Bright Moon Trust

What we offer

Grants of $100-250k p/year, up to three years. Plus resources to help with storytelling, and connections to other changemakers and funders. We aim to support you to refine ideas, create impact and develop the model.

What we offer

Who we’re looking for

Someone kind, constructive, unifying, resilient and resourceful. Connected deeply into the community where they are working. With lived experience of challenges and opportunities.

Who we’re looking for

Someone kind, constructive, unifying, resilient and resourceful. Connected deeply into the community where they are working. With lived experience of challenges and opportunities.

What we’re looking for

Local or regional focus, early stage initiatives with a vision of change that starts at the grassroots.

What we’re looking for

Local or regional focus, early stage initiatives with a vision of change that starts at the grassroots.

Here's how our changemaker support works

Here's how our changemaker

support works

(learn about storyteller support here)

We advocate for some simple but powerful ideas for making change at the grassroots

Capacity building to make change go viral

Capacity building to make change go viral

Harnessing the power of community and collaboration

Harnessing the power of community and collaboration

Learning through action at the grassroots

Learning through action at the grassroots

Grassroots social change in a community

Grassroots social change in a community

Watch this series of short videos to learn about the ideas and consider how they might fit your reality.

Making change isn’t something that only other people do. It’s something you can do.

Social change at the grassroots isn’t something one group carries out for another. It’s something every person can participate in, and be a protagonist in. In fact we each have both the right, and the obligation, to help our communities progress. And real progress, needs us all to participate.

Making change isn’t something that only other people do. It’s something you can do.

What to expect when onboarding with us

Before we begin, we look for a fit against the criteria listed above. We also check if we can fit a new changemaker in to our funding capacity. If these are both ‘yes’, then we go through these four steps.

Before we begin, we look for a fit against the criteria listed above. We check if we can fit a new changemaker in to our funding capacity. If these are both ‘yes’, then we go through these four steps.

First, we talk about what matters most

What is the issue the community is focused on? How would they describe it? What are the upstream causes? And what are the related opportunities that exist in the community? What is a change the community would like to see, that you hope to contribute to? What would be different if that happened?

First, we talk about what matters most

Next, you identify some ‘learning’ questions

We encourage you to approach the journey of social change, as one of learning, identifying some key questions you’re hoping to answer. One of the key questions is always something like “How can we most effectively address xyz issue or opportunity?” We ask for four to six questions. The way you’ll be learning about these questions is going to be through action, reflection, and consultation with community.

see an example of learning questions

Next, you identify some ‘learning’ questions

Example learning questions

Then, we talk about the initiative you’re pursuing

How do you hope to address the issues? How do you plan to build capacity in the community so that one day this initiative is no longer needed? What are the skills, knowledge and experience you need? Who are the collaborators and supporters in the community? What’s holding you back? What are the barriers? What are the details of what’s needed and how will it work?

Then, we talk about the initiative you’re pursuing

Last, we give you back a summary using your own words, and then create a grant agreement to match

Our grants are structured to fund you to learn (through action) about the questions you’ve identified, and to build capacity in your community. We ask to meet with you every six or so months to reflect and share in the learnings and experience you gain. If there are other ways we can help, we will. If there are other groups we know that are sharing in similar experiences and learning, we try to connect you up.

Last, we give you back a summary using your own words, and then create a grant agreement to match

The mechanics of our funding

What kind of organisations can we fund?

We can only fund Australian Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR item 1) organisations. This requires the organisation to register as a charity and apply for tax concessions from the ATO.

If you are a smaller initiative that hasn’t gone through the process of registration, you may choose to have your funding ‘auspiced’ through an existing DGR organisation that you know, trust, and that has the same overall charitable purpose as your initiative. In this arrangement, we fund the DGR organisation, who in turn contracts you or your organisation to carry out the initiative.

We can only fund Australian Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR item 1) organisations. This requires the organisation to register as a charity and apply for tax concessions from the ATO.

Accountability to Community

The funding we provide is for you to create the social change your community wants and needs.

While we ask to understand your plans and the outlines of how you plan to spend it, it is your responsibility to use these resources in the wisest way possible to create the necessary impact.

Every initiative we offer funding to, means there’s another great group we can’t afford to support.

So while we provide funds, your ultimate accountability is to your community.