The Coca‑Cola Australia Foundation Journey: Growing Momentum

There’s an old saying that ‘charity starts at home.’ So what if some Corporate funding could be directed to causes you care about?

This concept is at the heart of the new Coca‑Cola Australia Foundation. A complete overhaul of its mission and application processes now means employees, and the needs of their communities, are the key to funding.

“We want to bring to life our commitment to supporting the causes our employees care about,” said CCAF chair, Malcolm Hudson.

“We’re encouraging all 3,500 of our employees – across CCA and CCSP in Australia – to involve themselves in their community, and take ownership and feel proud when CCAF contributes to an organisation about which they are passionate.”

A joint venture between Coca‑Cola Amatil (CCA) and Coca‑Cola South Pacific (CCSP), CCAF is a philanthropic fund created to distribute $1.1 million annually for social good for a diverse range of causes. 

Since 2002, CCAF has provided more than $14 million to hundreds of charitable organisations, touching thousands of Australian communities in this process. 

Despite this success in impacting Australian communities, Malcolm Hudson,  Chairman of CCAF will tell you that their job is far from done.

“The structure and processes of CCAF were rigorously reviewed in 2015 and we came to three major conclusions,” Malcolm said.  

“Our staff weren’t adequately aware of the mission of CCAF, what the structure of the foundation was or how they could be involved. These were three major realisations that we wanted to rectify quickly.”

With a centralised mission to inspire moments of happiness and possibility for young Australians aged 13-19, CCAF took a revived, cross-collaborative approach. 

Aligning its mission to four focus areas CCAF is determined to address youth optimism, empowerment, possibilities for a positive life, and all areas of wellbeing – be it emotional, physical or social.

Grant structure

Since 2016, funds have been allocated across two grant types – Flagship Grants of up to $200,000 each year for three years, and Employee Connected Grants of up to $25,000 with a reference from a Coca‑Cola South Pacific or Coca‑Cola Amatil employee in Australia.  

Applications for 2019 are now closed. New grant round dates will be published here when available.

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