MEET THE CHANGEMAKERS

HOW OUR SUPPORT WORKS

ABOUT BRIGHT MOON

GRASSROOTS STORYTELLING CLUB

MEET THE CHANGEMAKERS

HOW OUR SUPPORT WORKS

ABOUT BRIGHT MOON

GRASSROOTS STORYTELLING CLUB

We’re on team humanity.

We’re on team humanity.

JK-47

JK-47

I believe we can overcome, if we all come together as one, make it better for our sons and our daughters, being brought up in this harsh world. Yeah it’s hard, but we can’t turn backwards. Put your faith in the practice, escape from the cage you’ve been trapped in, and free yourself! Impossible alone, so I need your help. For the youth to improve we gotta teach you well, cause racism isn’t born, it’s taught. Talk the talk then you walk the walk. The ability for change is within you. Let’s put aside our pride and try to face all these issues. People operate the easy way, cause it’s easier to hate than to say that you made a mistake, but be real and together we can heal and rebuild.

I believe we can overcome, if we all come together as one, make it better for our sons and our daughters, being brought up in this harsh world. Yeah it’s hard, but we can’t turn backwards. Put your faith in the practice, escape from the cage you’ve been trapped in, and free yourself! Impossible alone, so I need your help. For the youth to improve we gotta teach you well, cause racism isn’t born, it’s taught. Talk the talk then you walk the walk. The ability for change is within you. Let’s put aside our pride and try to face all these issues. People operate the easy way, cause it’s easier to hate than to say that you made a mistake, but be real and together we can heal and rebuild.

JK-47

JK-47

These lyrics are part of the inspiration for Bright Moon Trust.

Here’s a little more of the story of why we exist, and what we stand for.

These lyrics reflect the inspiration for Bright Moon Trust. Here’s a little more of the story of why we exist, and what we stand for.

These lyrics are part of the inspiration for Bright Moon Trust. Here’s a little more of the story of why we exist, and what we stand for.

Hi there! We’re Collis & Cyan.


Back, when we were young, we started a tech company to help creative people sell online. It went super well, and fast forward some years, we found ourselves in the weird position of having a lot of resources. Much more than we could ever need ourselves.


We’re both Baha’is, and in that faith, we see all of humanity as one big family. That’s one reason we think racism makes so little sense. It’s also why we believe that when someone in the family has a lot, they also have a responsibility to everyone else.


So, some years back, we moved up North to Darwin to live on Larrakia country. While we were there, we decided we wanted to support local First Nations initiatives to help young people.


We didn’t know where to start. Luckily, our son’s grade 2 teacher’s sister put us in touch with two amazing changemakers who were each trying to get something off the ground to help the young men and women of their communities. These two were doing what they could with what was available, but they really needed resources. We had resources. It all just made sense. That was when the model for Bright Moon Trust started.


It’s beautiful up in north. Especially at night. Because it’s so warm, even in the middle of the night, if you can’t sleep, you can just go outside, lay on the earth and stare up into the sky. With less stuff around, the night sky is much brighter. That’s where the name Bright Moon comes from!


The nice thing about the moon is that everyone in the world gets the same moon. Doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you look like, what your past is, or anything else. Look up, same moon. You can’t get yourself a better moon. There’s not one moon for some people, and a different one for those other people. It’s just the same for us all.


Nature has many lessons for us. The lesson we can learn from the moon is that we’re all one. All these systems, structures, boundaries and borders are made up. When something is made up, and it’s no longer working for everyone, we need to make something better up.


The ability for change is within us all, both individually, and collectively. Like JK-47 says in his lyrics, if we all come together as one, we can overcome all manner of challenges.

Hi there! We’re Collis & Cyan.


Back, when we were young, we started a tech company to help creative people sell online. It went super well, and fast forward some years, we found ourselves in the weird position of having a lot of resources. Much more than we could ever need ourselves.


We’re both Baha’is, and in that faith, we see all of humanity as one big family. That’s one reason we think racism makes so little sense. It’s also why we believe that when someone in the family has a lot, they also have a responsibility to everyone else.


So, some years back, we moved up North to Darwin to live on Larrakia country. While we were there, we decided we wanted to support local First Nations initiatives to help young people.


We didn’t know where to start. Luckily, our son’s grade 2 teacher’s sister put us in touch with two amazing changemakers who were each trying to get something off the ground to help the young men and women of their communities. These two were doing what they could with what was available, but they really needed resources. We had resources. It all just made sense. That was when the model for Bright Moon Trust started.


It’s beautiful up in north. Especially at night. Because it’s so warm, even in the middle of the night, if you can’t sleep, you can just go outside, lay on the earth and stare up into the sky. With less stuff around, the night sky is much brighter. That’s where the name Bright Moon comes from!


The nice thing about the moon is that everyone in the world gets the same moon. Doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you look like, what your past is, or anything else. Look up, same moon. You can’t get yourself a better moon. There’s not one moon for some people, and a different one for those other people. It’s just the same for us all.


Nature has many lessons for us. The lesson we can learn from the moon is that we’re all one. All these systems, structures, boundaries and borders are made up. When something is made up, and it’s no longer working for everyone, we need to make something better up.


The ability for change is within us all, both individually, and collectively. Like JK-47 says in his lyrics, if we all come together as one, we can overcome all manner of challenges.

