In August 2021 The Dreaming Foundation launched to provide sustainable funding independent of Government to Close the Gap between Indigenous & Non-Indigenous Australians by investing in Aboriginal led organisations who deliver impactful programs and initiatives which link to the 17 Close the Gap socio economic outcomes.

The Dreaming Foundation has been established to independent of Government champion, fund and connect to Close the Gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians.

The Dreaming Foundation will initially receive its primary revenue from the for purpose company The Dreaming Food Group, an Aboriginal owned and controlled company focused on establishing a business of scale and capability with its key focus is on “Closing the Gap” targets and how to fund achieving them.

The Dreaming Foundation has three main focusses:

1. Fund Aboriginal led organisations delivering programs and initiatives that are matched to all seventeen of the “Closing the Gap” socio-economic outcomes.
2. Champion – for more investment independent of Government into Aboriginal led programs and initiatives to Close the Gap and
3. Connect – Government, Corporate Australia, and Aboriginal lead organisations together so they can learn, share resources, ideas and advice to Close the Gap.

The Dreaming Foundation will be led by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led board and taking on the role of Chief Impact Officer will lifelong advocate for First Nations rights, David Liddiard. David has dedicated his life to create better outcomes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and his role will be to match Aboriginal led organisations who are delivering programs and initiatives to Close the Gap with the Foundation, and to lead the Foundation’s ‘champion’ and ‘connect’ objectives.

A key point of difference for The Dreaming Foundation will be the way in which grants are distributed to have the most impact for Aboriginal led program or initiative funded.

One of the first pieces and most critical pieces of work of The Dreaming Foundation will be to undertake a detailed analysis of all the charities and not for profit organisations that are operating and Australia and working for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The research will have two main goals:

1. To identify the top 30 organisations that are making a signification contribution as part of the programs or initiatives they deliver, confirm they have the appropriate accounting and governance in place and are efficient in matching their funds with programs they are delivering.
2. To then match these organisations output with the seventeen “Closing the Gap” targets to ensure that a final selective pool of organisations who are delivering the most impact to Close the Gap would benefit from further grants received from The Dreaming Foundation.

The Dreaming Foundation will make this piece of research a public document and hopefully encourage the rest of corporate Australia to follow the lead of the Foundation and make a meaningful contribution through direct funding to Close the Gap.