Our guests brought rich and diverse expertise - spanning social innovation, lived experience, research, and grassroots community change-making. We opened the day with an invitation to sit in both reflection and possibility. As Warren Miller, CEO of the Spinifex Foundation SA, reminded us:
“If we don’t sit in a place of hope and ambition, what are we doing?”
The day was structured in two halves. During the morning, participants formed small groups to explore one of three key areas:
The Role of Philanthropy
Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Shift Towards Prevention
First Nations Leadership and Self-Determination in Philanthropy
After a shared lunch, new groups formed to explore the remaining focus areas:
Impact Investment and Community Wealth Generation
Place-Based and Community-Led Approaches
Impact, Storytelling, Influence, and Shifting Narratives
Each session was guided by thought-provoking questions, encouraging participants to ground themselves in the present before imagining possibilities for the future. Together, we explored the role the Fay Fuller Foundation might play in helping bring those futures to life.
The conversations were rich, challenging, and deeply thoughtful. Our partners brought forward diverse perspectives, important questions, and a shared passion for advancing health and wellbeing in South Australia. More than anything, we heard a strong desire for continued dialogue and for community voices to be at the centre of shaping the way forward.
Across every session, a few key themes emerged:
A values-aligned movement is growing
Philanthropy has a powerful role to play
We need to rethink how resources flow
Our ability to convene and connect is a strength
Through our current strategy and partnerships, we are seeing an expanding group of people and organisations committed to reshaping systems and cultures - towards approaches that are more community-centred, strengths-based, holistic, and focused on long-term change.
Not only in demonstrating what’s possible, but in influencing broader systems. We heard a clear call for Fay Fuller to be more visible and active - not just as a funder, but as a connector, advocate, and partner working alongside communities.
Beyond traditional sources like government, philanthropy, or fundraising - what new or untapped avenues exist that align more closely with what communities truly need? And how might the Foundation support communities to access and make the most of these resources?
Fay Fuller has the reach and relationships to bring people together, build new connections, and amplify community voices - particularly in spaces where they’ve historically been underrepresented or unheard.
As we move forward, we’re taking these reflections - alongside research into evolving practice and our learnings to date - into our next conversations with our team, Board, and community. These conversations will guide the development of our refreshed strategic direction and intentions as a Foundation.
We look forward to sharing more with you soon. Read more about our how we are evolving our strategic direction here.