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Greatest Good Newsletter October 2026

Greatest Good Newsletter October 2026

Springing into a new Greatest Good hub

Happy Spring! It’s my favourite time of the year. Whilst my inner child loves to kick up the autumn leaves, my outer adult loves the sounds of the baby birds chirping outside my office. The massive oak tree outside the office window that connects me to Country, was bare at the start of the season, but is now green and flourishing. Spring brings me a sense of renewal and optimism, which is appropriate as I am thrilled to share that the new Greatest Good website is now live!

We have spent the last two months loading and reclassifying almost 4,000 posts to make it easier for you to do good. We now have free and accessible options for individuals encountering disadvantage, the organisations offering solutions, and the people and organisations supporting them all to do more good.

Here’s a quick summary of the changes to date, with plenty more on the way:

  • Events – we now have a great mix of curated upcoming and ongoing events, maintaining the balance between free and paid events, as well as in person and online events
  • Opportunities – we’ve split and reclassified the asks, offers and opportunities from the resources, to help you find the right opportunity to grow and do more good. You can find co-working spaces, discounts and freebies, scholarships and fellowships, awards and more
  • Resources – these are the guidance notes, whitepapers, toolkits and other resources to help you be a better human or a thriving organisation
  • Grants – no longer stuck behind a paywall, we’ve curated a range of federal, state and private grants suitable for female founders and for purpose organisations. With more than 50 unique filters, you can find active and relevant grants in seconds, not hours!
  • News – all the news and inspiration you need, as well as regulatory updates and more to keep you easily updated of the happenings in the female founder and for purpose sectors
  • All of the above are free and accessible to everyone 24/7 to make it easy to do your greatest good

And we are just getting started! Next up is a range of new memberships based on your feedback and tailored for the different sizes and product/service offerings of members. Also in the works is our updated service provider directory, also out from behind the paywall. You can learn more about our upcoming developments here. You can learn more about our memberships and express interest in joining our next member intake using the links below:

Meanwhile, we took some time out to hear from the teams at Social Impact Hub and Minter Ellison about their fantastic free tools and resources to help social enterprises and impact investors navigate the legals of impact investing.

We’d love to hear your feedback on Stage 1 of the new Greatest Good Australia-wide one-stop hub, helping you do your greatest good, so please reach out with your thought on what you like, what you don’t, and any suggestions on how we can help you do more good.

Jenni Harding - Founder/Managing Director, Greatest Good

Inspiration from our members

Our members are creating real impact every day, so we’re highlighting incredible milestones and achievements across the network.

  • One Roof was featured in the August issue of Marie Claire, highlighting female-founded and female-led organisations and the power of women coming together to support and champion one another
  • Checklist Legal is celebrating its fifth birthday! At their 5th birthday party, they announced a collaboration with World Commerce and Contracting to conduct a 2027 research project to measure the impact of contract design
  • Creative Plus Business has been awarded Outstanding Community Organisation at the 2026 Business NSW Awards in Sydney
  • After almost eight years, JAM the label is closing its doors. Congratulations on an incredible run creating inclusive clothing and putting inclusivity centre stage at Australian Fashion Week and beyond
  • Space2b’s latest exhibition, The Elemental, brings together the work of four contemporary artists inspired by the power, beauty and rhythms of the natural world. Space2b also has upcoming Mandala Magic classes, offering a chance to explore your creativity
  • Mosaik Experiences co-facilitated Monash University’s “Making the Most of Your Industry Project” masterclass with The Harpswell Foundation, guiding students through the Inner Development Goals with a focus on the “Being” dimension
  • Be Hers Founding CEO Melody Towns has been named a finalist for Woman of the Year at the Australian Christian Business Awards
  • SisterWorks and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) have expanded their partnership into textile repurposing and manufacturing through CircularWorks, transforming retired uniforms into tote bags while creating skills development and employment opportunities for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds
  • Hotel Etico has been named a finalist in the 2026 Kismet Awards for Employment Pathways Program of the Year, with People’s Choice voting now open via their LinkedIn
  • In September, The Reconnect Project surpassed 5,000 devices distributed, giving 5,017 people access to a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Find donation details here

News and updates


For-purpose sector news

  • White Box Enterprises has released a new report exploring what Australia can learn from France’s established work integration system as Australia redesigns its employment services system
  • For every $1 men earn on average, women earn 79 cents. While progress has been made towards gender equality in Australian workplaces, the gender pay gap remains a significant issue
  • LikeWISE, a new six-year pilot delivered by STREAT and supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, officially launched at the Purpose Precinct at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market
  • The UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA) has joined the Maximum Ambition Coalition (MAX) ahead of Australia’s role as President for Negotiations at COP31 in November 2026
  • Concerns are growing over AI’s ability to reproduce and amplify gender stereotypes, highlighting the urgent need for action
  • A new report by the Online Hate Prevention Institute in collaboration with Collective Shout highlights the urgent need to address coordinated online hate and technology-facilitated gendered violence targeting women
  • The NextGen Blueprint report explores generational change across rural Australia and its impact on community leadership, decision-making and local priorities
  • A new report from GoodWolf Partners examines the growing use of catalytic capital in Australia and the opportunity ahead
  • Safety Measures has released two new reports highlighting gaps in Australia’s domestic and family violence response, emphasising the need to understand what’s needed, what’s working and where gaps remain
  • Women are giving billions and playing an increasingly influential role in Australian philanthropy, yet their contributions remain underrepresented in the highest levels of public recognition
  • A new report examines how interventions for migrant and refugee men who use domestic, family and sexual violence can better respond to the needs of men and families while strengthening the safety of women and children
  • A new Community Fellowship research report by Hayley explores how CALD young people in regional Victoria experience community and public services, identifying ways to strengthen engagement, accessibility and cultural safety. Hostile attitude
  • The Paul Ramsay Foundation and Atlassian Foundation have partnered to invest approximately A$3 million in Australian organisations supporting communities affected by climate change
  • The Salvation Army and UWA’s Centre for Social Impact have developed a national Outcomes Measurement Framework to help family, domestic and sexual violence services measure their impact, understand what works and identify areas for improvement
  • The 2026 Charity Insights report reveals rising demand for charity assistance worldwide, with two-thirds of charities reporting increased need and many struggling to keep up. A trend mirrored across Australia
  • The WorkAbility Expos report highlights how accessible events connect people with disability, families, employers and service providers to explore employment pathways, build connections and promote inclusive hiring, with the evaluation finding all expected grant outcomes were met


