Give Where You Live Foundation

What Give Where You Live Foundation does

Give Where You Live Foundation is a community foundation established in 1954 and headquartered at 21-23 Fenwick Street, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The organisation serves the G21 region — encompassing Geelong, Colac Otway, the Bellarine Peninsula, and surrounding areas — and operates with a staff of approximately 31 to build a fairer, more equitable regional community by addressing food insecurity, homelessness, inclusive employment, and economic inequality. It is incorporated as an Australian nonprofit and is governed by a Board of Directors; as of February 2025, it is led by CEO Zac Lewis following the September 2024 departure of long-serving CEO Bill Mithen.

The foundation's operating model centres on grant-making combined with place-based change initiatives. Its grant portfolio comprises three tiers: an Annual Grants Program for community organisations, an Innovation Fund (Seed Catalyst Grants) for innovative social projects, and multi-year Strategic Partnership Grants that provide core operational funding to aligned organisations. The foundation also directly operates five flagship 'Change Initiatives': Feed Geelong (food security), GROW / Geelong Region Opportunities for Work (social procurement and inclusive employment), Community Choice (dignity-based voucher program), Social Innovation Lab (innovation hub), and The Paddock (community farm). Supporting programs include Workplace Giving, a Loaned Executive Program, peer-to-peer fundraising events (Pitch Up Geelong, Surf Coast Trek, Dawnbuster Fun Run, e&s Golf Classic), and the Conversations That Matter speaker series.

Revenue is generated through donations, corporate partnerships, workplace giving, fundraising events, and appeals. Annual grant distributions have historically ranged from AUD 2.06M (2015) to AUD 2.86M (2017 peak), compressing to ~AUD 1M by 2022 and 2026. Key corporate partners include Beyond Bank, City of Greater Geelong, Fagg's Mitre 10, GMHBA, AWA Alliance Bank, GeelongPort, and E&S as platinum and major sponsors. The foundation has received multiple recognitions, including a 2017 National Award, the 2015 SACS Leadership Award (to then-CEO Bill Mithen), and 2016 Telstra Business Awards Victorian Finalist status.

Name

Give Where You Live Foundation

Legal name

Give Where You Live Foundation

Website

https://givewhereyoulive.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Give Where You Live Foundation is an Australian community foundation established in 1954, serving the G21 region around Geelong, Victoria. It funds local nonprofits through annual, innovation, and strategic grants, and operates change initiatives addressing food insecurity, homelessness, inclusive employment, and community development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG), Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds (FSANAJAK)

Keywords

• Community foundation
• Grant making
• Charitable giving
• Community development
• Philanthropic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Geelong

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation relies on donations from individuals, corporate partners, and community members. Fundraising activities include appeals (Give Geelong Appeal, Feed Geelong Appeal), events (Dawnbuster Fun Run, Surf Coast Trek, e&s Golf Classic, Pitch Up Geelong), and workplace giving programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Give Where You Live Foundation is a community foundation that funds and supports nonprofit and community organisations in the Geelong (G21) region through annual grants, innovation seed funding, and multi-year strategic partnership grants. It runs a portfolio of change initiatives addressing food security (Feed Geelong), inclusive employment (GROW), dignity-based food relief (Community Choice), social innovation (Social Innovation Lab), and community connection (The Paddock), and engages the community through workplace giving, fundraising events, volunteer programs, and the Loaned Executive Program.

