P500 – Giving Circle

Donations for the 2025 campaign are now open.

If you need assistance navigating the ‘Donate Now” donation platform, we have produced an instructional video to guide you step-by-step – watch the video

Please Note: Donations via Visa and Mastercard are fee free. AMEX and Paypal donations incur fees.

Donations of $500 annually or $42 per month ongoing can be made via:

Online giving via the Donate Now button
Direct Bank Account Transfer via the Donation Form

What is P500?

About P500 and Geelong Community Foundation

P500 is a Sub Fund of Geelong Community Foundation. As a Sub Fund, P500 benefits from the expertise, structure and support from Geelong Community Foundation that enables P500 donors to receive tax deductibility for their gift, the distribution of P500 grants and to build the perpetual P500 Sub Fund that will generate support for future generations.

$500 contributions from a collective of the Geelong community providing a high impact gift to our local community – a smart way of giving to the Geelong Community Foundation.

P500 is the starting point of your philanthropic journey. It harnesses the power of collective giving to fund transformative grants through the combined contributions of individuals, families and businesses.

P500 provides an accessible entry point for like-minded donors across all generations to pool their donations, support their community and experience the grant-making process first-hand. Events are held for P500 donors throughout the year that provide education, networking opportunities, celebrating shortlisted grantees and selecting the final grant recipient.

Visit our P500 Grant page for more information about the grant application process.

“By giving $500, and having it become part of a larger gift, I feel like a major donor. The impact we can make as a group is inspiring” – Bridgette Kelly, Chair, P500 Committee (2016-2019)

How it works

P500 aims to highlight unmet needs in our community, to increase involvement in philanthropy across Geelong and support life-changing community programs. Our strategy is to make one primary grant each year and to grow an endowment fund collectively.

A $500 donation is made and pooled to create a high impact grant for the community. Your contribution adds to the P500 Sub Fund which was valued at $372,072 as at 30 June 2023. A 4% contribution is made from the P500 Sub Fund annually and added to the grant amount.

Donations are tax-deductible. The P500 Endowment Fund provides a lasting gift to our community.

Grant Information

The Foundation welcomes applications for activities across the Foundation’s four grant streams for the 2024 P500 grant program. The Foundation’s four grant streams are:

Food and Emergency Support
Health, Resilience and Connection
Education and Employment
Environment and Sustainability

Grant applications will open on Monday 12 August. The P500 Committee and Foundation Grants Committee will assess applications from organisations who are making a difference in our region. P500 donors will gather at a special event on 14 November 2024 to hear finalist presentations and vote on which local charity will receive the transformative grant.

For more information on the P500 2024 Grant Program click here.

Why Join Us?

Kevin Chisholm talks about being a P500 donor:

Start your philanthropic journey with like-minded people
Fund a transformative grant through a $500 donation
Be actively involved in the grant-making process
Broaden your understanding of challenges faced in the Geelong region
Be a part of a contemporary, inclusive and rewarding opportunity

Join us

A donation of $500 or more secures your place in the P500 program. Donate $500 today or $42 per month ongoing to make a lasting positive impact on the Geelong community.

For further information about P500, please contact Foundation staff or any P500 Committee Member:

Amy Waters, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 03 5244 7827
Mobile: 0413 868 721
Email: amy@geelongfoundation.org

Tony McManus, Development Manager
Tel: 03 5244 7830
Mobile: 0417 334 434
Email: tony@geelongfoundation.org

P500 Committee

Thank you to our P500 Committee members:

Cormac Hanrahan – Cormac Creative Studios – Chair
Matthew Torney – Muirfield Financial Services – Vice Chair
Bridgette Kelly – Geelong Community Foundation Board
Charlie Mackinnon – Ord Minnett
Hayden Baker – Bendigo & Adelaide Bank
Simon Loader – Tract Consultants
Thom Davey
Amy Gillett
Kerri McKenzie
Adrian Blades – The Geelong College, Cutting Edge Careers Solutions
Liz McRae – Loan Market Geelong City
Simone Shannon
Monique Holmes-Richardson
Michael King

P500 is a collective giving program that has established a Sub Fund within the Geelong Community Foundation. Donations are tax-deductible.