Fairfax–Yiliyapinya funding agreement is a meeting of minds

An agreement between Tim Fairfax Family Foundation (TFFF) and the Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation provides flexible operational support that will allow Yiliyapinya to invest according to its own priorities. The approach reflects key themes raised at last week’s conference and in the wider debate about how Indigenous not-for-profits and charities can be funded respectfully and effectively.

Yiliyapinya, whose name means “brain” in the Wankumara language, takes a “restorative, culturally responsive, relational, neuro-informed approach” to its work in improving the brain health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people through its Yili program, and facilitating healing for the adults who support them.

Indigenous leaders have repeatedly said it’s time for philanthropy to provide untethered funding so communities can use it as they see best, without having to jump through hoops or fill out acquittals that don’t align with Indigenous ways of doing business and creating change.

Through its strategic partner program, TFFF demonstrates its “commitment to long-term, trust-based funding and its belief that sustained investment gives for-purpose organisations greater stability to plan, strengthen their teams, and pursue their mission with confidence.” The Yiliyapinya agreement is the fourth that TFFF has made under the program.

For Yiliyapinya, the long-term funding will offer financial surety, enabling the organisation to solidify and increase its scale and impact. TFFF said the funding would most likely be used for “strengthening organisational capability, supporting … people, refining programs and evidence, and building relationships needed for lasting community and systems-level change.”

In announcing the partnership, Tim Fairfax said, “Yiliyapinya brings together Indigenous knowledge, community leadership and brain health science in a thoughtful and practical way. Over our existing partnership, we have seen the strength of Sheryl Batchelor’s leadership and the organisation’s commitment to children, families and community.

“Trust-based philanthropy begins with listening to the people closest to the work, backing their expertise and giving them the flexibility to lead. This nine-year agreement reflects our trust in Yiliyapinya’s direction and our belief that long-term funding gives strong organisations the stability to plan, learn and do their work.”

The work is founded on an understanding that brains change in response to experiences and environments, and that strengthening brain health is an essential prevention strategy for intergenerational trauma and disadvantage.

Yiliyapinya offers programs across much of Queensland and the Northern Territory, where it works with schools, service providers, the youth justice system, government and community organisations.

The organisation’s founder and CEO, Sheryl Batchelor, said, “TFFF are leading the way in trust-based, long-term philanthropy. What this means for organisations like Yiliyapinya is more self-determination, decreased administrative costs, and a better ability to respond to current community needs.

“Few organisations are given this kind of runway, and we don’t take it lightly,” she said. “It’s a vote of confidence not only in Yiliyapinya, but in the ability of our community to lead its own solutions.”

The keys to trust-based philanthropy

TFFF started its strategic partnership strategy in 2024, when it partnered with Dancenorth, Camerata and Crossroads Arts. In announcing the Yiliyapinya partnership, the foundation said its approach reflected a broader shift to “trust-based” philanthropy in Australia.

“At its heart, trust-based philanthropy recognises that for-purpose organisations understand their work, their communities and the conditions surrounding them. The funder’s role is to identify capable people doing meaningful work, resource them well, and give them room to lead,” it said.

Trust-based philanthropy required more than just a longer grant term, the foundation said. It required exploring flexible funding, proportionate reporting, open communication, and respect for the knowledge held by organisations and communities.

“General operating support allows an organisation to invest where resources are most useful. This might involve retaining skilled staff, strengthening governance, developing evidence, updating systems, or responding to a community priority which was not apparent when an application was written,” it said.

The commitment of almost a decade was also significant, freeing senior leaders from the need to prepare repeated applications and battle funding uncertainty.

“It creates space for honest conversations, thoughtful planning, and adjustment when circumstances change. Most importantly, it recognises organisations such as Yiliyapinya as partners with expertise, rather than recipients expected to work within a funder’s view of what their communities need,” the announcement said.

“This has particular significance when supporting Indigenous-led organisations. Trust-based philanthropy asks funders to listen carefully, respect community and cultural authority, and support solutions led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. TFFF’s partnership with Yiliyapinya recognises the organisation’s cultural knowledge, community relationships, and growing evidence base, and places decisions about its work with the people closest to it.”