May brings a landmark moment for Rainbow Giving Australia.
Our CEO Em Scott has released her Churchill Fellowship report Resourcing LGBTIQ+ Futures, with nine findings and 24 recommendations on how Australia can better fund LGBTIQ+ equality, safety and inclusion. Read it, share it, and register for a briefing.
We're also celebrating the Sweat with Pride community launch this IDAHOBIT weekend. A free morning of movement, community, and BIG rainbow energy on Saturday 16 May 2026 at the Inner West Pride Centre.
Plus: Georgia Mathews appointed Co-CEO of Community Foundations Australia, a reminder of funding opportunities that close soon, and events to look forward to across May and June.
What to expect:
- Rainbow Giving News
- Other LGBTQIA+ Funding Opportunities
- Community
- News & Events
- Resources
- Ways to Support
1. Rainbow Giving News
PUBLISHING | Resourcing LGBTIQ+ Futures – a New Churchill report from our CEO
Hi friends and supporters, my Churchill Fellowship report, Resourcing LGBTIQ+ Futures, is out today, and I'd love for you to read it.
Last year I spent six weeks in the UK and the US, meeting with around 50 people across the LGBTIQ+ and philanthropic sectors. I went to learn what Australia could do better to fund LGBTIQ+ equality, safety and inclusion. I came back with a lot of urgency and a lot of hope.
LGBTIQ+ rights are more precarious than many of us realised. In the US and UK, I heard about decades of progress rolling back faster than anyone expected, and saw what happens when funding retreats at exactly the moment communities need it most. But I also witnessed incredible generosity: Funders staying the course, organisations adapting fast, and communities finding joy as a form of survival.
There are nine findings and 24 recommendations for how Australia can "meet the moment" and be a global leader in LGBTIQ+ equality, generosity and social cohesion. What excites me most is the opportunity to grow individual giving: to inspire our community to give back to their chosen family (including via initiatives like Sweat with Pride!), and I'm energised for Rainbow Giving Australia to help drive this growth.
A few ways you can help right now:
- Read and share report
- Register for a briefing to learn more. We have two types of sessions: Funders | LGBTIQ+ Sector
- Get moving for community: sign up for Sweat with Pride and get your workplace involved
- Make a tax-deductible donation to Rainbow Giving Australia
- Help inspire community giving through matched funding. Get in touch.
With pride,
Em Scott, CEO
SIGNING | Up for Sweat with Pride and attend our community launch!
Sign up to Sweat with Pride to win a 12-month Stan subscription.
We're giving away 5 x 12-month Stan subscriptions and all you need to do is sign up by Wednesday 13 May to go in the draw.
Sweat with Pride is a fun, inclusive 30-day movement challenge running throughout June.
Get your team moving for just 21 minutes a day, raise money to help strengthen rainbow communities, and make Pride Month really count.
Want to team up at work? Our internal comms toolkit has everything you need to get your team motivated, keep the energy up, and make the most of Pride Month together.
GATHERING | Sweat with Pride Community Launch | Saturday 16 May 2026 | 10.30am-12noon
Fighting discrimination with perspiration this IDAHOBIT.
You’re invited to the Sweat with Pride community launch, a fabulous morning of line dancing, Big Gay Boxing, prizes, photo ops, and big rainbow energy.
Whether you’re a seasoned Sweaty Betty or keen to get involved, come move, mingle, and find out how you can make Pride Month count while helping strengthen rainbow communities.
- Where: Inner West Pride Centre, opposite Newtown Station, Gadigal & Wangal
- Cost: Free to attend. All welcome.
- Bookings: online via Humanitix
ANNOUNCING | Georgia Matthews appointed Co-CEO of Community Foundations Australia!
Rainbow Giving Australia extends our warmest congratulations to our Deputy Chair, Georgia Mathews, on her appointment as Co-CEO of Community Foundations Australia (CFA). As a co-founder of GiveOUT, Georgia has made an extraordinary contribution to growing LGBTIQ+ and community philanthropy more broadly in Australia, and this appointment is a wonderful recognition of that legacy.
Georgia will be stepping down from our Board in June, and while we'll miss her deeply, we couldn't be more excited for the impact she'll make at CFA. More heartfelt thank-yous to come!
MEETING | Our new marketing team!
We’re excited to introduce Jessy Brown (they/them), our Digital Content and Marketing Coordinator, and re-introduce Jake Smith (he/him), our Marketing and Engagement Manager.
Jessy will work to share stories and drive support for RGA, uplift rainbow communities, and keep you connected to our shared impact.
