The Giving Academy
The Giving Academy is a collaborative project that aims to develop and deliver world class short courses designed with and for the Australian philanthropic sector.
The goal? To elevate philanthropic practice through the development of a long-lasting, wide-reaching program, which caters to all levels of knowledge and all stakeholders (including grant makers, grant seekers and advisors).
From learning the fundamentals to mastering advanced concepts, the program will be piloted at two levels in 2025 to test course formats and refine content with practitioners. This pilot phase allows us to shape a program that engages with both current and emerging philanthropic practices in Australia and globally.
Throughout its development, the program will be guided by deep consultation and collaboration with philanthropic sector stakeholders, ensuring it becomes a lasting, accessible, and transformative resource for the field.
What does The Giving Academy aim to achieve?
The Giving Academy aims to elevate the knowledge and practice of all participants in the philanthropic sector at a time when there is a strong desire for the sector to fully unleash the transformative power of philanthropy in Australia.
Australia’s philanthropic landscape is vibrant and rapidly growing, with tens of thousands of paid staff and hundreds of thousands of volunteers involved in grant-making charities nationwide. Despite this growth, to date there has been limited access to, and investment in, learning and development resources that combine global best practice with the Australian context.
The Giving Academy aims to fill this gap.
It is intended that The Giving Academy will:
- Identify the professional development needs of the philanthropic sector in Australia through broad consultation with a comprehensive range of stakeholders.
- Curate a range of knowledge and expertise, from within Australia – including the perspectives and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – and internationally.
- Foster peer learning, support networks and further collaboration within the sector.
- Improve accessibility to cutting-edge academic and practical insights.
- Use the learnings from the pilot program to develop and provide a sustainable, accessible and continuously evolving resource for philanthropic sector learning and development, which caters to grant makers, grant seekers and advisors at all levels of experience.
- Improve the collective impact and outcomes of the Australian philanthropic sector.
This initiative seeks to further elevate philanthropic practice, strengthen connections across the sector, and empower Australian philanthropy to reach new heights. It is not just about increasing giving—it’s about advancing how giving is practiced and growing its positive on communities.
Why now?
While there has been significant progress made by many in the philanthropic sector over the past decade in developing philanthropic practice, there is an emerging opportunity to build on this progress, taking it to the next stage of development.
The Centre for Social Impact, as Australia’s leader in social impact education, has received support from Paul Ramsay Foundation, the Minderoo Foundation, and an anonymous funder, to bring this vision to reality. Commencing with a program of research and consultation with the sector, it will be followed by the development and delivery of an initial pilot program, designed to test and trial course inclusions.
How can you get involved?
Join us on the journey for this program! We are currently inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) from dedicated professionals across the philanthropic sector to join our Advisory Committee. This Committee will play an important role in shaping the program and ensuring it reflects the voices and needs of those it’s designed to support.
If you're passionate about advancing philanthropy in Australia, this is your chance to make a lasting impact.
Download the terms of reference
Other ways to get involved
Expressing interest to join the Advisory Committee is just one way to get involved. Fill out the form below to stay up to date as we make progress on developing The Giving Academy.