Coolaroo Foundation News
Latest happenings amongst our Foundation care partners and team.
Coolaroo Foundation commits to three more years of Bundanon’s In This Place learning program.
We’re delighted to announce that Coolaroo Foundation will continue to support Bundanon’s In This Place learning program for Shoalhaven high school students for a further three years.
Congratulations to grant recipient, the RAS Foundation
We know the difference a scholarship can make to young people in rural and regional areas — especially those whose opportunities are limited by distance. That’s why continuing our support of Rural Scholarships in 2027 was an easy decision.
Reflections from the 2026 Philanthropy Australia Conference
Earlier this month, we attended the Philanthropy Australia Conference — three days of sharing conversations and ideas with funders, community leaders, researchers and young changemakers from across Australia and beyond. Here’s a few insights that stayed with us long after the sessions ended.
What Helps Young People Face Climate Anxiety? Insights from Avalon Bourne’s Churchill Fellowship
In the 2025 Mission Australia Youth Survey of more than 17,000 people aged 14 to 19, climate change and the environment ranked as the third most pressing national concern, behind cost of living and mental health. It's this reality that Sonder Youth's CEO, Avalon Hope Bourne, set out to address in her 2024 Churchil Fellowship.
How training dogs helps heal marginalised boys
If you want to understand why our board is so invested in the work of BackTrack Youth Works, watch Backtrack Boys.
The Fastest-Growing Face of Homelessness: A Conversation with ROCC for Women
Older Women are now the fastest-growing group experiencing homelessness and can often find themselves in these circumstances very quickly and unexpectedly.
The South Coast Education Team: Bringing Ditto to More Communities
Bravehearts' Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Program has reached over 1.6 million children across Australia — and on the NSW South Coast, that reach is growing thanks to the work of a dedicated local team.
Inside the Sonder Youth Changemakers Program
The Changemakers Program is Sonder Youth's flagship program for young people in the Shoalhaven and beyond. It brings young people together to learn about themselves, build strong connections with their peers, and develop the skills to design and deliver a project that tackles an issue that matters to them.
A Food Future We Can Be Proud Of: Our Newest Focus Area
Food for People and Planet is Coolaroo Foundation’s newest focus area, led by Director Olivia Hicks. Olivia brings experience from the School for Moral Ambition and her research on accelerating the shift to sustainable proteins.
What Nearly a Decade of Data Tells Us About RAS Foundation's Rural Scholars
Since 2010, the RAS Foundation's Rural Scholarship program has helped hundreds of young people from rural and regional NSW pursue further study. But scholarships are only half the story — the real question is what happens afterwards.
Welcome to our newest Grantee: Sonder Youth
We're delighted to welcome Sonder Youth as our newest grantee. The Coolaroo Foundation board has awarded a grant to bring the Changemakers Program to local high school, right here in Shoalhaven.
Why Peer Support Belongs at the Heart of Trauma Recovery
When women come to ROCC for Women, they often arrive carrying more than one kind of hardship — a history of trauma, contact with the criminal justice system, the weight of addiction, and isolation.
Introducing ROCC for Women's Peer-Led Support Program
Since 2025, Coolaroo Foundation has partnered with ROCC for Women to deliver trauma-informed education and wellbeing workshops for women in the Shoalhaven region who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or navigating complex disadvantage.
Paws Up: The Program at the Heart of BackTrack
If you spend any time at BackTrack, one thing becomes clear fast: the dogs are everywhere. Not as a mascot or a sideline, but as a genuine part of how the organisation works with young people, every single day.
In This Place: Opening new doors for Shoalhaven young people
In This Place, a year-long learning program led by Bundanon’s passionate education team is improving access for Shoalhaven High School students.
Reflecting, Refining, Reconnecting: Our 2026 Strategy Day
Last week, the Coolaroo Foundation board came together for an in-person, two-day strategy meeting.
Meet Ditto: Teaching Little Kids Big Lessons About Staying Safe
Every year, thousands of Australian children between the ages of 3 and 8 meet a lovable lion named Ditto — and learn skills that could protect them for life.
Levelling the Playing Field: Why Rural Scholarships Matter
For a young person growing up in a major city, the path into further study is often straightforward — a local TAFE or university, a short commute, and maybe a part-time job nearby. For a young person growing up on a rural or regional property, that same path can look very different.
Small Foundation, Big Heart: Looking Back on 2025
That’s a wrap for us at Coolaroo Foundation for 2025. Come and celebrate our 2025 grant partners with us!
The Research Behind Ditto: Why Early, Age-Appropriate Safety Education Works
Ditto the lion cub might be best known for songs, dancing, and a very memorable purple heart — but underneath the fun is a program built on decades of child protection research.