Collaboration puts Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands

In 2023, the Spinifex Foundation SA (formerly the First Nations Philanthropic Funders Working Group), began implementing a project called Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands: Responding to COVID-19 designed to address critical health preparedness and support needs in rural and remote Aboriginal communities.

Spinifex began as a collective of Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations based in South Australia. This innovative First-Nations led initiative eventually saw more than $900,000 invested in a broad range of projects to address both immediate and systemic health challenges faced by Aboriginal communities due to the pandemic. These included:

• Community Rapid Response Packs: Essential supplies to support immediate health and sanitary needs;
• Infrastructure Improvements: Enhancing ACCHO facilities with HEPA filters, portable vaccine fridges and mask fit services;
• Mobile Vaccination Clinic: Enabling easy access to COVID-19 vaccines, overcoming geographical barriers to healthcare access.
• COVID Response Planning (ongoing): Development of comprehensive plans to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, including the establishment of rapid response teams and coordination mechanisms.

This is a great example of impactful First-Nations led philanthropy. It started with the local ACCHO’s consulting their communities, then coming together, working collaboratively to address the specific needs of their community.

What makes this project even more interesting is that while it was led by Spinifex, they were supported by three philanthropic organisations – Fay Fuller Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) – each of whom brought specific skills to the table.

As Spinifex’s CEO, Warren Miller, explained in an article published in the NRHA magazine in September 2023, “a chance meeting led to a close relationship with the Fay Fuller Foundation, who provided critical resourcing and support for the Working Group and helped to define our ideas. The Paul Ramsay Foundation heard about what we were trying to do and came on board as our major donor partner for this project, with funding going directly to realising our COVID response activities.”

“We want to create pathways for First Nations people to access resources outside of current structures, shape how and in what ways we interact with philanthropy and evolve and influence sustainable change while preserving our cultural identity.”
– Spinifex Foundation

With significant investment set to go into the communities and this being the first time the ACCHOs had come together to work in this way, FRRR was invited to join the group and bring both its experience working in remote communities, as well as its deep expertise in grant processes and procedures as the Funding Coordinator.

This four-way partnership model enabled solutions that were identified and led by Aboriginal people, for their people, and offers a strong blueprint for future First Nations-led philanthropic funding opportunities.

“This approach empowers communities to innovate at their own pace and demonstrates how philanthropy can partner with Aboriginal organisations differently to support self-determination.”
– Michelle Steele, Chief First Nations Officer, PRF

Jo Kemp, then Philanthropic Services Manager, led the program at FRRR’s end and said this challenged the way FRRR normally stewards grants into community. But with a strong commitment to supporting First Nations led projects now and into the future, FRRR was eager to find ways of working together that enabled Spinifex to play a central role.

“Typically, FRRR’s team assesses grant applications and makes recommendations to the CEO, Advisory Group or Board, which are then endorsed and funds distributed. In this case, it was Spinifex making the decisions about where and via which channels funding would go.

“We started by developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which clearly stepped out the roles of Spinifex and FRRR and how everything would work. This meant that FRRR could bring our experience in granting, regional networks, and act as an intermediary. Knowledge was shared with Spinifex to award the funding and we also acted as a sounding board to support maximum impact from each dollar spent. We were learning and trying a new approach together.”

With COVID active in Australia, most of the discussion around how this would work in practice was done online. Despite this, thanks to having been introduced to Spinifex by Fay Fuller Foundation, and with a strong existing relationship with Paul Ramsay Foundation, FRRR was able to quickly begin building a trusted working relationship with Spinifex.

Once the MOU was in place, representatives from each of the four partner organisations travelled to South Australia to join an evaluation workshop, to listen, observe, offer support and continue to build collective understanding of the priorities of Spinifex. Trust was strengthened across the board allowing meaningful engagement as the program continued.

A process involving joint authorisation from FRRR and Spinifex was co-designed to spend funds. The process around using the funds also relied less on formal reporting and evaluation and much more on continued conversations, with regular informal check ins to ensure decision making, activities, and next steps were aligned. While it was originally anticipated that funds would be distributed through multiple ACCHOs, in the end one organisation was deemed best placed to receive all the funding through multiple instalments to activate the program well and in a timely way. Spinifex, as a collaborative of organisations, placed their trust in this key organisation to deliver the agreed outcomes.

While FRRR has previously worked with funding partners that supported flexible granting to get funds where they needed to be, this was at a whole new level of flexibility – a true example of trust-based philanthropy. This flexibility also extended to the way that Paul Ramsay Foundation worked with FRRR, when we received the funding to support Spinifex’s activities. The grant agreement set out a broad purpose and named few formal reporting requirements. Their main request was to be kept informed throughout delivery, so they had an opportunity to learn alongside as the project progressed. They also maintained a direct line of contact with Spinifex through their own First Nations Manager.

Lessons learned

Community led funding is a crucial element to the future success and impact of philanthropy broadly – and particularly with First Nations people – there is more need than ever for self-determined support. With many other funders looking to increase their support for First Nation’s led groups, we have collated some of the lessons learnt along the way.

• Trust is critical and actively building trust and creating strong partnerships must be a focus from the outset. Existing relationships can help create a foundation and accelerate this (such as the connections between Fay Fuller Foundation and Spinifex, and Fay Fuller Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation and FRRR), but individual bilateral connections still need to be nurtured and invested in.
• There is much to learn from each other – and will continue to be. The rich learning and experience from this partnership approach was mutual. FRRR gained knowledge from each other that will not only inform our collective work within First Nations led philanthropy, but more broadly as we each seek to apply these insights in other contexts and partnerships.
• Allow time and space to build those relationships and develop the cultural constructs needed to ensure successful programs. It may feel frustrating, especially when there is acute need, but it will yield better long-term outcomes. It also takes time for philanthropic funders to build their confidence in this new model, to adapt and feel comfortable to lean in.
• Things don’t always go completely to plan. Events happen in community, such as cultural activities and Sorry Business, which may lead to changes in priorities or approaches. If the core intent remains consistent, be as flexible as you can.
• Resource the work appropriately – pay what it truly takes – on all sides. Because this is a relationship-based way of working and by its nature must be less transactional than traditional grant programs, resourcing needs to allow for conversation and connection not tied to busy calendar appointments, it’s these conversations that ensure everyone is heard, needs are met, and knowledge is shared.
• Be less prescriptive. Support was offered when useful – connecting in to see how things were going and what FRRR could do to help – but FRRR also left Spinifex to reach out whenever it was needed.
• Relinquish as much ‘control’ as you can. While there is a recognition of the need for due diligence and probity, consider how to do this together; strip it back as far as you can to what is essential – and even then, think laterally and try to find ways for things to be done that enable decisions to be truly First Nations led.
• Bring a community development lens, where you can. For FRRR, it was as much about building capacity and genuinely coaching, supporting and nurturing the groups on the ground, as it was getting funding out for projects.

FRRR has an ongoing commitment to supporting more First Nations groups in their projects and has recently signed on as part of the Philanthropy Australia First Nations Funders Group, to ensure we stay informed and learn from all the work currently being done.

We are mindful that each on our own can have a little impact; but collectively we can do it better. The Foundation therefore welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with funders on other similar initiatives.

Similarly, we also welcome the opportunity to partner with other First Nations philanthropic models to share our experience in governance and granting and supporting the development of models that grow economic self-determination and wellbeing. By learning together and trying new ways to achieve our respective goals, we can ensure more vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered remote, rural and regional communities.

Email info@frrr.org.au or warren@cac.asn.au (Spinifex Foundation SA) if you’d like to explore how we might work together.