What The Don Dunstan Foundation does

The Don Dunstan Foundation is an Adelaide-based non-profit thought leadership organization founded in 1999 to perpetuate the memory and progressive social-change vision of former South Australian Premier Don Dunstan. It operates a portfolio of recurring programs and events across five stated focus areas: Climate Justice, Aboriginal Empowerment, Housing and Homelessness, Dunstan Legacy, and Arts and Civil Society. Signature offerings include the annual Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration (held during National Reconciliation Week), the Housing Symposium, the Raise a Glass celebration, the Chatham House-rule Dunstan Dialogues forum series, the Thinkers in Residence program, the Cultural Policy Futures collaboration with Adelaide University, and two arts awards (the OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize and the SALA Don Dunstan Foundation Award) funded through the Art for Good Fund.

The Foundation does not build technology products; its underlying 'platform' is an event-and-publication engine backed by a content/resource library, a YouTube archive of orations dating back to 2007, and recurring stakeholder convenings. Its business model is a non-profit funding stack consisting of 25 years of continuous institutional support from the Government of South Australia, ongoing backing from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University, individual donations, bequests, and corporate event sponsorships (notably SA Power Networks and BHP). The Foundation employs approximately 7 people and serves the South Australian community — particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, housing-insecure individuals, emerging Aboriginal artists, and policy stakeholders — alongside occasional international thought-leadership engagements such as a 2025 partnership with Malaysia's Penang Institute.

Name

The Don Dunstan Foundation

Legal name

Don Dunstan Foundation

Website

https://dunstan.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Don Dunstan Foundation is an Adelaide-based non-profit think tank founded in 1999 that perpetuates former Premier Don Dunstan's legacy through policy advocacy, flagship events, and arts programs addressing climate justice, Aboriginal empowerment, housing, and social justice in South Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Social justice advocacy
• Public policy research
• Community engagement programs
• Arts and culture funding
• Indigenous empowerment initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Support: The Foundation is proudly supported by The University of Adelaide and Flinders University, which provide ongoing institutional backing and partnership.
2. Government Funding: For 25 years the work of the Foundation has been made possible by the ongoing support of the Government of South Australia.
3. Donations and Fundraising: The Foundation accepts donations to support its programs, including a specific Art for Good Fund to support arts initiatives. Events like Raise a Glass serve as fundraising opportunities.
4. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors such as SA Power Networks, BHP, and the Government of South Australia have sponsored annual events like the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Don Dunstan Foundation is a thought-leadership non-profit that runs a portfolio of advocacy programs, public events, and arts awards to advance progressive social change in South Australia. Its core activities include flagship annual events (Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration, Housing Symposium, Raise a Glass), the Dunstan Dialogues Chatham House forum series, the Thinkers in Residence program, arts awards (OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize, SALA Award), the Cultural Policy Futures collaboration, and the Art for Good Fund. The Foundation focuses on five areas: Climate Justice, Aboriginal Empowerment, Housing and Homelessness, Dunstan Legacy, and Arts and Civil Society.

Product overview

The Don Dunstan Foundation is a social justice think tank focused on thought leadership and progressive reform in South Australia. Rather than a unified technology product, it offers a portfolio of programs and initiatives including signature events (Housing Symposium, Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration, Raise a Glass, Dunstan Dialogues), arts awards (OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize, SALA Award), the Thinkers in Residence program, and the Cultural Policy Futures collaboration with Adelaide University. These are complemented by the Art for Good Fund. The Foundation's work spans five focus areas: Climate Justice, Aboriginal Empowerment, Housing and Homelessness, Dunstan Legacy, and Arts and Civil Society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Art for Good Fund: A fund supporting the OUR MOB Don Dunstan Foundation Emerging Artist Prize and the SALA Don Dunstan Foundation Award
• Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration
• Housing Symposium
• Raise a Glass
• Dunstan Dialogues
• Thinkers in Residence
• Cultural Policy Futures
• OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize
• SALA Festival Award

