← Back to Foundations
Annual Giving
$100K
Grant Range
$5K – $500K

Tips for Applicants

To approach this funder, applicants should demonstrate a clear understanding of the foundation's priorities and focus areas, and highlight their own organisation's or project's potential to bring about meaningful impact in the area of environmental sustainability. Applicants should also be prepared to provide evidence of bold leadership, stakeholder participation, and innovative thinking.

Giving Philosophy

The Purves Environmental Fund approaches its giving by seeking to act as a catalyst for change, filling gaps in effecting change, and breaking down barriers to action. It values bold leadership, stakeholder participation, and innovative thinking, and selects recipients that demonstrate these qualities. The foundation also prioritises projects that have the potential to bring about meaningful impact in the areas of environmental sustainability and biodiversity.

Notable Grants

Support to WWF Australia (early 2000s)
Support to Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Core funding and formalisation support to Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (from 2004)
Support to Climate Council
Funding for the merger of state-based Environmental Defenders Offices (EDO) and leading a co-funding campaign for 'One EDO' (2019)
Funding for the writing and promotion of Tim Flannery’s 'The Weather Makers' (2005)
Funding for a campaign to raise awareness of Macquarie Island's plight and secure government funding for rodent eradication (2007)
Primary supporter of the Sydney Ice Bear event to raise climate change awareness (2011)
Cornerstone funder of the container deposit campaign by Boomerang Alliance (2013-2018)
Launched Tree-clearing Challenge Grant and helped establish the Deforestation-free Alliance (2017)

ACNC Financial History

YearGrants GivenRevenueTotal AssetsNet Assets
FY2023
$817K
$920K$17.0M$17.0M
FY2022
$870K
$1.3M$16.3M$16.3M
FY2021
$690K
$2.2M$17.4M$17.4M
FY2020
$796K
$840K$13.8M$13.8M
FY2019
$821K
$1.0M$15.5M$15.5M
FY2018
$1.8M
$1.1M$15.2M$15.2M
FY2017
$1.2M
$971K$16.0M$16.0M
7yr total$7.0MSource: ACNC Annual Information Statements

Focus Areas

environment
Geographic
AU-National

Financial Details

Source of Wealth
The source of the foundation's wealth is not explicitly stated, but it is a private fund trust, suggesting that it may be derived from family or corporate sources.

Board & Leadership

ACNC
GEOFFREY BRUNSDON
board member
ACNC
Ian Pollard
board member
ACNC
Rhett Purves
board member
ACNC
Richard Gelski
board member
ACNC
Linked from structured person roles rather than unstructured foundation summary text.

Data Sources

Profile quality: low
Foundation profile updated: 15 March 2026 (94 days ago)
Website pages scraped: 5
Added: 27 February 2026 (111 days ago)
View on ACNC Register →