Future Generation Women (FGW) – one of the three philanthropic investment funds in the Future Generation stable – is today unveiling its inaugural not-for-profit partners, a year after launching with the mission to advance economic equality and opportunities for Australian women.
Chosen from a competitive field of 129 applications from every state and territory, the nine organisations selected are: Common Ground, Ember Connect, Global Sisters, Prison Network, Protea Place, SisterWorks, Stepping Stone Social Enterprise, The Social Outfit and WomenCAN Australia.
These partners all support women most impacted by economic inequality – including rural and regional women, incarcerated women, First Nations women, migrant and refugee women, single mothers and women with disability – to access meaningful and sustainable work.
Caroline Gurney, CEO of Future Generation, said: “Gender inequality is holding our country back. Our new partners are doing vital work to help some of Australia’s most vulnerable women build the foundations for economic independence and security. We are delighted to welcome them into the Future Generation family.”
FGW today also announces three new members to its Advisory Committee – Georgina Byron AM, CEO of the Snow Foundation, Carol Schwartz AO, one of Australia’s leading business and community leaders, and Serena Grant, Director of Business and Human Rights at Minderoo Foundation. They bring deep expertise in gender equity, investing in women entrepreneurship, and social impact. They will be joining existing Advisory members, Elana Rubin AM, Natasha Stott Despoja AO, Marianne Perkovic and Elizabeth Lewin.
Geoff Wilson AO, Founder of Future Generation, said: “Securing advisers of Georgina, Carol, and Serena’s calibre is a significant milestone for Future Generation Women. It underscores the strength of the Future Generation model, which allows investors to access leading fund managers and earn solid investment returns, while simultaneously supporting good causes.”
Backed by Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation, FGW is managed entirely by women portfolio managers, who waive all management and performance fees so that 1% of the fund’s assets can be donated to charity each year. The unlisted trust builds on the proven Future Generation model, which has to date donated $100 million to social causes while still delivering investment returns to its 15,000 shareholders.
Emily Fuller, Future Generation’s Social Impact Director, said: “Supporting women to access work – especially those women facing the toughest structural barriers – is one of the critical drivers of closing the economic gap between genders. In future funding rounds, FGW will focus on the other levers, which are building financial capability among women and girls and dismantling the harmful gender norms that are known to underpin the persisting gender gaps in Australia.”
FGW will work with its new partners on a shared measurement framework to track both individual outcomes and collective progress across the portfolio.
About Future Generation Women
Future Generation Women is an unlisted investment trust managed by leading women portfolio managers. These fund managers waive all management and performance fees so that 1% of assets can be donated to not-for-profits working to advance economic equality and opportunities for women and their children – without compromising shareholder returns.
Future Generation Women is part of the Future Generation group, which has more than A$1.4 billion under management.
About the new Future Generation Women Impact Partners
Common Ground – Amplifying First Nations voices through storytelling
Common Ground is a 100% First Nations-led and operated not-for-profit working to create employment and enterprise opportunities for women and gender diverse people in storytelling, media and creative industries. Its purpose is to ensure that First Nations voices are heard, valued and amplified through cultural and creative expression. Through the SHE DIRECTS program, Common Ground empowers First Nations women in the film industry, providing hands-on learning and networking opportunities for women across remote and regional Australia.
Ember Connect – An online community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
Ember Connect is a national collective that elevates First Nations women by strengthening social networks and supporting economic independence. It aims to transform women’s access to meaningful work by combining culturally-grounded career support with practical peer and employer-focused approaches. Described as a cross between LinkedIn and Facebook, its free online platform Ember Connect Live enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from across Australia to learn new skills, gain targeted mentoring and explore career paths and employer partnerships.
Global Sisters – Creating a world where every woman can own her economic future
Global Sisters supports women facing multiple barriers to employment – such as older women, migrants, refugees, First Nations women, single mothers and women with disabilities – to create flexible, sustainable economic opportunities through self-employment and micro-business. It works at a systems change level, providing business education, expert corporate coaching, pro bono support, microfinance and financial pathways, market access, and community and wrap-around services. Global Sisters also provides housing security to help women move from government support and into financial independence.
