Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Donations from trusts and foundations
At The Smith Family, we understand the profound impact that donations and grants from trusts and foundations can have on children and young people in vulnerable communities.
Your generous support can help us provide young Australians experiencing disadvantage with a proven combination of financial, practical and personal support for their education, including access to additional learning and mentoring programs – tailored to their individual needs. Working with us, you help create a lasting legacy of positive change, empowering children to overcome barriers caused by financial disadvantage.
We are committed to transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. Our dedicated team works tirelessly to ensure that every dollar received is maximised for the greatest impact.
We invite you to join us to make a difference for children through educational support. Let's work together to drive meaningful change and ensure every child has an equal chance to succeed in their education and beyond.
Transform lives through your giving
The Smith Family is a national children's education charity with a vision of a world where every child has the opportunity to change their future.
We work with children and young people to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty, so they can thrive now and into their futures.
The sad reality in Australia today is that 1.2 million children experience poverty*, and that has life-altering impacts for them and their families. We believe that education is a great pathway out of that experience of poverty for children.
Watch this video to find out more about what we do, how we help and how your gift can play a vital role.
Your support is urgently needed
Every child should have the opportunity to change their future. But for 1.2 million young Australians*, poverty stands in the way.
Through no fault of their own, children growing up with disadvantage face daily challenges that can prevent them from achieving all they're capable of.
The risk factors that lead to educational inequality can begin in a child's early years and continue throughout school. Despite the resilience and commitment of parents, the contributors to disadvantage are complex. Without the right support at the right time, the effects can be long-term and intergenerational.
If we don't take action together now, many Australian children will not have the extra learning support they need to make the most of their education and realise their full potential. Education helps young Australians break free from the cycle of poverty – empowering them to create brighter futures for themselves.
Contribute to systems change
Children’s educational and life outcomes are influenced by a range of factors, including government policies, practices and community attitudes.
That’s why we not only provide support to help children overcome the barriers they face as a result of poverty; we also tackle the root causes to help shift the conditions that hold the problems in place.
But systems change is rarely easy. It requires a collective effort. So, we collaborate with an ecosystem of changemakers – students and families, governments, philanthropists, educational institutions including almost 800 partner schools, other organisations and the business community. Working together, we amplify our impact and make our education system fairer for all children.
We invest in vital advocacy work – for example, to progress digital inclusion – to champion change not just for the children The Smith Family supports but also for other young Australians experiencing disadvantage. We share our evidence and research widely, contribute to public policy reform and seek to influence our nation’s leaders.
If you’d like to explore how you can make a transformational donation, family or trust gift, please contact our Trusts and Foundations team by email or call us on 02 9085 7164 .
Email us Informed by the evidence
Evidence and research underpin everything we do at The Smith Family.
We draw on more than 100 years of experience, thousands of personal stories, extensive data and best practice from Australia and around the world to continually assess and improve how we work – and how we help.
We track the progress of the children and young people supported through our programs, to ensure what we are doing is making a positive difference in their lives. From data on completion rates through secondary school and transition into further study, to close-ups on the results of our learning programs, you’ll be able to see first-hand the impact of your contribution.
We use our unique longitudinal data and research to inform our practice and programs. This, in turn, enables us to achieve better outcomes for the young people we support and their families. Read our latest research reports.
The importance of your contribution
Last year, we supported more than 178,000 young people through our programs, but we’re still only reaching 15% of the 1.2 million young Australians living in poverty today*.
The Smith Family relies on the generosity of supporters like you to sustain our cause, as 77% of our annual income comes from private donations.
We’re committed to making the most of every single dollar we receive, ensuring the best use of the funds you entrust to us. In the five years to June 2024, 73% of donations from our supporters went straight into our community programs – allowing us to provide the most impactful programs for children and young people around Australia.
This allocation is just one measure of our effectiveness. Another critical dimension is the positive impact our investment in resources and activities has in supporting our long-term program outcomes and sustainability. For more information, view our Annual Report and Financial Statements.
How to direct your gift as a trust or foundation
By partnering with The Smith Family, you can make a significant impact throughout the entire length of a child’s education – starting before school, through primary and secondary years, and into post-school years.
Your gift can be directed to sponsor children on our core Learning for Life program, or to support another specific program or area of interest. Alternatively, you can choose to provide flexible funding which allows us to direct the funds to where they are most needed.
You can support the education of children and young people in need across the country. We deliver our programs in 91 communities that have higher concentrations of families living in economic disadvantage, and we work in partnership with almost 800 schools across every State and Territory.
The reach of our targeted education programs means that you can make a positive difference for children in the specific communities you’re invested in – while being part of a cause that’s improving society as a whole.
Innovative thinking for better outcomes
We’re always looking for new ways to make a greater impact in our rapidly changing world. Since 2021, The Smith Family has partnered with the South Australian Department for Education on an innovative data exchange arrangement, which has been a real game-changer.
It gives our frontline workers real-time access to education information for our Learning for Life students – and with it, our staff can intervene early if problems arise and better respond to a child’s specific needs. Data includes areas such as school attendance rates, literacy, numeracy, Year 12 completion and behaviour.
We have a new exchange agreement with the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People, and have entered into similar agreements with education departments in Western Australia and Queensland, with plans for more operational dashboards nationally.
By joining us, you’ll be actively engaging with bold, new ideas – and the transformative difference they can make in young people’s lives.
Supporter testimonials
We believe in The Smith Family. We think that they do amazing work – through their research, their evidence and their strategic focus on actually tackling some of those big challenges for young people today. The reason you invest in young people is because they are our future. They’re the ones that are going to create the change that we all need.
The feeling you get from supporting a young child through their education journey is special and we encourage anyone who can give to consider doing so. Start with your local communities and actively look to be further involved if you’re able.
Find out more about how you can make a donation, family or trust gift today by contacting our Trusts and Foundations team by email or call us on 02 9085 7164.
Email us More ways to support
Philanthropic Giving
Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians growing up in poverty get the education they deserve.
Give to our endowment
The opportunity to support the futures of young Australians in need, not just this year, but for generations to come.
Become a corporate partner
With your people and our combined passion, together, we can offer many more young Australians the chance to create a better future for themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions for trusts and foundations
*Davidson, P; Bradbury, B; and Wong, M (2023), Poverty in Australia 2023: Who is affected, Poverty and Inequality Partnership Report no. 20. Australian Council of Social Service and UNSW Sydney. ^Lamb S and Huo S (2024). The costs of failing to be inclusive: An analysis based on education in Australia. Downes P et al (Eds). The Routledge International Handbook of equity and inclusion in education.