What Fremantle Foundation does

Fremantle Foundation is a community-owned philanthropic organisation registered as a charity and public ancillary fund in Western Australia (ABN 23 992 104 836), established in 2010 by ex-AFL footballer Dylan Smith with founding support from former Fremantle Dockers captain Peter Bell. The foundation operates as an intermediary between donors and not-for-profit recipients, holding 69 Named Funds (donor-advised accounts) and distributing grants across seven focus areas: Health & Wellbeing, Environment, Thriving Communities, Arts & Culture, Education/Training/Employment, Homelessness, and Indigenous Australians. Since inception it has granted over $5 million to not-for-profit organisations, including 56 grants in the most recent financial year, and manages a standing emergency-response vehicle (WA Relief & Recovery Fund) that has raised over $1.14M since 2020 across bushfire, flood, and pandemic responses.

The foundation's core products are Named Funds (charitable accounts with a $10,000 minimum for bequest-established funds), the WA Relief & Recovery Fund, Bequests, Grant Programs, and the recently launched Good Fund Freo (2024-2025), which succeeded the Impact100 Fremantle collective giving vehicle. The revenue model is donation-based: contributions from individuals, families, and businesses flow into Named Funds or disaster-response vehicles, with grants distributed to DGR1-eligible not-for-profits. Pricing is structured around minimum bequest thresholds ($10,000) and an annual $1,000 contribution for Impact100-style pooled giving. The go-to-market is community-led, leveraging donor networks, professional advisers (lawyers, financial advisers, accountants), corporate partners (Fremantle Ports, Lotterywest, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation), and a multi-channel presence (website, email, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, events).

The foundation operates from a single headquarters in Fremantle (Chamber of Commerce Building, 16 Phillimore Street) with a small team of approximately 10 employees led by Executive Officer Stu MacLeod and overseen by a board chaired by Tanya Hundloe. It is a private, non-listed entity with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no institutional investment, and is community-governed through its board and fund advisory committees.

Name

Fremantle Foundation

Legal name

Fremantle Foundation

Website

https://fremantlefoundation.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fremantle Foundation is a community-owned philanthropic foundation in Western Australia that manages 69 Named Funds and distributes grants to not-for-profit organisations across health, environment, arts, education, homelessness, and Indigenous focus areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy services
• Charitable fund administration
• Grant distribution programs
• Collective giving models
• Disaster relief fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremantle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The foundation receives donations into Named Funds from individuals, families, and businesses. Donors can contribute any amount to established funds or establish new Named Funds with minimum $10,000 for bequests.
2. Bequests: Individuals can leave charitable gifts in their Wills, including establishing Named Funds through bequests of $10,000 or more.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fremantle Foundation is a community-owned philanthropic foundation that operates as a registered charity and public ancillary fund. It facilitates tax-deductible giving through Named Funds, Bequests, and collective giving programs (Impact100 Fremantle, now Good Fund Freo), and distributes grants to not-for-profit organisations across Western Australia across focus areas including health, environment, arts, education, homelessness, and Indigenous communities. It also operates the WA Relief & Recovery Fund for emergency and disaster response.

Product overview

Fremantle Foundation is a community-owned philanthropic organisation operating as a registered charity and public ancillary fund. The Foundation offers a portfolio of giving products centered around Named Funds (charitable accounts where donors direct tax-deductible contributions to causes they care about), the WA Relief & Recovery Fund (standing emergency response fund), and Good Fund Freo (community fund for local gaps). Additional products include Bequests (legacy giving through Wills), and Grant Programs distributed across Health & Wellbeing, Environment, Thriving Communities, Arts & Culture, Education, Employment, Homelessness, and Indigenous focus areas. The Foundation previously operated Impact100 Fremantle (2013-2024), a collective giving model that pooled $1,000 donations from 100+ community members to make $100,000 grants. Professional Adviser Services support estate planning integration. All products are supported by fund management tools, financial reporting, and community network access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Impact100 Fremantle: A collective giving initiative that operated from 2013-2024, where community members each donated $1,000 annually to make high impact grants to local charities. Raised and distributed $1,213,000 to charities.
• WA Relief & Recovery Fund (WARRF)
• Good Fund Freo

