Mary MacKillop Foundation

In the same way that Australia's first saint, St Mary MacKillop, responded to the needs of her time, the Mary MacKillop Foundation responds to the needs of our time to relieve suffering and give hope by supporting small life changing projects that provide relief from suffering, distress, poverty, destitution, misfortune and helplessness.

Since 1995, the Mary MacKillop Foundation has funded over 300 ‘small life changing projects', responding to the needs of rural and isolated communities, indigenous groups and people with disabilities. It has also funded Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships for over a decade with 32 graduates and another 35 currently enrolled.

Every year the Mary MacKillop Foundation invites community-based self-help projects to apply for a 12 month grant of up to $10,000, at average 40 successful applications chosen at the end of each year.

Just months after Australia was hit with floods and cyclones, the Mary MacKillop Foundation is continuing the legacy of Australia's first saint by giving up to 40 extra grants will now also be reserved for projects that focus on disaster recovery across Australia, potentially making a total of 80 grants of up to $10,000 each available.