Products and services

• Housing Symposium Annual flagship event dedicated to exploring the complex and evolving landscape of housing in Australia, bringing together experts, policymakers, community leaders, and individuals with lived experience to discuss housing affordability and homelessness solutions.
• Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration Annual prestigious oration during National Reconciliation Week recognizing Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, serving as a platform to highlight critical issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Speakers have included Prime Ministers, dignitaries, and Indigenous leaders. From 2023, the Lowitja Institute and Lowitja O'Donoghue Foundation are presenting partners.
• Raise a Glass Annual celebration event honouring Don Dunstan's legacy and achievements, timed to coincide with the anniversary of his historic abolition of the 'six o'clock swill'. Also serves as a fundraising opportunity for the Foundation.
• Dunstan Dialogues Chatham House forum series where decision-makers, researchers, social services sector, professionals, private sector representatives, and people with lived experience discuss how to work together to make South Australia fairer.
• OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize A $5,000 prize paired with a professional development opportunity through Country Arts SA for up-and-coming South Australian Aboriginal artists to develop an arts career.
• SALA Don Dunstan Foundation Award A $1,000 cash prize awarded at the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival for artists whose work explores social justice themes aligning with Foundation objectives including homelessness, mental health, migration, economic equality, Aboriginal empowerment, and human rights. In 2025, the prize was won by Dave Laslett.
• Thinkers in Residence Program in which world leaders in their fields live and work in Adelaide for a period to focus on contemporary, complex challenges, producing reports with recommendations upon completion.
• Cultural Policy Futures Series of four public events in 2026 exploring challenges facing Australia's cultural sector including AI ethics, global order, and culture-democracy relationships, conducted in partnership with Adelaide University's College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities.
• Art for Good Fund Fund supporting the OUR MOB Don Dunstan Foundation Emerging Artist Prize and the SALA Don Dunstan Foundation Award to expand access to the arts for those most likely to benefit.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Adelaide Zero Project, an initiative of the Foundation, received international recognition with a World Habitat Award from UN-Habitat
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor, flagship and core.

• Adelaide UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in the Cultural Policy Futures collaboration with Adelaide University's College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities. A one-year collaboration exploring challenges facing Australia's cultural sector.
• Penang InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in a lecture exploring shared history between Penang, Malaysia and Adelaide. Dato' Dr Ooi Kee Beng from Penang Institute delivered the lecture.
• Lowitja InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023New presenting partner for the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration from 2023. Named in honor of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, this organization focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing research.
• Lowitja O'Donoghue FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023New presenting partner for the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration from 2023. Foundation established to honor the legacy of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue.
• Reconciliation South AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative partner for the annual Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration and other reconciliation initiatives.
• SA Power NetworksminorOthers · 1 January 2023Corporate sponsor for the 2023 Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.
• BHPminorOthers · 1 January 2023Corporate sponsor for the 2023 Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.
• University of AdelaidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner that provides ongoing support to the Foundation. Collaborates on events including the annual Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration and the Cultural Policy Futures series.
• Flinders UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing ongoing support. Collaborates on events and initiatives including the annual Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.
• Government of South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government funder for 25 years. Provides ongoing support enabling the Foundation's programs and operations. Has also sponsored events including the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.
• Justice Reform InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of which the Foundation is a member, seeking to present evidence-based alternatives to prison. Partnered on a policy forum about transforming South Australian youth justice system.
• Thrive by Five / Minderoo FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation has published content related to Thrive by Five's early childhood agenda. Jay Weatherill, former Premier and now CEO of Thrive by Five, has contributed articles and delivered the IPAA Don Dunstan Oration.
• Australian Alliance to End HomelessnessmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation originally initiated the Adelaide Zero Project which has now transitioned to this community-led structure. David Pearson, former Foundation executive director, now heads the Alliance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Myer Foundation: One of Australia's largest family philanthropic foundations supporting arts, education, and social equity; comparable to the Don Dunstan Foundation's grantmaking and arts-giving functions but at significantly greater scale.
• Minderoo Foundation: Major Australian philanthropic foundation; the Foundation has collaborated with its Thrive by Five initiative, making Minderoo a comparable diversified grantmaker and policy advocate.
• Paul Ramsay Foundation: Large Australian philanthropic foundation focused on social justice, mental health, and Indigenous advancement — operating a similar advocacy-and-grantmaking model to the Don Dunstan Foundation at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Foundation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (FASTRIA-aligned orgs): Aboriginal health and policy organizations operating in the same reform space as the Foundation's Aboriginal Empowerment focus; comparable mission and constituency with regional (WA-anchored) reach.

Direct peers

• Lowitja Institute: Australia's national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research; an active partner of the Don Dunstan Foundation and a peer in Aboriginal-focused research, advocacy, and convening.
• Sydney Community Foundation: Australian community foundation pooling donations and redistributing to local causes; structurally analogous to the Don Dunstan Foundation's community-foundations model, though serving Sydney rather than South Australia.
• Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS): National peak body for social services in Australia that, like the Don Dunstan Foundation, advocates on poverty, housing affordability, and social justice issues, but operates at the national level rather than a single state.
• The Australia Institute: Leading Australian think tank conducting research across climate, economic equality, and social justice — overlapping thematically with the Don Dunstan Foundation's Climate Justice and inequality focus areas.
• Per Capita: Australian progressive think tank producing research on social, economic, and environmental policy, directly comparable to the Don Dunstan Foundation's research-and-advocacy model.
• Australian Alliance to End Homelessness: The Alliance is the direct successor organization to the Adelaide Zero Project originally incubated by the Don Dunstan Foundation; both organizations pursue evidence-based advocacy to end homelessness.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dondunstan.foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-don-dunstan-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Don Dunstan Foundation