Products and services

• Named Funds Charitable funds held at the Fremantle Foundation that allow individuals, families, and businesses to create tax-deductible donations and direct grants to causes they care about, with administration and compliance managed by the Foundation.
• Bequests Charitable gifts left in a Will to the Fremantle Foundation, managed in perpetuity to support causes aligned with donor values and create lasting legacies for future generations. Minimum $10,000 to establish a Named Fund via bequest.
• WA Relief & Recovery Fund (WARRF) A standing fund established in 2020 to provide flexible, rapid response to Western Australian emergencies including floods, bushfires, pandemics, and environmental disasters, distributing grants for immediate relief and long-term recovery.
• Good Fund Freo A community fund established as the evolution from Impact100 Fremantle, designed to fund gaps by supporting local people and ideas that strengthen the Fremantle community where traditional grants do not reach.
• Impact100 Fremantle A collective giving initiative (2013-2024) where at least 100 community members each donated $1,000 annually, pooled to make $100,000 high-impact grants to local charities. Operated from 2013-2024 and has now evolved into Good Fund Freo.
• Grant Programs Grant funding distributed to WA not-for-profit organisations across seven focus areas: Health & Wellbeing, Environment, Thriving Communities, Arts & Culture, Education, Training & Employment, Homelessness, and Indigenous Australians.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $5 million in grants distributed to not-for-profit organisations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

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.

• City of FremantlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner supporting community initiatives, pledged $10,000 to Freo Fire Fund.
• Boutique AdviserscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial advisory firm assisting with responsible investment portfolio aligned with ESG objectives and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Peter BellcoreOthersPatron of the foundation; former Fremantle Dockers AFL captain, provides advocacy and community leadership.
• Community Foundations AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak body membership providing network and best practice support.
• Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership network for environmental philanthropy.
• Philanthropy AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak body membership providing advocacy and network support.
• Fremantle DockersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal AFL club with player-backed charity fund (Fremantle Players Community Giving Fund) established with foundation support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Equity Trustees: Australian trustee company managing charitable foundations, endowments, and Private Ancillary Funds. Provides comparable services to donors seeking structured philanthropic vehicles, overlapping with Fremantle Foundation's Named Fund offering.
• Minderoo Foundation: Major Australian philanthropic foundation with broad mandate across multiple causes. Comparable as a large private foundation operating in WA and distributing grants to community organizations.
• The Ian Potter Foundation: One of Australia's largest private foundations supporting education, science, and the arts. Comparable as a major Australian grantmaking foundation competing for donor and grant seeker attention.
• Paul Ramsay Foundation: One of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations with multi-billion dollar endowment. Both are WA-active foundations, though at vastly different scales — comparable as private ancillary funds and major grantmaking bodies.
• Perpetual Trustees: Australia's largest manager of charitable trusts and endowments, including Private Ancillary Funds. Comparable as a holder/administrator of donor-advised charitable funds and a competitor for high-net-worth philanthropic capital.
• Lotterywest: WA state-owned lottery that grants profits to community organizations. Functions as a major WA grantmaking entity and existing partner of Fremantle Foundation, providing competitive context for community funding.

Regional players

• Melbourne Community Foundation: Victorian community foundation operating sub-funds and place-based grantmaking. Directly comparable operating model and focus on local community philanthropy.
• Sydney Community Foundation: NSW-based community foundation focused on Greater Sydney, providing similar donor-advised funds and grassroots grantmaking. Comparable community foundation model with regional geographic focus.

Direct peers

• Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR): Australian not-for-profit dedicated to rural and remote communities, partnering with donors to distribute grants to grassroots projects. Closely comparable model of pooling philanthropic capital for community grantmaking.
• Australian Communities Foundation: Australia's leading community foundation offering sub-funds (similar to Named Funds) and collective giving to donors nationally. Directly comparable as a community foundation with pooled donor-advised giving model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fremantlefoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fremantle-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/freofoundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fremantle Foundation