The Mercy Foundation Ltd

What The Mercy Foundation Ltd does

The Mercy Foundation Ltd is an Australian not-for-profit organisation established in 1990, structured as a company limited by guarantee with Public Benevolent Institution status and operating as a Ministry of Mercy Partners under the Sisters of Mercy North Sydney umbrella. The foundation operates from Wollstonecraft, NSW with a 5-person team and works with communities across Australia to end homelessness, end modern slavery, and support local organisations addressing social justice issues at the grassroots level, with a particular focus on women and girls experiencing disadvantage.

The foundation delivers its mission through a portfolio of grant programs, awards, and a practical assistance program. Core offerings include Grants to End Homelessness (up to AUD $60,000 per initiative with priority for older women), Social Justice Small Grants (up to AUD $10,000 to grassroots NFPs), the Home in a Box program (distributing household essentials to over 500 individuals and families transitioning into permanent housing across Sydney), the Cath Leary Social Justice Award, the McQuoin Award, and the Mercy Youth Awards art competition for high school students. Corporate partners including Kennards Self Storage, Linen House, Hospitality Products, and Fackelmann Housewares provide in-kind product donations for the Home in a Box initiative.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-based with tax-deductible contributions over AUD $2, and the organisation does not sell products or services. It is an active member of the Ageing on the Edge NSW coalition of over 140 organisations and operates a strategic partnership with ACRATH to deliver the Mercy Practical Assistance Program supporting victims of human trafficking. The foundation uses research and evidence-based advocacy to influence Australian housing and homelessness policy, including formal submissions to government inquiries.

Name

The Mercy Foundation Ltd

Legal name

The Mercy Foundation Ltd

Website

https://mercyfoundation.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mercy Foundation Ltd is an Australian non-profit established in 1990 that combats homelessness and modern slavery through grant programs, advocacy, and the Home in a Box household assistance initiative, serving women and girls experiencing disadvantage across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Charitable grants programs
• Social justice advocacy
• Homelessness support services
• Modern slavery prevention
• Community capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Wollstonecraft

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Mercy Foundation is an Australian not-for-profit Public Benevolent Institution that distributes grants, runs awards, and delivers practical assistance programs such as Home in a Box. Its core work focuses on ending homelessness and modern slavery, with a particular emphasis on women and girls experiencing disadvantage, and supporting grassroots organisations through Social Justice Small Grants and Grants to End Homelessness.

Product overview

The Mercy Foundation is a charitable organization operating as a unified grant-making and advocacy body rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio consists of grant programs (Grants to End Homelessness, Social Justice Small Grants), award programs (Cath Leary Social Justice Award, McQuoin Award), the Mercy Youth Awards art competition for students, and the Home in a Box practical assistance program. These initiatives work together to advance the Foundation's mission of ending homelessness, ending modern slavery, and addressing social justice issues across Australia with a focus on women and girls experiencing disadvantage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home in a Box A practical initiative providing essential household items (sheets, towels, kitchenware, appliances) to individuals and families in the Sydney region transitioning from chronic homelessness into permanent housing, helping them establish a welcoming home with dignity. Support or tenancy workers apply on behalf of clients.
• Social Justice Small Grants Seed funding program providing up to $10,000 to community-based not-for-profit organisations to build capacity, address structural disadvantage, and contribute to greater social justice in Australia. Applications open at the end of January and close 16 March annually.
• Grants to End Homelessness Grant program providing up to $60,000 for new initiatives that help end or prevent homelessness, with priority given to projects addressing women's homelessness, especially older women. Expressions of Interest are due by midnight on Monday 17 November.
• Mercy Youth Awards Annual art competition open to high school students across Australia (Years 7-12) that encourages students to creatively explore and respond to social justice themes, with a prize pool of $4,750 for students and schools.
• Cath Leary Social Justice Award Annual award recognising individuals, groups or organisations that have made a major contribution to addressing key social justice issues in Australia.
• McQuoin Award Distinguished social justice award recognising outstanding organisations with a notable record of work that has brought about change in systems and structures that impoverish and disempower people, used to mark Foundation anniversaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 Home in a Box sets distributed across Sydney region
• +3 more outcomes

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, core and minor.

• Kennards Self Storagesupporting partnerOthersPartner in the Home in a Box program, providing storage support for donated household items and supplies used to help individuals and families transition from homelessness into permanent housing.
• Linen Housesupporting partnerOthersDonates linen and bedding products for the Home in a Box program, providing essential household items for people moving from homelessness into permanent housing.
• Hospitality Productssupporting partnerOthersDonates kitchenware and household products for the Home in a Box initiative, helping furnish homes for individuals transitioning from homelessness.
• Fackelmann Housewaressupporting partnerOthersContributes houseware donations to the Home in a Box program supporting people moving from homelessness into permanent housing.
• Sisters of Mercy North SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding ministry partner. The Mercy Foundation is 'A Ministry of Mercy Partners' and draws upon the Sisters of Mercy's 150+ year legacy of serving communities through education, compassion, and justice, inspired by Catherine McAuley's vision.
• Ageing on the Edge NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mercy Foundation is an active member of this coalition of over 140 organisations advocating for change to address housing and homelessness related issues of older people.
• Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy CollegeminorOthersIn 2025, the McQuoin Award was presented to a former Monte student (Naomi Steer AO) demonstrating outstanding commitment to social justice, in recognition of longstanding ties between the foundation and the college.
• ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking of Humans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMercy Foundation supports the ACRATH Mercy Practical Assistance Program which provides victim/survivors of human trafficking with financial support for recovery, including accommodation, education, medical treatment, childcare, and employment assistance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mission Australia: Large Australian non-profit delivering homelessness, housing, and community services nationally. Comparable as a broader social services provider with overlapping focus on homelessness and disadvantage.
• Salvation Army Australia: Major Australian charitable organisation providing homelessness services, family violence support, and modern slavery response. Comparable as a large established provider operating in the same social-issue space.
• Australian Red Cross: Large Australian humanitarian organisation providing emergency relief, homelessness support, and modern slavery response. Comparable as a broader humanitarian organisation operating parallel programs in the same target areas.
• St Vincent de Paul Society NSW: Australian Catholic charitable organisation providing housing, homelessness, and material aid services. Comparable as a faith-based organisation with overlapping social services for disadvantaged populations.

Direct peers

• Sidney Myer Fund: Major Australian philanthropic foundation making grants across social justice, education, and the arts. Highly comparable as a private Australian grantmaking foundation with a similar focus on systemic change.
• Minderoo Foundation: Australian philanthropic foundation with programs in modern slavery, homelessness, and Indigenous justice. Highly comparable given overlapping focus on modern slavery and homelessness in Australia.
• Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation: Australian family foundation supporting social justice, poverty reduction, and community resilience. Comparable as a domestic grantmaking foundation with similar social-justice orientation.
• Paul Ramsay Foundation: Large Australian philanthropic foundation focused on addressing disadvantage and supporting systemic change. Comparable as a domestic grantmaking foundation targeting social disadvantage, including homelessness-related initiatives.

Emerging players

• Foundation for Young Australians: Australian non-profit focused on youth empowerment and social justice. Comparable in its youth-engagement and social-justice focus, particularly with the Mercy Foundation's Youth Awards program.

Regional players

• Sisters of Mercy North Sydney: Founding ministry partner of the Mercy Foundation, a Mercy Partners ministry that operates its own ministries. Comparable as a related Catholic humanitarian organisation in the same Australian region with shared social justice mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mercyfoundationaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-mercy-foundation-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Mercy Foundation Ltd