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Philanthropy roundtable in Alice Springs/Mparntwe to drive new era of community giving

She Gives

How can philanthropy empower Central Australian communities in a time of growing social and environmental challenges?

Leading women in philanthropy and community came together in Alice Springs/Mparntwe on Thursday for a landmark discussion as the She Gives campaign gathers pace ahead of a historic research report examining women’s giving in Australia.

Hosted by Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation, the roundtable and panel event – held at Alice Springs Turf Club – will explore what drives giving in the region and the role it can play in responding to community priorities, supporting intercultural approaches, and growing a culture of giving that strengthens community-led solutions.

The Northern Territory faces significant challenges with community and organisations struggling to make headway. The discussion will focus on how local and national philanthropy can help meet these challenges and drive real impact and thriving regions in remote Australia.

She Gives is a national campaign that aims to share 100 stories of women’s giving and national stories of collective giving, to any cause, at any level, to grow the culture of giving in Australia. The campaign has been developed as a catalyst for cultural change as need increases in our communities and women come into greater agency, education and wealth. Women are expected to inherit up to two-thirds of Australia’s $3.4 trillion wealth transfer over the next two decades.

The Alice Springs roundtable is part of a series designed to capture insights from women leading in giving.  These facilitated small-group discussions will directly inform the most comprehensive research report into why women give and opportunities to grow giving in Australia. The report is due to be released in early 2026 in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia.

The roundtable will include a panel discussion with:

• Libby Prell, Chair, the Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation
• Donna Digby, Founder, Territory Connect
• Jennifer Howard, Director, Saltbush Social Enterprises

Ms Prell – an active supporter of the community for over 40 years – first borrowed money with her husband to set up the Tania Smith Scholarship for Aboriginal children at St Philip’s College, to inspire opportunity through education. This Scholarship was created in memory of Tony’s late daughter and Libby’s stepdaughter. Now as Chair of the Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation, Ms Prell believes in the strength of this community and its willingness to lean in and find progress which collectively will influence building an even stronger community.  

“Strong inclusive schools and sporting clubs are great examples of why families stay in the town – and the stronger community is, the stronger the town is,” she said. “I feel that the Community Foundation, will grow and grow to support this. We will continue to build on our amplification of all the good things that are happening in our town and people need to see each other and to see Alice Springs as an extraordinary intercultural community in the heart of Australia.”

As founder of social enterprise Territory Connect, Ms Digby helps Territorians reach their leadership potential. After the sudden loss of her husband in 2023, she led a fundraising trek of the Larapinta Trail, raising $53,000 for a Central Australian Rural Leadership program leadership scholarship. The milestone highlighted the power of collective giving when it centred on a clear purpose, and that giving doesn’t have to be big to make an impact.

“The women in my circle are strong, capable, adaptable and they understand how their generosity can translate into other things around the Central Australian region,” she said. “Imagine a world where we’re all giving to the things that matter to us, and the impact that could ripple from that. I want more people to realise the impact of regular giving and that a small amount, given collectively, can make a significant difference.”

She Gives campaign founder Melissa Smith said the research roundtables had highlighted the depth of women’s giving around the country and the need to keep sharing stories of giving to inspire greater engagement as well as the importance of centring First Nations voices in the national conversation about philanthropy.

“In Alice Springs, First Nations-led approaches show us what giving looks like when it’s grounded in culture, responsibility and respect. When philanthropy is done in partnership with community, it has the power to unlock resources and create lasting change — and there’s no better place to have a thought-provoking discussion about the kind of future we want to build,” she said.  

“We’re very excited to have so many amazing women come together in Alice Springs to discuss how we can collectively drive change and unlock the catalytic potential of women’s giving. Women are a driving force in philanthropy and within their communities, and it’s time their contributions are recognised and celebrated so we can grow giving further.”

John Huigen, Executive Director of the Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation, said:

“We were happy to be approached to host this event because a key role of the Foundation is to encourage local giving for locally supported action. The Foundation is keen to learn from the voices of local women and to support a national conversation and understanding about the role women play in philanthropy. Thanks to Nicole Walsh and Donna Digby, in their roles of Community Working Group Leads, for their help in coordinating this event.”

She Gives is grateful to its supporting partners, Perpetual Limited (Major Partner), Fairground (Major Partner), Minderoo Foundation (Major Partner) and the McLean Foundation, Snow Foundation, Ningana and Noble Ambition, as well as for the wisdom and guidance of its advisory group:

• Clare Ainsworth Herschell (Founder of Groundswell)
• Georgina Byron AM (CEO of the Snow Foundation, Chair of Sydney Women's Fund Advisory Group and Co-Chair of Deadly Hearts Limited)
• Natalie Egleton (CEO of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal)
• Caitriona Fay (Managing Partner of Perpetual Private’s Social Investment businesses and ESG Strategy, founding board member of GiveOUT)
• Tanya Hosch (Executive General Manager, Inclusion & Social Policy – AFL)
• Michelle Lin (CEO of Vermillion Foundation)
• Paula McLean (A founding trustee of McLean Foundation)
• Amanda Miller OAM (Co-founder of Impact Generation Partners and Co-Chair of Philanthropy Australia)
• Professor Kristy Muir (CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation)
• Carol Schwartz AO (founding Chair of both Trawalla Foundation and Women’s Leadership Institute Australia)
• Melissa Smith (CEO, Noble Ambition & Founder, She Gives)
• Deanne Weir (Founder of WeirAnderson.com and WeirAnderson Films)

 

To view the full list of our sector partners, visit the She Gives website.

About the Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation

Established in 2024 as the Northern Territory’s first community foundation, the Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation aims to foster a stronger community and shared future. By catalysing connections and collecting and distributing donated funds, the Foundation supports high-impact local initiatives.

Contact details:

Amy Price 0437 027 156

For enquiries about the Mparntwe Alisce Springs Community Foundation, contact John Huigen 0448 515 563