The welfare of any segment of humanity is inextricably bound up with the welfare of the whole. Humanity’s collective life suffers when any one group thinks of its own well-being in isolation from that of its neighbours or pursues economic gain without regard for how the natural environment, which provides sustenance for all, is affected.

The welfare of any segment of humanity is inextricably bound up with the welfare of the whole. Humanity’s collective life suffers when any one group thinks of its own well-being in isolation from that of its neighbours or pursues economic gain without regard for how the natural environment, which provides sustenance for all, is affected.

The welfare of any segment of humanity is inextricably bound up with the welfare of the whole. Humanity’s collective life suffers when any one group thinks of its own well-being in isolation from that of its neighbours or pursues economic gain without regard for how the natural environment, which provides sustenance for all, is affected.

From the Baha’i Faith

From the Baha’i Faith

From the Baha’i Faith

Principles we believe in

Values and beliefs in harmony with evidence based approaches

Development needs to be both rational and systematic, and guided by deeply held values about the purpose of life and the nature of the human spirit.

Values and beliefs in harmony with evidence based approaches

Development needs to be both rational and systematic, and guided by deeply held values about the purpose of life and the nature of the human spirit.

Everyone can contribute

Every person has capacity. Everyone brings something to the table. Big social change takes everyone working together.

Everyone can contribute

Every person has capacity. Everyone brings something to the table. Big social change takes everyone working together.

Real progress is holistic

Progress isn’t just about material stuff. It’s also social, spiritual, cultural, environmental. These are all interconnected and genuine progress requires thinking about them all.

Real progress is holistic

Progress isn’t just about material stuff. It’s also social, spiritual, cultural, environmental. These are all interconnected and genuine progress requires thinking about them all.

Humanity is one family

We’re interconnected. We’re diverse. We’re one big human family. That’s why mutual support, reciprocity, respect and love are so important.

Humanity is one family

We’re interconnected. We’re diverse. We’re one big human family. That’s why mutual support, reciprocity, respect and love are so important.

What we’re learning about

What we’re learning about

What we’re learning about

We believe that social change is not a project that one group of people carries out for the benefit of another. Instead, we believe this kind of change needs to be seen as a community taking agency over its own affairs. So then what is the role of an organisation like Bright Moon Trust? This is what we aim to learn about, by being in the field practising.


How do we best support communities to take agency over their own advancement?


To learn about this, we’ve been on a journey gathering experience about how to make a funding relationship empowering, identifying who in a community to work with, thinking about how to work with them, and so on.


We document our experiences in the Bright Moon Trust narrative, a living document that we update annually. If you’re curious to read it, or (even better) have contributions or feedback to make to it, we’d love to hear from you.

We believe that social change is not a project that one group of people carries out for the benefit of another. Instead, we believe this kind of change needs to be seen as a community taking agency over its own affairs. So then what is the role of an organisation like Bright Moon Trust? This is what we aim to learn about, by being in the field practising.


How do we best support communities to take agency over their own advancement?


To learn about this, we’ve been on a journey gathering experience about how to make a funding relationship empowering, identifying who in a community to work with, thinking about how to work with them, and so on.


We document our experiences in the Bright Moon Trust narrative, a living document that we update annually. If you’re curious to read it, or (even better) have contributions or feedback to make to it, we’d love to hear from you.

We believe that social change is not a project that one group of people carries out for the benefit of another. Instead, we believe this kind of change needs to be seen as a community taking agency over its own affairs. So then what is the role of an organisation like Bright Moon Trust? This is what we aim to learn about, by being in the field practising.


How do we best support communities to take agency over their own advancement?


To learn about this, we’ve been on a journey gathering experience about how to make a funding relationship empowering, identifying who in a community to work with, thinking about how to work with them, and so on.


We document our experiences in the Bright Moon Trust narrative, a living document that we update annually. If you’re curious to read it, or (even better) have contributions or feedback to make to it, we’d love to hear from you.

Our Governance and Compliance

Bright Moon Trust is an Australian private ancillary fund (ABN 50 860 383 227). We are overseen by a small Board of Directors, made up of Collis & Cyan Ta’eed, and Natalie Tam, CFA. Natalie is our ‘responsible person’, and is a UN Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) Listed Equity Advisory Committee Member. Bright Moon Trust is administered by Australian Philanthropic Services, and our investments are managed by PwC.

Bright Moon Trust is an Australian private ancillary fund (ABN 50 860 383 227). We are overseen by a small Board of Directors, made up of Collis & Cyan Ta’eed, and Natalie Tam, CFA. Natalie is our ‘responsible person’, and is a UN Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) Listed Equity Advisory Committee Member. Bright Moon Trust is administered by Australian Philanthropic Services, and our investments are managed by PwC.

Bright Moon Trust is an Australian private ancillary fund (ABN 50 860 383 227). We are overseen by a small Board of Directors, made up of Collis & Cyan Ta’eed, and Natalie Tam, CFA. Natalie is our ‘responsible person’, and is a UN Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) Listed Equity Advisory Committee Member. Bright Moon Trust is administered by Australian Philanthropic Services, and our investments are managed by PwC.

Bright Moon Trust was created on beautiful Larrakia saltwater country and we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the land and their ongoing connection to it.

Beautiful Country

by Jimblah

See where else we work

Bright Moon Trust was created on beautiful Larrakia saltwater country and we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the land and their ongoing connection to it.

Beautiful Country

by Jimblah

Bright Moon Trust was created on beautiful Larrakia saltwater country and we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the land and their ongoing connection to it.

Beautiful Country

by Jimblah