Fostering Inclusive Political Participation
We support work pushing for inclusive and fair political participation, and transparency in political campaigns.
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 funding supported Fair Agenda in 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 and 2024, Fair Agenda received renewed funding for their campaign to secure a strong Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
The Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) is an independent think tank working to prevent corruption, protect the integrity of our accountability institutions and eliminate undue influence of money in politics.
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 the political participation focus area, Mannifera supported CPI’s work to design reforms for caps on political donations and electoral expenditures, real time disclosure of donations over $1000, and stricter regulation of lobbying. CPI has published a 15 Point Plan to eliminate the undue influence of money in politics, built a database of political donations from the past 20 years and widely published research on the biggest donating industries.
Mannifera has also backed the work of CPI through our Open and Accountable government focus area.
The Australian Democracy Network (ADN) works for a healthy democracy which puts people and planet first. ADN brings people and organisations together to share resources and strategy to achieve the changes that make our democracy more fair, open, participatory, and accountable.
Grants received:
2023 Signature Grant, $50,000
2022 Signature Grant, $70,000
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $20,000
2021 Signature Grant, $100,000
2020 Signature Grant, $100,000
What we funded:
Mannifera has provided core and responsive multi-year funding to ADN, and was ADN’s first philanthropic backer. Within our Political Participation funding focus area, Mannifera has provided support to build out ADN’s work on protecting the democratic right to protest.
ADN also runs two flagship collaborations, supported through other Mannifera funding focus areas:
- #OurDemocracy, a movement of people and organisations working to address state capture and get big money out of our political system.
- Stronger Charities Alliance, a group of 100 Australian charities that successfully blocked ACNC legislation that would have prevented charities from engaging in advocacy.
Get Up is an independent movement of more than one million people working to build a progressive Australia and put people back into politics.
Grants received:
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $10,000
What we funded:
In the lead-up to the 2022 federal election, GetUp’s First Nations Justice team led a successful, multifaceted campaign to block the federal Voter ID bill that unfairly impacted First Nations people and would have exacerbated existing voter suppression in these communities. Mannifera was proud to back this work.
Women for Election Australia (WFE) aims to strengthen our democracy by increasing the number, influence, and diversity of women in politics in Australia and by engaging more women in the political process.
Grants received:
2024 Signature Grant, $40,000
2022 Signature Grant, $55,000
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $18,000
2021 Signature Grant, $20,000
What we funded:
Mannifera has provided multi-year core funding support to WFE, helping to strengthen their training programs and mentoring support to address the barriers women face when running for public office. Mannifera also funded the ‘Power Like You’ve Never Seen’ campaign, a partnership between WFE and UN Women Australia. In 2024 Mannifera supported WFE, in partnership with Turnstone Collective, to deliver
four, two-day workshops to First Nations
women seeking elected office, many of whom have been spurred by the defeat of the Voice referendum to seek new pathways for representation and change.
Equality Australia is a national advocacy organisation protecting the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. Equality Australia emerged from the campaign that was crucial to achieving marriage equality in Australia.
Grants received:
2024 Signature Grant, $50,000
2023 Signature Grant $50,000 (multi-year)
2021 Rapid Response Grant, $10,000
2020 Signature Grant, $50,000
What we funded:
Mannifera provided Equality Australia with core operational funding to support their advocacy that delayed and then defeated the federally proposed Religious Discrimination Bill. Mannifera also supported Equality Australia’s Rainbow Votes project leading up to the 2022 federal election. And in 2023 Equality Australia received support for its #TransEquality project which aims to stop anti-trans politics being imported to Australia, and to equip trans and gender diverse people to define the public narrative about what trans equality means.
The Indigenous Law Centre is part of the Faculty of Law at UNSW and contributes to the recognition, protection and development of the legal rights and freedoms of Indigenous peoples both in Australia and internationally.
Grants received:
2022 Signature Grant, $20,000
2020 Signature Grant, $25,000
What we funded:
Mannifera is providing core, operational funding to a national education campaign to promote the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The Indigenous Law and Justice Hub brings together Melbourne Law School legal experts and Indigenous community leaders to produce rigorous, high-quality research that can be directly applied by Indigenous communities in their advocacy and self-governance.
Grants received:
2021 Signature Grant, $35,000
What we funded:
Melbourne University’s Indigenous Law and Justice Hub is collaborating with the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria (FPAV) to conduct research that will be used by the FPAV and Indigenous communities across Australia to design treaty negotiation strategies that centre the Indigenous ‘right of self-government’. Mannifera supported the Hub’s additional research and communications costs for this work.
Foundation for Alcohol Research (FARE) is the leading not-for-profit organisation working towards an Australia free from alcohol harm. Alliance for Gambling Reform
(AGR) is a national peak body representing a network of organisations with a shared concern about the harmful aspects of gambling and its normalisation in Australian culture.
Grants received:
2023 Signature Grant, $30,000
What we funded:
Mannifera supported AGR and FARE to develop an automated data tool that analyses the extent to which alcohol and gambling companies engage in lobbying that influences public policy in Australia. The development of this tool will serve as a pilot for use by other civil society organisations working to improve transparency in government decision-making.
Foundations for Tomorrow (FFT) is a youth-driven non-profit committed working to equip Australian leaders to think beyond electoral cycles and financial quarters to make the strategic long-term investments needed to lay foundations for a thriving community, environment, and economy for years to come.
Grants received:
2024 Signature Grant, $60,000 x 2 (multi-year)
2023 Signature Grant, $70,000
What we funded:
Mannifera provided funding that enabled Foundations for Tomorrow to hire for its first salaried position, helping to strengthen the organisations capacity to drive impactful change and advocate for the interests of future generations. Since this funding was delivered FFT has partnered with a number of youth-led advocacy organisations to host a national conference focused on Intergenerational Fairness, which culminated in the creation of Australia’s for Intergenerational Fairness Coalition, now led by FFT. Mannifera renewed core funding for two years in 2024.
