Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation

What Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation does

Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation are two complementary Australian private philanthropic foundations governed by four generations of the Myer family and managed by a single professional team of six led by CEO Leonard Vary AM. The Sidney Myer Fund was established in 1934 from Sidney Myer's estate and exists in perpetuity, while The Myer Foundation was established in 1959 by his sons Kenneth and Baillieu Myer and was fully endowed upon Kenneth Myer's death in 1992. Together, they deploy capital from their combined endowment (more than 98% ESG-aligned) into six program areas: Arts & Culture, Inclusion & Equality, Mental Health, Sustainability & Environment, Human, Civil & Legal Rights, and the Merlyn Myer Fund, plus two flagship people-focused fellowships — the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships ($200,000 tax-free over two years, since 2011) and the Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships ($180,000 over 12 months, since 2014).

Their core "products" are multi-year, untied grants to Australian nonprofit organizations and individuals, with selection via online application portals (SmartyGrants), industry advisory panels, and multi-stage committee review. The Foundations also convene and co-fund leadership initiatives such as Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) in partnership with Paul Ramsay Foundation, Snow Foundation, and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation ($16.4 million five-year commitment). Distribution is primarily direct (multi-year grants paid via EFT) supplemented by intermediary grantmakers such as the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and the Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association (ANHCA) for rural and community-level distribution.

The business model is endowment-funded philanthropy: operating and grantmaking capacity is determined by annual investment returns on a corpus that has compounded over 90 years. The Foundations are not revenue-generating in the commercial sense; they are private, perpetual, and not publicly traded. They have no proprietary technology platform, no APIs, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Their value to the Australian for-purpose sector derives from scale, longevity, untied funding flexibility, and a dense co-funding ecosystem.

Name

Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation

Legal name

Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation

Website

https://myerfoundation.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation are two complementary Australian private philanthropic foundations, established in 1934 and 1959 respectively, that deploy endowment-funded, multi-year untied grants across arts, inclusion, mental health, climate, human rights, and individual fellowships in Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundations and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundations
• Grantmaking programs
• Arts and culture grants
• Social innovation fellowships
• Community giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment Investment Returns: The Sidney Myer Fund was established in 1934 from Sidney Myer's estate and exists in perpetuity, with income distributed annually. The Myer Foundation was established in 1959 and endowed upon Kenneth Myer's death in 1992. Both organizations derive operational funding from investment returns on their endowments.
2. ESG-Aligned Investment Portfolio: More than 98% of The Myer Foundation's financial resources are invested in ESG (environmental, social, governance) assets. The organization is approaching 100% responsible investing, with the Sustainability & Environment Program's corpus also invested in ESG assets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation are two distinct, complementary Australian philanthropic entities that deploy grants and fellowships from Myer family endowments. Their core offerings include multi-year general operating support grants to not-for-profit organizations across six program areas (Arts & Culture, Sustainability & Environment, Inclusion & Equality, Mental Health, Human Civil & Legal Rights, and Merlyn Myer Fund), plus individual fellowship programs for artists and social/environmental innovators.

Product overview

Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation are two separate philanthropic entities managed by a single team. Their core 'products' are grant programs including the Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships (12-month, $180,000 fellowships for social/environmental innovation), Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships ($200,000 tax-free grants for artists), and six program areas (Arts & Culture, Inclusion & Equality, Mental Health, Sustainability & Environment, Human Civil & Legal Rights, and Merlyn Myer Fund). These programs provide multi-year untied funding to organizations and individuals working across inequality, climate change, and human rights. They do not offer a technology product platform; their offerings are grant programs designed to support breakthrough solutions to societal challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships: Supporting breakthrough solutions to Australia's most pressing social and environmental challenges. Fellows receive $180,000 for a 12-month commitment.
• Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships
• Merlyn Myer Fund
• Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of SILA participants report the program made a difference in their organisation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ian Potter Cultural TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Since 2024, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust joins the Sidney Myer Fund in appointing Creative Fellows. The Trust awards two Ian Potter Creative Fellowships annually with the same value ($200,000), criteria and structure as the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships, effectively doubling the number of fellowships awarded each year.
• Tim Fairfax Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with The Myer Foundation and Keir Foundation to establish A New Approach (ANA), an independent arts and culture think tank, contributing $1.65 million over three years.
• Keir FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with The Myer Foundation and Tim Fairfax Family Foundation to establish A New Approach (ANA), contributing $1.65 million over three years for arts and culture policy research.
• 38 Philanthropic Trusts and Foundations (Marriage Equality Coalition)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2017The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund partnered with 38 other philanthropic organizations to support Australian Marriage Equality campaign, contributing to successful legislative change.
• Australian Academy of the HumanitiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Selected as key delivery partner for A New Approach (ANA) initiative, providing expert oversight of ANA's development alongside founding philanthropists.
• Ian Potter FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Ian Potter Foundation partnered with The Myer Foundation to create the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Also partnered to establish a National Independent Water and Catchment Policy Centre, with 16 philanthropic funders committing over $31.5 million.
• Monash UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Established Asialink in partnership with Federal Government's Commission for the Future in 1989. Also partnered with Monash University to create ClimateWorks Australia in 2009 as part of Commemorative Grants Program, working within Monash Sustainable Development Institute. Cranlana Centre partnered with Monash University in 2019.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Paul Ramsay Foundation: One of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations, joint co-funder of the $16.4M SILA program alongside the Myer Foundations. Comparable as a major private family-controlled Australian foundation making multi-year strategic grants across social and health issues.
• Ian Potter Foundation: Major Australian private foundation that has partnered with The Myer Foundation on the Florey Institute and water policy centre. Comparable as a similarly sized private foundation with arts, science, medical research and environment programs.
• Minderoo Foundation: Large Australian family-controlled philanthropic foundation (Bennett family) operating across multiple thematic areas. Comparable as a similarly structured, multi-generational family foundation with broad social, environmental, and cultural grantmaking.
• Snow Foundation: Australian family foundation focused on children and youth welfare that co-funds SILA with the Myer Foundations. Comparable as a private family foundation making strategic multi-year grants and partnering on shared initiatives.
• Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation: Australian private family foundation collaborating with Myer Foundations on SILA and the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Comparable in size, structure, and approach as a multi-generational family foundation focused on ethical leadership and community resilience.
• Tim Fairfax Family Foundation: Australian family foundation co-founder of the A New Approach (ANA) arts and culture think tank with The Myer Foundation. Directly comparable as a family-controlled foundation with strong arts/culture and regional Queensland grantmaking focus.
• Keir Foundation: Australian family foundation also co-founded ANA with Myer and Tim Fairfax Family Foundations. Comparable as a smaller family foundation focused on arts/culture, education, and Indigenous communities.
• The Balnaves Foundation: Australian private family foundation (Balnaves family) supporting arts, education, and disadvantaged youth. Comparable as a mid-sized Australian family foundation with overlapping program areas including arts and social inclusion.

Broad incumbents

• Macquarie Group Foundation: Corporate philanthropic foundation of Macquarie Group, a much larger Australian philanthropic vehicle. Comparable as a major Australian grantmaker across community, education, and environment, though corporate rather than family-controlled.

Others

• Australian Philanthropic Services: Australian philanthropic services intermediary that helps HNW families establish sub-funds. Adjacent comparable as an ecosystem enabler supporting many of the same donor families and grantmaking themes the Myer Foundations operate in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidney-myer-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments3 records

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Frequently asked questions about Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation