The Northern Community Legal Centre (NCLC) provides free legal services to people in Merri-bek, Hume and Mitchell Shire.

NCLC established the Merri-bek Take the First Step Project with funds from their 2023 Melbourne Women’s Foundation Merit Award, a private donation from a funder who discovered them through Melbourne Women’s Foundation, plus support from the Merri-bek Council.

The project trained 12 culturally diverse Peer Educators to provide support to victims/survivors of family violence and create culturally appropriate messages distributed throughout their community networks.