What Groundswell Giving does

Groundswell Giving is an Australian non-profit climate philanthropy platform founded in 2020 that pools individual donations to fund strategic climate advocacy organisations. The organisation operates three structured giving programs: the Major Giving Circle (22 members contributing $1.86M in 2025), the Stewardship Giving Circle ($5K-$10K+ annual contributors), and the now-concluded Caring for Country program (2022-2025) supporting First Nations-led climate solutions. Since inception, Groundswell has distributed more than $7 million to over 145 climate organisations across Australia, backing campaigns that have produced measurable policy outcomes including a 30% federal home battery rebate unlocking $7.2B in public investment through Solar Citizens.

The underlying technology is a low-frills collective giving workflow built on a Squarespace-hosted website, with no proprietary AI, data, or platform intellectual property disclosed. Donor acquisition runs through newsletter, organic social, peer referral, and impact publications such as the 'It's Up To Us' climate giving guide. The business model is a recurring donation membership structure where 100% of designated donations flow to climate grants while overheads are covered by separate private donors. Funds are held and disbursed by Australian Communities Foundation under a sub-fund arrangement, providing DGR1 tax-deductible status without Groundswell building its own fiduciary infrastructure.

Groundswell's customer base is bifurcated: donors (members across three giving tiers) and grantees (Australian climate advocacy NGOs, with eligibility tilted toward organisations under $5M in annual revenue). The organisation competes for philanthropic capital against broader climate funds but differentiates through democratic member voting, expert advisory committees, and a community-led model that converts passive donors into active participants in grantmaking decisions. Strategic expansion is focused on deepening the Major Giving Circle and Stewardship Giving Circle tiers, with no disclosed geographic expansion beyond Australia or material headcount growth beyond 12 employees.

Name

Groundswell Giving

Legal name

Groundswell Giving Ltd

Website

https://groundswellgiving.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groundswell Giving is an Australian non-profit founded in 2020 that pools individual donations to fund climate advocacy organisations, having distributed over $7M to 145+ grantees across three giving circles including a 22-member Major Giving Circle contributing $1.86M in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Philanthropy and Collective Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities (BPADACAH)

Keywords

• Climate philanthropy
• Collective giving
• Grantmaking services
• Charitable donations
• Climate advocacy funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Paddington

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Groundswell collects donations from individual and family donors through its membership program. Members make annual contributions that are pooled and distributed as grants to climate advocacy organisations. 100% of donations go directly to climate grants, with overheads covered by private donors. The organisation operates as a sub-fund of Australian Communities Foundation, which holds and manages funds and issues tax-deductible receipts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groundswell Giving pools donations from individual and family donors and distributes them as strategic grants to climate advocacy organisations in Australia. It operates structured giving circles (Major Giving Circle for HNW donors, Stewardship Giving Circle for mid-level donors) and a standard grant program awarding A$40,000 to climate non-profits, with member voting on grant recipients and 100% of donations flowing to climate grants.

Product overview

Groundswell Giving operates as a unified climate philanthropy platform offering multiple interconnected giving programs. The core platform facilitates pooled donations and grant distribution to climate action organizations. The Major Giving Circle (for larger donors contributing collectively $1.86M in 2025) and Stewardship Giving Circle (for $5,000-$10,000+ annual contributors) function as structured grantmaking programs with expert advisory committees and democratic voting processes. The Caring for Country program (2022-2025) was a First Nations-led initiative supporting Indigenous climate solutions. Additional offerings include the 'It's Up To Us' climate philanthropy guide and direct grant application pathways for climate organizations. All programs channel funds to strategic climate advocacy, policy reform, and movement building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Major Giving Circle: A community of individuals and families pooling their giving to fund ambitious climate action, with members contributing approximately $1.86 million in 2025.
• Stewardship Giving Circle
• Caring for Country

Products and services

• Climate Grant Program Provides project funding and core unrestricted funding to Australian climate advocacy organisations, enabling strategic climate action, policy reform, community organising, narrative change, and holding fossil fuel companies accountable.
• Major Giving Circle A funding collective for individuals and families pooling resources to fund ambitious climate action, with expert-led grantmaking and advisory committee guidance for long-term, high-impact climate outcomes.
• Stewardship Giving Circle A giving circle for mid-level donors combining expert due diligence, community learning, and collective grantmaking to channel flexible funding to climate organisations.
• Caring for Country Grant Program A First Nations-led grant program (2022–2025) that resourced knowledge systems for climate action, supporting Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander communities in caring for Country through climate justice funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 145 climate organisations funded since 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Communities Foundation: Groundswell's structural parent, operating as a community foundation offering pooled giving, sub-funds, and tax-deductible infrastructure. Comparable because it serves the same donor audience via collective giving mechanics, but operates as a broader multi-cause community foundation rather than climate-specialised.
• Minderoo Foundation: Large Australian philanthropic foundation with a climate impact portfolio funding policy, energy transition, and advocacy. Comparable because it channels significant philanthropic capital to climate organisations in Australia, though operating at much larger scale as a single-family foundation.
• ClimateWorks Centre: Major Australian climate philanthropy intermediary that channels philanthropic capital to climate solutions through research and grantmaking. Comparable as a climate-focused Australian grantmaking entity, though operating at significantly larger scale with a research-led model rather than member voting.

Direct peers

• Founders Pledge: Collective giving platform pooling entrepreneur donations across high-impact causes including climate, with rigorous due diligence. Comparable to Groundswell's pooled donation model and expert vetting, though broader in cause scope and primarily US-based.
• Cool Earth: Climate-focused NGO pooling individual donations to fund rainforest protection and community-led climate solutions. Comparable to Groundswell's pooled climate giving and community-led approach, though globally focused on tropical rainforest preservation rather than Australian advocacy.
• Effective Altruism Funds (Climate Fund): Pooled giving vehicle where donors allocate capital to a climate-focused grantmaking fund with expert due diligence and democratic input. Highly comparable to Groundswell's collective climate-giving model, though operating globally with a different donor demographic.
• Geneviev Giving: Collective giving platform for high-net-worth individuals pooling philanthropic capital with expert-led grantmaking. Closely comparable to Groundswell's Major Giving Circle in HNW targeting and pooled democratic grantmaking, though multi-cause and US-focused.
• 1% for the Planet: Collective giving network channeling business and individual contributions to environmental non-profits. Comparable to Groundswell because it pools donor capital and directs it to vetted environmental organisations, though it operates as a business-membership model globally.
• Pollinate Fund: Australian collective giving platform pooling individual donations to fund high-impact social and environmental projects. Direct peer to Groundswell given shared collective giving model, peer fundraising, and Australia-Pacific geography, though broader in cause scope.

Regional players

• Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN): Peak body for Australian environmental funders that convenes and supports grantmakers funding conservation and climate. Comparable as a regional player in Australian climate philanthropy infrastructure, though operating as an industry association rather than a direct grantmaking entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundswell-giving

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Groundswell Giving