You can sponsor an Australian child today

Yes. We encourage sponsors and children to exchange cards and letters throughout the year - although it is entirely optional. Many sponsors and their students find this an extremely rewarding part of the program. We’ll even send you a reminder before your students birthday so you can send a card if you wish. All correspondence between students and sponsors is exchanged through The Smith Family to ensure that it complies with our guidelines and that privacy is maintained at all times.

The My Smith Family Portal also enables you to write electronically, quickly and easily and can be accessed here.

To find out more about writing to your student, please visit this page.

To be eligible for Learning for Life sponsorship families must meet the following criteria:

• live in a community where The Smith Family has a presence;
• possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card;
• demonstrate a commitment to education (i.e. children must attend school regularly);
• be referred to us by a community organisation such as a school.

To remain on the Learning for Life sponsorship program families must:

• show a commitment to their child’s education by ensuring children attend school;
• complete a student profile each year (a written update which is sent to their sponsor);
• provide a copy of their end of year school reports (for Smith Family administration and not shared with the sponsor);
• keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested.

Research confirms that the best way to help children break the cycle of disadvantage is by helping them get the most out of their education.

Everything that we do is backed by research, and we know that sponsorship is making a difference because we measure the success of all of our programs.

Sponsorship supports children in need so they can:

• attend school regularly,
• complete Year 12, and
• move onto further education and employment post school.

We measure a child’s school attendance, advancement and engagement after school. We can proudly report that we are continuing to improve in these areas year on year – as featured in our Annual Report.

You can also follow your child’s progression through school by corresponding with them.

Since the end of the 1990s The Smith Family has focused its activities on providing disadvantaged children with a hand up through education support rather than a hand out through emergency relief or traditional welfare activities, including blankets, food parcels and furniture.

Research shows supporting a child’s education and learning is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage and this is what The Smith Family is all about today.

The Smith Family forms a partnership agreement with every family that comes onto the Learning for Life program. This is a rigorous process to ensure that your money is used as set out in the agreement. Our students are referred by our partner schools, and their families must possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card to be eligible for support. To remain on the sponsorship program supported families must keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested, as well as return partnership paperwork (e.g. student profiles and student attendance reports).

For a family struggling with financial hardship, an increase in the costs of living can be the tipping point. Prioritising the essentials such as housing and food, means a parent can struggle to meet their child’s education costs. Not having the essentials they need for school often means a child can’t fit in or participate fully at school. Once they begin to disengage, they are far more likely to fall behind and leave school early.

Reflecting on the cost of sponsorship, we took into account the increased cost of living as a starting point. We also value the important role our sponsors’ feedback plays in our work. A few months ago, we invited sponsors to provide feedback regarding the change through an online survey. Over 2,800 sponsors responded and what stood out was that nearly all supported the need for an increase, and wholeheartedly agreed that this would help ensure we can continue to help families keep up with rising costs and enable The Smith Family to provide students with the ongoing educational support they need to create better futures.

We also invited feedback from over 1,000 families supported by The Smith Family. We heard them say that the rising costs have made it harder than ever for them to afford the essentials they need for their children’s education. They also reiterated the value they place on the personal and program support they receive for their child’s learning.

This comprehensive review has resulted in a 5% increase in the cost of sponsorship, and importantly, a 5% increase in the financial support provided to families. This will continue to enable families to afford the essentials their children need to fit in and participate fully at school. 

For existing sponsorships, the cost of sponsoring a child will increase from 1 January 2025.  

For all new sponsorships starting on or after 1 January 2025 – these will commence at the new payment amounts outlined in the following frequently asked question.

We understand a price rise may be difficult for some sponsors.  In our pricing review we looked to strike a balance which would enable an increase to support the families, while also being affordable for our sponsors.  

However, the sponsorship program is only one of our programs that supports children through their education. If this is of interest to you, we’d love to talk to you about other ways you could continue supporting children in need through The Smith Family.

Our team are always happy to assist so please either contact us on 1800 633 622 or write to us at GPO Box 5348, Sydney NSW 2001, or email us at sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au.