Annamila First Nations Foundation supports First Nations led initiatives by gifting and bringing people together.
About us
Our vision is for a people at home with their identity and place.
Our purpose is to promote and support the sovereignty of Australia’s First Peoples so that Australia can free itself of discrimination of all kinds, especially the harmful ongoing effects of its colonial heritage.
Our History
Annamila First Nations Foundation founder, Julie Kantor AO commenced her philanthropic activities more than 26 years ago.
Her first giving was in her own name and made anonymously to organisations.
As Julie‘s philanthropic interests expanded, she decided to give under the name of Annamila – a name that recognises the importance of her parents, Anne and Milan Kantor.
In the early years of Annamila, Julie was drawn more and more to supporting the First Nations Peoples of Australia.
In 2013, Julie asked a long-standing friend and colleague, Ian Roberts to chair Annamila.
While on a trip to Yuendumu in the Northern Territory to inspect a swimming pool that the Kantor family contributed in the memory of son and brother Tom who was greatly loved by the people of Yuendumu. Julie and Ian decided that Annamila should concentrate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. They also made the crucial decision that the governance of Annamila should be conducted by a new board that comprised 50% women and 50% First Nations directors.
A new strategic plan was developed with the new directors and an expanded range of funding initiatives were implemented.
Following a review of its activities after three years, it was decided that the Board should progress to majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation.
With this significant development the Annamila First Nations Foundation came into existence in 2020.
Our people
Always Ambassador Award
Djapirri Mununggirritj 2023
Prof. Greggory Philips 2023
Services
The Annamila First Nations Foundation provides charitable services by Contributing, Convening and Influencing.
• By Contributing we mean gifting financial support and wherever possible relational support to individuals and organisations.
• By Convening we mean that our founder, board and staff use our collective strength to bring energy and focus to the challenges and opportunities that we feel strongly about. This will most often take the form of hosting/co-hosting safe spaces for robust and action-driven awareness and collaboration.
• By Influencing we mean informing and or impacting policy and decision makers in relation to Annamila themes, values, knowledges & ways of working. We see our strength is the ability to be timely & agile if required.
Our three program streams are
Country And Culture
Projects in this stream must have as their main outcome a sustainable benefit related to caring for Country, supporting cultural practice, renewal or cultural education and development of First Peoples art forms.
Healing And Wellbeing
Projects in this stream must have as their main outcome/focus in First Peoples personal and/or collective healing and wellbeing. Projects in this area must also be potentially able to be scalable and/or of national significance.
Truth And Justice
Projects in this priority area must have as their main outcome systems level impact on nationally significant matters. Projects must also have a scale that reaches beyond any one community or group imperative.
Seeking Support
Expressions can be made under our program streams.
Commonly once off individual grants are in the range of $5 to $30 thousand. Multiyear allocations of significant amounts are not being currently considered.
COUNTRY AND CULTURE
HEALING AND WELLBEING
TRUTH AND JUSTICE
Our thematic priority for 2024/25 is ‘tackling incarceration’ as well as strategic dialogue between First Nations People on ‘Makarrata, Voice, Treaty and Truth.’
Partners
Friends and Colleagues
Coming soon