PA Research Foundation

What PA Research Foundation does

PA Research Foundation is an Australian nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1984 and headquartered at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland. It operates as the dedicated fundraising arm of Metro South Health's hospital network, raising donations to fund medical research, clinical staff education and fellowships, capital equipment acquisition, and patient care and wellness programs across disease areas including cancer (breast, brain, melanoma, head and neck), kidney disease and transplantation, movement disorders (Parkinson's, functional neurological conditions), amyloidosis, and spinal injuries.

The Foundation's service offerings include an online donation platform (powered by Funraisin, with Stripe payment processing) supporting one-time and monthly gifts, a Gift in Wills planned-giving program, peer-to-peer and community fundraising events, and corporate partnership campaigns (notably Aveo's Project Pink for breast cancer research since 2016). Its core products center on funding tangible research outputs — including the Generic Supervision Assessment Tool (GSAT), the PA Cancer Wellness Initiative online portal used by over 1,500 patients and family members, and capital equipment such as the Gamma Knife radiosurgery unit (one of three in Australia and the only Queensland public service), Vectra 3D total body photography, and Motomed In-Bed Cycle rehabilitation devices.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving via four streams: individual donations, event-based fundraising, legacy bequests, and corporate partnerships. The Foundation is governed by a board and led by CEO Nathalie Trott (appointed May 2026, succeeding Damian Topp who served approximately 15 years). It maintains research alliances with the University of Queensland (Diamantina Institute, Frazer Institute), Griffith University, and the ACEMID consortium (UQ, Monash, University of Sydney), and operates with a small staff team of 11-50 employees serving donors and beneficiaries across Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Name

PA Research Foundation

Legal name

PA Research Foundation

Website

https://pafoundation.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PA Research Foundation is an Australian nonprofit (founded 1984) that raises charitable donations to fund medical research, clinical fellowships, patient care programs, and capital equipment at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Metro South Health facilities in Queensland, serving individual donors, corporate partners, and patients across cancer, kidney, neurological, and other disease areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Fundraising and Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAI

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising services
• Medical research funding
• Hospital patient care support
• Community donation programs
• Healthcare philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Victoria

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters through the website donation portal. Donors can choose preset amounts ($25, $50, $75, $100) or custom amounts, with options for monthly giving.
2. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue from community-organized fundraising events including high teas, raffles, sporting events, and corporate fundraisers.
3. Gift in Wills (Bequests): Legacy giving program where supporters leave gifts in their wills to fund future research.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Sustained partnerships with corporations like Aveo for Project Pink breast cancer research, where corporate communities engage in annual fundraising activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PA Research Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that raises funds to support medical research, innovative equipment acquisition, and patient care initiatives at Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Metro South Health network in Brisbane, Queensland. Its core offerings include an online donation platform processing one-time and recurring gifts, community fundraising events, a Gift in Wills planned giving program, and a hospital volunteer program.