Jake, who joined RGA in August 2025 and has recently been leading Sweat with Pride, now steps into an expanded role overseeing brand, communications, and partnerships across the organisation and key campaigns.
Together, they’ll be bringing our stories to life, growing our reach, and helping more people connect with the work we do.
SAVING | The date for RGA Funding opportunities
LGBTQIA+ sector organisations, please save the date for upcoming funding opportunities by Rainbow Giving Australia (more information to come!):
- Annual Grants Program: Expression of Interests open 29 June 2026, close 3 August 2026
- GiveOUT Day: 15 October 2026
2. Other LGBTQIA+ Funding Opportunities
- Inner West Annual Grants | Friday 15 May 2026 | closes SOON 4pm | Inner West Council Annual Grants Program: Funding across community wellbeing, arts, disability support, multicultural initiatives and more for Inner West-based organisations and individuals
- Infrastructure For Multicultural Communities | Batch 1 closes 4pm, 18 May 2026 | Infrastructure for Multicultural Communities Program (Australian Government): Up to $41.6 million available for construction, upgrade or extension of community infrastructure. Projects focused on multicultural LGBTIQ+ community members are a priority focus area. Apply for one of 3 funding streams.
- PBA Education | Closes Tuesday 30 June 2026 | PBA Education Fund Scholarships of $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 for LGBTQIA+ people aged 30+ in NSW returning to education, training or professional development
3. Community
News & Events
- Making Rainbow Families Seminar 2026 | Saturday 23 May 2026 | 10am-4pm | A welcoming, supportive space for LGBTQ+ people to learn from experts about starting a family as an LGBTQ+ intended parent. Also live streamed nationally. RGA is proud to support Rainbow Families as an Amplify grant partner. Genea Clinic, Level 3/321 Kent St, Gadigal, Sydney.
- State of Philanthropy Insights Forum | Wednesday 13 May 2026 | 9am-12pm | A thought-provoking half-day forum exploring global and local shifts in philanthropy, with keynote speaker Heather Grady (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors). $100 (GST inc.), 10% off for Connect members with code PACONNECT. Our CEO Em Scott will be there, say hi! Mercer, 100 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo, Sydney.
- Sydney Pride Fest 2026 | 1-30 Jun 2026 | Sydney's biggest Queer Arts & Culture Festival yet, with 300+ events across drag, comedy, theatre, markets, live music, workshops and more. Oxford Street precinct and venues across Sydney/Gadigal Land. RGA are also proud to be a community partner of the Fit N’ Proud program as part of Sweat with Pride.
- Bring Pride to Your Club this season | A Pride Cup is a rainbow-themed game or round where clubs show support for LGBTIQ+ inclusion and take simple, practical steps to make sport more welcoming for everyone. With support from Pride Cup, clubs of all sizes and sports can access free tools, education, and gameday support to make it happen. RGA is proud to support Pride Cup as an Amplify grant partner.
Resources
HEARING | Your say: Pride By Side Survey
Australia’s largest LGBTQIA+ sector survey is back, with a $5,000 capacity-building grant available to one participating initiative.
Pointing to Progress, the national research project to understand the capacity strengths and needs of the LGBTQIA+ sector in Australia, has returned for its biennial snapshot in 2026.
The survey, by our friends at Pride by Side, is open for the month of May and helps funders, government, and supporters understand where their action is needed most!
Any Australian-based initiative creating positive outcomes for LGBTQIA+ individuals or communities is eligible to complete the survey and, by participating, your initiative can be considered for a $5,000 capacity-building grant.
4. Ways to support
- Read, share and register for a briefing of our CEO Em Scott’s Churchill report
- Get moving for community: sign up for Sweat with Pride and get your workplace involved
- Make a tax-deductible donation to Rainbow Giving Australia
- Get in touch via email if you would like to discuss other ways you can support rainbow communities.
A few weeks ago, the RGA team came together for a joyous two days in person. Filled with productivity, team bonding, and a whole lot of support and love. It was a beautiful reminder of the heart behind everything we do.
We're so grateful for this team and for the community that makes this work possible. That's you.
Community Feedback Form
We hope to gather input from our communities about the vision and priorities of Rainbow Giving Australia, and how we can best support the LGBTQIA+ community. Please share your thoughts, insights and hopes, and any concerns
Sending love from the
Rainbow Giving Australia Team
Rainbow Giving Australia: Working towards an empowered, sustainable and united rainbow community
Rainbow Giving Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work. We pay our respects to all Elders past and present. Rainbow Giving Australia is committed to working with First Nations LGBTQIA+ organisations and initiatives to mobilise the resources they need for their important work.
This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.