Ensuring Accountable and Open Government
We support work building strong integrity systems that hold decision makers and government institutions to account.
Fair Agenda is a community of 43,000 Australians campaigning for a fair and gender equal future - so we can all live with safety, security, and agency. They combine people-power with that of policy experts, service providers, survivors, and other advocates to win change.
Mannifera grants received:
2024 Signature Grant, $60,000
2023 Signature Grant, $70,000
2022 Signature Grant, $55,000
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $10,000
What we funded:
Mannifera supported Fair Agenda to carry out advocacy that helped to reform the MP’s code of conduct, ensuring members of parliament are held to consistent standards around allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2023, Fair Agenda received renewed funding for their campaign to secure a strong Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) uses strategic legal action, policy solutions and advocacy to support people and communities to eliminate inequality and injustice and build a fairer, more compassionate Australia.
Mannifera grants received:
2024 Signature Grant (dis/misinformation), $60,000
2023 Signature Grant, $40,000
2022 Signature Grant, $55,000
What we funded:
Within this focus area, Mannifera supported HRLC’s work to establish Australia’s first specialist legal service for whistleblowers, ensuring they can safely reveal wrongdoing under the protection of the law and to defend them against reprisal. HRLC has also received support for their work to reduce the impact of mis/disinformation and hate speech through Mannifera’s improving quality public debate funding focus area.
Transparency International Australia (TIA) engages with civil society, business and government to strengthen the integrity and accountability of institutions and expose and prevent corruption. TIA is the national chapter of Transparency International.
Mannifera grants received:
2024 Rapid Response Grant, $30,000
2023 Signature Grant, $70,000
What we funded:
In 2023, Mannifera supported TIA to establish a national group of respected former whistleblowers to join the civil society coalition campaigning for stronger whistleblowing protections.
Australia reMADE is both an idea for the society we want to be, and a community of practice for changemakers who are tired of fighting the old, and ready to build the new. They are an independent leadership network, content and education organisation championing a vision of what’s possible, and the systems-change needed to create it.
Mannifera grants received:
2023 Signature Grant, $80,000
2022 Signature Grant, $20,000
What we funded:
Australia reMADE received funding to broaden its collaborations, supporting civil society leaders and providing content needed to inspire big change. Seizing the opportunity presented by the government’s commitment to respond to the 2019 Thodey Review, in 2023 reMADE also received a grant from Mannifera to use their Public Good framework to guide public service reform.
Digital Rights Watch (DRW) exists to ensure fairness, freedoms and fundamental rights for all people who engage in the digital world. Their vision is for a digital world where all humanity can thrive, and where diversity and creativity flourishes.
Mannifera grants received:
2024 Signature Grant (dis/misinformation), $60,000
2020 Signature Grant, $100,000
What we funded:
Mannifera provided DRW with its first philanthropic grant, enabling it to transition from a volunteer-run organisation to having dedicated staff. Through this DRW has responded to a suite of federal government legislation seen as being detrimental to the way our democracy is shaped alongside the digital ecosystem. In 2024 Mannifera funded DRW again as part of a rapid response round on dis/mis-information.
The Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) is an independent think tank dedicated to preventing corruption, protecting the integrity of our accountability institutions, reining in executive power, and eliminating the undue influence of big money in politics in Australia.
Mannifera grants received:
2024 Signature Grant, $70,000 x 2 (multi-year)
2023 Signature Grant, $70,000
2022 Signature Grant, $70,000
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $10,000
2021 Signature Grant, $80,000
2020 Signature Grant, $80,000
What we funded:
Within this focus area, Mannifera has provided multi-year and responsive funding to CPI to drive its critical reform agenda in several areas, including 1) designing a National Integrity Commission with a broad jurisdiction and strong investigative powers, which has received extensive media coverage and support from policy makers; 2) producing Integrity Principles to strengthen and protect accountability institutions from attacks and undermining, and defending them when their funding or independence has been threatened, 3) carrying out research to rein in executive power and demonstrating that executive law making has doubled in 30 years.
Mannifera has also supported other CPI work and campaigns through our Political Participation funding focus area.
Directed by Craig Reucassel, Big Deal is a wake-up call about the frightening extent to which money has infiltrated politics. Comedian Christiaan Van Vuuren’s unlikely journey shows us why we should care, and how we might work together to ensure our democracy is safeguarded from being sold to the highest bidder.
Mannifera grants received:
2020 Signature Grant, $50,000
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $20,000
What we funded:
Mannifera was an early and multi-year funder of the Big Deal’s social impact campaign, with the tagline, ‘democracy is not a spectator sport’. Launched six months before the 2022 federal election was called, the Big Deal gave momentum to burgeoning community-led campaigns and continued to deepen understanding of our political system and inspire action.
Grata Fund is Australia’s first specialist non-profit strategic litigation incubator and funder. Grata develops, funds, and builds sophisticated campaign architecture around high impact, strategic litigation brought by people and communities in Australia. They focus their work in three key areas: climate justice, human rights, and democratic freedoms.
Mannifera grants received:
2023 Signature Grant, $40,000 x 2 (multiyear)
2021 Signature Grant, $50,000
What we funded:
Mannifera funding covered disbursement costs for a suite of ‘Defending Democracy’ cases Grata was litigating in partnership with other Mannifera civil society partners. Through these cases, Grata sought to restore the democratic role of people and communities, civil society organisations, journalists, and all Australians to hold governments accountable to the public interest.