Product overview

PA Research Foundation operates as a nonprofit charitable organization that raises funds to support medical research and patient care at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The foundation's offerings include an online donation platform for processing charitable contributions, a Gift in Wills planned giving program, volunteer coordination services, and various fundraising events. The foundation also funds research tools and patient wellness resources including the Cancer Wellness Initiative online portal. While not a traditional technology product company, the foundation utilizes the Funraisin nonprofit fundraising software platform to manage its online presence and peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Donation Platform Digital fundraising platform enabling one-time and recurring donations for the Foundation, with preset amounts ($25, $50, $75, $100), custom amounts, and optional platform cost coverage (5.5% to 8%). Targeted at individual donors and organizations supporting medical research and patient care at PA Hospital.
• Community Fundraising Events Community-organized fundraising events including high teas, Melbourne Cup luncheons, movie nights, raffles, sporting events, and third-party organized fundraisers. Targeted at community supporters, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and groups seeking to raise funds for medical research at PA Hospital.
• Gift in Wills Program Planned giving program allowing supporters to leave charitable bequests in their wills to fund future medical research and patient care at PA Hospital. Targeted at individuals undertaking estate planning who wish to support long-term healthcare philanthropy.
• Volunteer Program Hospital-based volunteer program offering roles such as information desk greeting, patient wayfinding, raffle ticket sales, and merchandise desk support at PA Hospital. Volunteers receive shirts and lunch vouchers. Targeted at community members seeking to contribute time to patient care and hospital support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 patients and family members accessed the PA Cancer Wellness Initiative portal in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AveocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Long-standing corporate partnership supporting Project Pink breast cancer research led by Professor Fiona Simpson at UQ Diamantina Institute. Aveo communities across Australia engage in annual October fundraising activities including raffles, cupcake drives, paint-and-sip sessions, car washes, morning teas, and themed dinners. Partnership has been active since 2016 and represents sustained community-driven fundraising.
• University of QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with UQ Diamantina Institute's Simpson Lab for breast cancer research. Foundation funding helped keep the research lab operational and advanced combination therapy research in HER2 breast cancer through clinical trial. Also includes collaboration with Frazer Institute researchers.
• Griffith UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Sarah Hamilton's PhD research developing the Generic Supervision Assessment Tool (GSAT) for healthcare supervision evaluation. Research involved 1,258 participants from 12 professions and has been accepted for publication.
• Neurosensory ChermsideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated hearing aids to PA Hospital's Audiology Department Hearing Aid Bank, which provides devices to patients meeting crisis intervention criteria who don't qualify for government hearing services.
• Comics Plus AnnerleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business owned by a fellow cancer survivor that supported Lee Hobbins' Blood Bowl fundraiser for the Foundation. Helped build confidence and provided community connection for the fundraiser.
• Metro South HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizational partnership with Metro South Health hospital network including Princess Alexandra Hospital, QEII Hospital, Logan Hospital, Redland Hospital, and Eight Mile Plains Satellite Hospital. Foundation supports research and patient care across all facilities in the health service.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• McGrath Foundation: High-profile national cancer foundation funding breast cancer nurses. Overlaps in breast cancer donor pool and corporate partnership ecosystem; significantly larger brand and fundraising scale.
• Cure Cancer Australia: National charity funding early-career cancer researchers across Australia. Competes for cancer-research donor dollars with broader geographic reach but no single hospital anchor.
• National Breast Cancer Foundation: Australia's leading dedicated breast cancer research funder. Competes for donor dollars in the same breast cancer category (e.g., Project Pink) but at a national scale with larger marketing and corporate reach.

Direct peers

• Mater Foundation: Brisbane-based hospital foundation supporting medical research and patient care across Mater hospitals. Operates an equivalent community fundraising and corporate partnership model serving Queensland.
• Children's Hospital Foundation Queensland: Queensland hospital research foundation raising funds for pediatric research, equipment, and family support. Highly comparable hospital-anchored fundraising model with similar donor segments.
• Wesley Medical Research: Australian hospital-based medical research foundation funding clinical and translational research. Closely aligned in translating donations into research outputs at a hospital site.
• Garvan Research Foundation: Sydney-based medical research foundation raising funds for biomedical research at the Garvan Institute. Comparable translational research funding model with similar corporate and individual donor programs.
• Cancer Council Queensland: State-based cancer charity funding research, prevention, and patient support services across Queensland. Comparable in disease-area focus and community-led fundraising, though broader than a single hospital.
• Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation: Hospital-aligned charitable foundation fundraising for medical research, equipment, and patient care at another major Queensland teaching hospital. Directly comparable in mission, donor base, and hospital-anchor model.

Emerging players

• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute: Queensland-based medical research institute conducting translational research funded by philanthropy and grants. Overlaps in disease-area priorities and Queensland research ecosystem but operates its own labs rather than funding an external hospital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pa-research-foundation

Compliance2 records

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 PA Research Foundation