15,000 students are waiting for sponsors.

Our Programs
- Literacy programs
  Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.
- Technology programs
  Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.
- Numeracy programs
  We support early years educators and community professionals in building foundational math skills in children under their care.
- Learning for Life
  Providing holistic, long-term support for disadvantaged young Australians throughout their education.
- Mentoring programs
  Mentoring programs for students living with disadvantage that provide the encouragement they need to build aspirations for their future.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs
  Our work engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in learning through education, life skills and role models, promoting culturally responsive practice.
Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs
Get Involved
- Ways to fundraise
  Learn about fundraising and give back to the community with The Smith Family.
- Volunteer with us
  Share your skills to help Australian children in need transform their lives through education.
- Partnerships
  Learn how your organisation can partner with The Smith Family and help build a better future for Australian children in need.
- Careers
  We aim to provide a working environment where staff and volunteers have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
- Events
  Participate in events and activities that support young Australians experiencing disadvantage.
- VIEW clubs of Australia
  Learn about VIEW, a leading women’s volunteer organisation and support network with over 16,000 members, across Australia.
Ways to Give
- Sponsor a child
  Through child sponsorship, you will be matched to an Australian child in need, helping to support the cost of their school essentials.
- A gift in your will
  Ensure that future generations of Australian children have the support they need to make the most of their education.
- Monthly donation
  Become a monthly donor and provide continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education.
- Philanthropic giving
  Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians impacted by poverty get the education that all children deserve.
- Single donation
  Your donation will help young Australians in need by providing access to our Learning for Life education support programs.
- Workplace giving
  Making small, regular donations to The Smith Family through Workplace Giving is an easy way to help change the lives of young Australians living in poverty.
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Sponsor a child in need this school year

Poverty is the only thing preventing Josh from achieving everything he works for.

Confident and outgoing, Josh loves school and should have the same chance as every child to achieve his dream of becoming a “big cat vet” one day.

But his family’s financial situation means that he ended last year behind his classmates ─ even though he worked as hard as ever, and his dad and teachers did everything they could to support him.

Now he’s going back to school with an ill-fitting secondhand uniform and the same faded backpack from last year. And he's worried about missing out on important learning opportunities, like the zoo trip he desperately wanted to go on last year.

All I want is to be a vet and work with big cats. But I’m no good at school anymore.

Josh, age 8

Josh’s family is facing severe financial stress, and it’s impacting his education.

Two years ago, Josh’s mum suffered a stroke, leaving her unable to work.

Josh’s dad, Mick,* does his best to care for her full-time, as well as look after their four children. But losing their main source of income, on top of the rising cost of living right now ─ has plunged the family into poverty.

Mick has no choice but to prioritise family expenses over school essentials. And while he makes time to read with Josh every day, he doesn’t have the skills to support Josh’s learning as well as his mum once did.

How sponsorship helps a child

School essentials

Financial support to pay for stationery, backpacks, shoes and a complete school uniform, as well as school books and extra-curricular activities like school excursions.

Local, personalised support

Your sponsored child will be paired with one of our Learning for Life Coordinators who offers support with their schooling and links them to local learning opportunities.

Access to additional learning support

Ongoing access to our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs to help students build the skills to thrive at school and beyond.

This year can be different for a child like Josh. Your sponsorship will provide the learning essentials and extra support they need to succeed.

Josh used to be so confident and outgoing. But not having the right uniform and other essentials is making him shut down. I just want him to have the chance to do well in school and follow his dreams.

Mick, Josh’s dad

You can help a child like Josh change his future

No child should miss out on their chance to achieve their best at school because of financial disadvantage.

We know education is one of the most powerful agents for change.

By sponsoring an Australian child in Josh’s position, you’ll give them access to the financial, emotional, and extra educational support they need to unlock their full potential at school, and beyond.

With your help today, Josh can clear the obstacles poverty puts in his path — and change his tomorrow.

Right now, Josh and over 2,503 children in Australia like him are in urgent need of a sponsor to achieve their best this year, and beyond.

Find out more

About Child Sponsorship

Get more information on how child sponsorship with The Smith Family works.

Student stories

Hear from the children who are sponsored through The Smith Family.

Our learning programs

Read about how The Smith Family works with communities around Australia.

*Josh’s name, family details and associated images have been changed to protect his family’s identity.