Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common queries about The Odyssey Leadership Foundation and how you can contribute to empowering young Australians. Your engagement is essential for fostering leadership skills in our youth.
How can I donate?
Use the Donate via ACF button to give via our Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) sub-fund. ACF processes your gift securely and issues your tax-deductible receipt.
Will I get a tax-deductible receipt?
Yes. Donations are received and receipted by ACF, which holds DGR1 status. Your receipt arrives by email shortly after you donate.
Q: Can I make a recurring monthly donation? A: Absolutely. Choose Monthly on the donation page. You can pause or cancel anytime via the manage-donation link in your receipt email. Q: Do you accept corporate donations, or workplace giving? A: Yes. We work with companies on one-off gifts, matched giving, and employee campaigns. Get in touch via Partner with us and we’ll set it up. Q: Do you accept bequests or gifts in wills? A: Yes. We can arrange a bequest to our ACF sub-fund. Ask us for suggested wording to share with your adviser. Q: Can international donors contribute? A: Yes, most certainly. Overseas donors can give via our ACF page. Tax deductibility applies under Australian law; check local rules for foreign-donation deductibility. Q: Is my payment data secure? A: Donations are processed by ACF’s vetted payment providers over encrypted connections. We don’t store your card details on our website. Q: Are 100% of donations paid out to recipients? A: Not quite. A small, necessary share covers compliance and custodial costs (e.g., ACF fees, payment processing, required governance/insurance). Pooled funds may be invested by ACF between grant rounds; earnings stay in our sub-fund.
Who can receive a grant?
Registered DGR1 charities in Australia delivering youth leadership and public speaking outcomes.
How do you verify eligibility?
We check each recipient’s ABN and DGR1 status before recommending a grant. ACF performs its own due diligence before payment.
Q: Can I nominate a project for funding? A: Yes. Use Nominate a project to share the ABN, DGR status, a short program summary, budget, and expected outcomes. Q: How big are the grants? A: Micro-grants typically range from $1,000–$10,000, sized to unlock a clear, near-term outcome (e.g., training a cohort, launching a club, certifying teacher-coaches). Q: How often do you make grants? A: We run grant rounds as the fund grows—generally quarterly once our ACF sub-fund reaches the Named Fund threshold. Q: Can you fund non-DGR groups (e.g., school P&Cs, clubs)? A: We can only grant to DGR1 organisations. Non-DGR groups may partner with an eligible DGR1 charity to receive support. Q: Is The Foundation a DGR1 charity? A: Not yet, We have an application sitting with the ACNC and ATO to become a DGR1 charity. Until then, Funding from our DGR2 ACF Fund is restricted to other DGR1 charities.
How will I know where my donation goes?
We publish a public register of every grant—recipient name, ABN, DGR status, amount, date, and outcomes—on our Transparency page.
Who manages the money?
ACF receives and holds donations for our sub-fund, issues receipts, may invest pooled funds between rounds, and pays grants to eligible DGR1 charities.
Q: How do you ensure political neutrality? A: We have a published Political Neutrality Policy and do not fund or engage in partisan activity. Our focus is civic capacity and ethical leadership. Q: What about child safety and media consent? A: We are child-safe by design. We require consent-led storytelling, respect takedown requests for minors’ images, and work only with partners meeting safeguarding standards. Q: What’s the difference between Odyssey and ACF? A: Odyssey sets mission, governance, and grant recommendations. ACF is our independent philanthropic trustee/custodian: it receives and receipts donations, safeguards and may invest pooled funds, and pays grants to DGR1 recipients after its due diligence.