‘Community foundations are vital at a time in which Australia has become, over the last generation, increasingly a nation more of ‘me’ than of ‘we’.' Celebrations were in full swing this week, with the official Canberra announcement of historic DGR reform for community foundations. 'At a time when we need to deal with these twin challenges – rising inequality and declining community – community foundations may be just the answer,' said the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP. Hosted by local community foundation Hands Across Canberra and joined by our colleagues at Philanthropy Australia, it was a full and rejoicing room, with community foundations unanimously hailed for their unique role in nurturing social capital and building community. 'These groundbreaking reforms mean that more and more Australian communities will have a way to govern their own resources and lead their own decision-making processes,' said Ian Bird. These changes put Australia at the front of the global development of community philanthropy. Click through to read the full story and to learn more about our growing network. https://www.cfaustralia.org.au/news/canberra-celebration-for-historic-reform-a-story-for-all-australian-communities (fb)

✨ Historic DGR reform for Australia's community foundations ✨ On Monday, Community Foundations Australia and our colleagues at Philanthropy Australia welcomed the delivery of historic reform to the tax and regulatory framework for community foundations in Australia - over 20 years of sector-wide advocacy comes to a successful close, ushering in a new era for local communities and their foundations. The Community Charity Guidelines, which came into effect over the weekend, are the final component of a major reform that recognises the importance of community philanthropy and local decision-making in affecting long-term social change. Community Foundations Australia Chair, Ben Rodgers, commended the Australian Government for the practical action it has taken to support community philanthropy in Australia. ‘The implementation of this reform brings more than 20 years of sector-wide advocacy to a successful close, creating a new and better tax and regulatory framework for community foundations, in recognition of the vital role they play building thriving communities across Australia.’ ‘It’s been great to work with the Assistant Minister for Charities, the Hon Andrew Leigh MP, to secure this outcome, and we applaud his personal commitment to the importance of community foundations and their role as social capital enablers,’ said Ben Rodgers. ‘This would not have been possible without the tireless effort and advocacy from so many across the community foundation movement and broader philanthropic sector, both in recent years and across the last two decades. We are very grateful to everyone who contributed.’ Philanthropy Australia CEO, Maree Sidey, said that the outcome is a powerful example of what is possible when the philanthropic sector, our partners and the Australian Government work together to achieve a common goal. ‘It’s vital that our policy and regulatory environment empowers people to give, so we’re really pleased that these reforms remove big roadblocks, helping unlock the flow of more resources to important community initiatives.’ Read the full article below for more details on the reforms, or to get in touch with the Community Foundations Australia team. https://www.cfaustralia.org.au/news/historic-dgr-reform-for-community-foundations-now-legislated (fb)