Refugia is only able to fund organisations that hold both Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 and Tax Charity Concessions (TCC) status.

A Refugia is a place of refuge where species survive through crisis. More than ever, now is the time to recognise and support ordinary people, and their extraordinary commitment to the protection of these Refugia.

Refugia was founded by actress, activist and philanthropist Liana Cornell. Alongside her passion for supporting grassroots solutions to the climate crisis, Liana has specific interest in animal rights, rainforest conservation and protecting our Oceans. Liana says, "I am an activist because I have no other choice. I cannot sit by while the world burns slowly. I have no interest in telling my children one day why I did nothing to save the forests, or the mountains, or the seas. I will not go gently when species are being wiped extinct for the greed of consumerism. I believe in a better world and my belief in my belly stokes the passion in my heart. I think we can find compromise without jeopardising our modern evolution. Our collective soul reason for inhabiting the earth is to act as sentinels to the glory of this heavenly planet."

Refugia is governed by a diverse and skilled Board of Directors. You can learn more by checking out the ‘our people’ page.

Refugia supports projects that protect, rewild, shift power and educate in the realm of environmental care and sustainability. We partner with extraordinary organisations working to improve our planet in innovative ways. Please check out our ‘we support’ page for more details.

Refugia is only able to fund organisations that hold both Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 and Tax Charity Concessions (TCC) status.

Yes. We open for submissions on August 1st, and close on October 1st at 5:00pm AEST. We cannot accept submissions after the closing date and time. All applications are required to be submitted using our online system.

As we were only founded in 2021, we have committed to spending our first year listening to and learning from our community. This will allow us to make considered and informed decisions around the allocation of our funding.

Refugia considers all applications on an individual basis and makes both small and large grants, either one-off, or multi-year.

Refugia will rarely award 100% of project costs and encourages applicants to consider additional forms of funding.

All grants are considered gifts, therefore do not constitute the payment of GST.

Refugia acknowledges that it is difficult to deliver high quality and impactful projects without qualified and remunerated individuals. We also recognise that organisations need to cover the costs of offices, transportation and administrative support. Therefore, these costs can be included as part of your application, however we will generally not fund costs of more than 10% of the total amount requested. Please note – this is separate from project staff who are allocated to the project.

Please review our Grantmaking Guidelines (Available on this page in July 2022) to ensure your project aligns with our funding objectives and principles. These outline specific exclusions and provide clear guidance on our priorities. We also suggest you check out the ‘We Support’ page to understand more about the type of projects we support.

Yes – Letters of Support are helpful and support our assessment process. Please ensure the person writing your letter understands your proposed project.

We do fund existing projects, however we will not fund project activities retrospectively. All funding must be directed toward new activities to be implemented / delivered following receipt of funds.

We have made every effort to ensure all the information you require is available on our website, or in the downloadable Grantmaking Guidelines document (Available on this website in July 2022). Please ensure you have reviewed all information carefully. If you still cannot find the answers you need, please feel free to reach out through our ‘Contact’ page.

If you are not successful in securing funds for your project from us, please know it does not necessarily mean your project is not worthwhile or important. As a small, but growing Foundation, Refugia is unable to fund all projects that are submitted. We encourage you to continue to seek funding from other sources for your project. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide individual feedback on unsuccessful applications. We encourage you to apply again in the following year.

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an automated email acknowledging your application. Our Executive Team will then review your application and make an initial assessment based on our eligibility requirements and exclusions. Following this, we may contact you to request any additional information. Our Board of Directors will then review applications and shortlist priority projects. These projects will then undergo a final assessment and funding decisions will be made and communicated to successful applicants.

Grants are awarded on December 1st annually. You will receive an email advising you that you have been successful, and outlining the next steps. Please note, funding is not disbursed until February 1st of the following year.

We require all grantees to comply with our Grant Conditions as outlined below. All successful applicants will receive a copy of these conditions in your notification email and funding agreement.

1. The whole of the grant amount must be used exclusively for the project outlined in the grant application.
2. If the project is not completed by the end date specified in the application, funds allocated may not be used without prior written agreement from Refugia.
3. The grantee must advise Refugia of any issues which may prevent the delivery of the project as outlined in the application.
4. The grantee must only spend the funds on project activities in Australia.
5. The grantee must keep, and provide on request detailed financial records in relation to project expenditure.
6. The grantee must provide an official receipt to Refugia on receipt of funds.
7. The grantee must provide a full financial acquittal and detailed impact report once the project and funding period is complete.