Product overview

Give Where You Live Foundation operates as a community foundation offering a portfolio of grant programs and change initiatives rather than a unified technology product. Its core offerings include Annual Grants, Innovation Fund grants, and Strategic Partnership Grants for community organizations. The Foundation runs four major Change Initiatives: Feed Geelong (food security), GROW (inclusive employment), Community Choice (voucher program), Social Innovation Lab (innovation), and The Paddock (community farm). Additional programs include events (Pitch Up Geelong, Surf Coast Trek, Conversations That Matter), workplace giving, loaned executives, and publications like Conversations Magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feed Geelong: Annual food relief appeal program addressing food insecurity in the Geelong region.
• GROW (Geelong Region Opportunities for Work)
• Social Innovation Lab
• Community Choice
• The Paddock
• Pitch Up Geelong
• Conversations That Matter

Products and services

• Annual Grants Program
• Innovation Fund (Seed Catalyst Grants)
• Strategic Partnership Grants
• Social Innovation Lab
• Feed Geelong
• GROW (Geelong Region Opportunities for Work)
• Community Choice
• The Paddock
• Workplace Giving
• Loaned Executive Program
• Pitch Up Geelong
• Conversations That Matter
• Surf Coast Trek

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 grants providing almost $1 million of support into the community
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supportive.

• City of Greater Geelong (CoGG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum partner and key government stakeholder in the G21 regional community working together on community development initiatives.
• GeelongPortmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help create a fairer Geelong community through joint initiatives.
• Novotel GeelongsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner strengthening relationship through event sponsorship and community support.
• GROW (Geelong Region Opportunities for Work)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey change initiative focused on social procurement outcomes and inclusive employment, operating across the G21 region. GROW helps people in target areas access employment and training opportunities.
• Feed GeelongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey change initiative addressing food security in the Geelong region. Coordinates food relief efforts and annual Feed Geelong Appeal.
• Community ChoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative providing dignity and choice to people in the community through a voucher program. Celebrated $400,000 milestone.
• Social Innovation LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation hub focused on tackling urgent community challenges like homelessness through research, co-design, and piloting new approaches.
• The PaddockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity farm initiative providing corporate volunteering opportunities and community connection through urban agriculture.
• Bay 93.9 and K Rock 95.5supportiveGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio stations helping share the foundation's message across the community.
• Deakin UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on research including the Home Truths report on homelessness.
• G21 - Geelong Region AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional alliance that the foundation works within to address disadvantage and create a fairer G21 community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Myer Foundation: Major Australian family foundation supporting disadvantaged communities through grantmaking; comparable as an established philanthropic grantmaker but with broader national reach and larger endowment.
• Paul Ramsay Foundation: Large Australian philanthropic foundation funding systemic change in areas including housing, employment, and Indigenous justice; comparable mission focus but operates at national scale with substantially larger assets.
• Ian Potter Foundation: One of Australia's largest private foundations distributing grants across education, arts, science, and community wellbeing; comparable grantmaking function with a much larger asset base and national program scope.

Direct peers

• Sydney Community Foundation: Place-based Australian community foundation pooling donations and distributing grants to address local disadvantage; directly comparable business model of regional community philanthropy.
• Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation: Australian community foundation making grants to address disadvantage, homelessness, and social inclusion; directly comparable as a grantmaking community foundation operating in a defined Australian region with multi-tier grant programs.
• United Way Australia: Federated workplace-giving organisation funding community programs addressing disadvantage; directly comparable model of community-led grantmaking supported by workplace giving, corporate partnerships, and appeals.
• Australian Communities Foundation: National community foundation facilitating pooled giving and grantmaking to community initiatives across Australia; comparable mission of distributing philanthropic capital through structured grant programs and donor-advised giving.
• Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR): Australian rural and regional grantmaking foundation funding community-led initiatives; comparable in its regional focus, grant tiers, and emphasis on capacity-building for place-based community organisations.

Regional players

• Reconciliation Victoria: Victorian-based advocacy and grantmaking nonprofit addressing disadvantage; comparable in operating in Victoria and supporting community-driven initiatives, though with a narrower advocacy focus.

Others

• Philanthropy Australia: Peak body for the Australian philanthropic sector providing research, advocacy, and member services; comparable as a sector peer and ecosystem participant but not a grantmaking competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/givewhereyoulive
• Facebookfacebook.com/givewhereyoulive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/givegeelong
• Instagraminstagram.com/givewhereyoulive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Give Where You Live Foundation