Staff appointments and changes

  • B Lab Australia & New Zealand has welcomed Kate Healy as its new Regional Director for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Dr Li-chia has joined the Melbourne Social Equity Institute as a new Research Fellow
  • Ingrained Foundation has welcomed three new directors to its Board, Nikki Thomas, Anita Cohen and Sarah Cunynghame, along with Company Secretary Merissa Baltokiewicz. They also farewelled Kylie Caldwell, who supported Ingrained as a Cultural Advisor for the past three years
  • Philanthropy Australia board member and former Co-Chair Lisa George will become CEO of Australia Philanthropic Services in February 2027, succeeding Judith Fiander after her 15 years of service to Australia’s philanthropy sector
  • The South Australian Social Enterprise Council (SASEC) has welcomed five new board members: Christel Cherryadi, Cassie Day, Homer Frias, Valérie Lux and Quentin Mercier


Learn, network and grow

We’ve curated some of the best events in the female founder and for-purpose space to help you do your greatest good. Here’s just a few of the highlights:

Check out our full list of Events/Courses here


Opportunities to give and receive support

Connect with organisations asking for help or offering assistance, discover ways to give or receive support, and explore freebies and opportunities to grow your social, environmental and community impact. Here are some of the latest opportunities we’ve added:

  • A new round of scholarships for The Giving Academy will be available in 2027, providing greater access to practical professional development for people working across philanthropy
  • In 2027, the Centre for Social Impact will offer almost 200 fully funded scholarships for not-for-profit board directors to complete its Governance for Social Impact course, helping boards lead with purpose and impact
  • The City of Parramatta is inviting social enterprises and First Nations businesses to showcase their products and services as part of World Social Enterprise Day 2026
  • Eligible not-for-profits can access donated Cisco and Cisco Meraki networking equipment and licenses through Connecting Up, helping organisations improve their connectivity, Wi-Fi, network security and IT infrastructure

Find our full list of Opportunities here.


Curated resources 

Explore curated guidance, reports, toolkits and resources to help you and your organisation do more good.

Here a few of the latest additions.

  • AICD’s newly released updated guide ‘Governing with Stakeholder Insight’ offers practical advice for boards to strengthen stakeholder engagement and bring stakeholder insights into decision-making
  • The AICD ASD AI cheat sheet details threshold questions boards can ask to understand their organisation’s resilience to frontier AI cyber threats
  • The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently published and updated a range of GST resources for not-for-profit organisations
  • The Centre for Social Impact has released the second edition of The Roadmap to Social Impact, a practical guide to help organisations plan, measure and communicate their impact

Find all the Resources on Greatest Good


Grants and funding for Female Founders & For Purpose Organisations

Find a curated list of Federal, State and private grants available to Australian female founders and for purpose organisations. Here's a few of our favourites:

  • Skilling Queenslanders for Work supports eligible Queenslanders to build skills, gain qualifications and work experience, and improve employment opportunities through community-led training programs across the state
  • The Commonwealth Bank Foundation’s Next Chapter program offers $100,000–$200,000 to community organisations helping people affected by financial abuse access support
  • The Strengthening Rural Communities program offers grants of up to $10,000 or $50,000 for community-led projects supporting small rural, remote and very remote communities across Australia. Learn more about the Small and Vital Grant and Prepare and Recover Grant

Explore more Grants and Funding opportunities here.


Regulatory updates (the sometimes boring, but always important stuff)

Our regulatory updates provide a summary of the key regulatory updates, guidance and announcements affecting the female and for-purpose sectors.


Legislative announcements and changes

Key legislative items this month include:


Guidance and updates

  • The Australian Government has shared insights on how to spot a scam as scammers’ tactics become increasingly sophisticated
  • Three major developments have been announced regarding the regulation of data centres and their impact on Australia’s energy system
  • ASIC has launched its Small Business Director Essentials hub, providing practical tools, guidance and free online learning to help directors understand their obligations and strengthen their governance knowledge
  • The NSW Government has introduced a freeze on Workers Compensation premium rates for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years
  • Findings from new research on psychosocial risks reinforce the need for employers to look beyond workers’ compensation data and address the physical and psychosocial risks affecting the workforce

You can find more on these items and other regulatory updates in our monthly regulatory updates via our news page. We can't provide legal advice, however you can find proposed and upcoming legislative changes and other insights to discuss with your legal advisers.


Greatest Good Newsletter January - February 2025

About Greatest Good

Greatest Good is an Australia-wide one-stop hub that makes it easy for people and organisations to do their greatest good. 

We are certified social enterprise and B Corporation™ supporting Female Founders and Australian social enterprises, B Corps, charities and other not-for-profit organisations.

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