The Geelong Women’s Impact Collective has awarded its inaugural $40,000 grant to McAuley Community Services for Women, supporting a dedicated Children’s Practitioner within its Safe at Home Program.
Announced at the Geelong Community Foundation Grant Gala on Thursday 28 May, the funding follows a member-led voting process, with Collective Members selecting from three shortlisted initiatives addressing the needs of women and girls across our region.
Helping women and children remain safely at home
Delivered in partnership with Meli, Safe at Home is a Victorian-first trial response to family violence that aims to help women and children remain safely in their own homes, rather than being displaced as a result of violence.
The program works with the whole household, bringing together specialist family violence support for women, intervention with perpetrators and dedicated support for children.
The $40,000 grant will fund a Children’s Practitioner, whose specific focus will be supporting children impacted by family violence. Working alongside the Specialist Family Violence Practitioner and Specialist Men’s Worker, the role will provide dedicated support for children’s recovery and ensure their individual experiences and needs are recognised.
Currently, 40 children from 19 families are included in the program. By recognising children as clients in their own right, Safe at Home aims to address trauma earlier, help children remain connected to school and support greater stability for families.
For almost 40 years, McAuley Community Services for Women has supported women and children experiencing family violence and homelessness. Safe at Home builds on this experience with a different approach — working to create safety around women and children without requiring them to leave their home to find it.
Collective giving in action
The grant marks an important milestone for the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective, putting its model of collective giving, local leadership and shared decision-making into action.
Members considered three shortlisted initiatives before voting on where the inaugural funding would be directed, taking into account the potential for each proposal to create change, the organisation’s capacity to deliver and its alignment with the Collective’s purpose and impact goals.
Safe at Home strongly aligns with those goals, including keeping women safe, stabilising lives and supporting the long-term wellbeing of women and children.
We look forward to sharing updates with Collective Members and our wider community as the program progresses and seeing the difference this dedicated support can make for children and families across our region.
Looking ahead
The next Geelong Women’s Impact Collective grant round will open in December 2026, with eligible community organisations delivering initiatives that improve the lives of women and girls across our region encouraged to consider applying for funding in 2027.
Collective membership remains open. If you believe in the power of women and allies coming together to create meaningful local change, we invite you to join the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective and help shape where future funding can make a difference for women and girls across our region.
Collective Giving. Local Leadership. Lasting Change for Women and Girls.