The Prison Network – Giving women the support and courage they need to rebuild their lives post-incarceration
The Prison Network helps women transition from institutionalisation to independence, working with employers to create real job opportunities and providing intensive wrap-around support to help women navigate the barriers to reintegration. It is dedicated to restoring dignity and creating opportunity, so that women can rebuild their lives, participate fully in community and employment, and break intergenerational cycles of incarceration, poverty and disadvantage.
Protea Place – Providing support, dignity and employment pathways to vulnerable women
Protea Place supports regional women with complex service needs using a holistic, wraparound model. Women presenting at Protea Place typically experience complex, intersectional barriers to economic participation. The Apiary Women’s Community Hub offers them a safe place to access a range of programs and support to improve their life outcomes. In 2026, Protea Place will launch The Apiary Women’s Community Hub which incorporates a social enterprise preloved fashion boutique (labels with Love) coffee lounge and training space (Bloom) in Toowoomba’s largest shopping center, focusing solely on employment readiness skills, training and employment and wellbeing for vulnerable women.
SisterWorks – Economic empowerment for migrant women
SisterWorks is a not-for-profit social enterprise empowering woman from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds through employment, entrepreneurship and community connection. It offers job-readiness programs, mentorship, employment placement and direct employment, providing first work experience in manufacturing, retail and hospitality. By building skills, confidence and real work opportunities, SisterWorks supports women to achieve economic independence and contribute meaningfully to their families, communities and the broader economy.
Stepping Stone – Hospitality employment and tailored training for migrant and refugee women
Stepping Stone Social Enterprise empowers migrant and refugee women to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and networks to participate in the workforce through inclusive employment and tailored training. It delivers employment pathways through two cafes, a catering service and an urban farm. The model focuses on women facing the greatest challenges to employment due to language barriers, lack of qualifications and formal education, or the need for flexible hours.
The Social Outfit – An ethical fashion label with a difference
The Social Outfit aims to kickstart the Australian careers of refugee and migrant women by providing job opportunities in ethical fashion manufacturing and retail. Participants face high, systemic barriers to employment, including intersectional disadvantage, trauma, low English proficiency and disrupted education. The Social Outfit creates employment pathways through three integrated activities: the production and retail of ethical fashion; delivery of industry-aligned paid training programs that address key skills gaps; and facilitated work transitions with employment partners.
WomenCAN Australia – Supporting women through vocational training and into economic independence
WomenCAN Australia began in 2019 to assist women who have been out of the paid workforce, many for caring responsibilities, migration and other systematic barriers, to reconnect to work. Its peer-led model encourages women to assist one another to rebuild their confidence and develop capabilities. Through connections to vocational training and job placements, WomenCAN Australia helps women facing the greatest barriers to transition smoothly into employment and work toward economic independence.
Further information:
If you have any questions about Future Generation Women or you wish to speak to a member of the Future Generation team, please respond to this email or call (02) 9247 9202. You may also email us at [email protected].
Disclaimer
Equity Trustees Limited (“Equity Trustees”) (ABN 46 004 031 298), AFSL 240975, is the Responsible Entity for the Future Generations Women (“the Fund”). Equity Trustees is a subsidiary of EQT Holdings Limited (ABN 22 607 797 615), a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: EQT).
This Information has been prepared by Future Generations to provide you with general information only. In preparing this information, we did not consider the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It is not intended to take the place of professional advice and you should not take action on specific issues in reliance on this information. Neither Future Generations, Equity Trustees nor any of its related parties, their employees or directors, provide and warranty of accuracy or reliability in relation to such information or accepts any liability to any person who relies on it. Past performance should not be taken as an indicator of future performance. You should obtain a copy of the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a decision about whether to invest in this product.
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