The Judith Neilson Foundation invests in people, places and ideas to strengthen communities in Africa and Australia. It envisions a world in which people and communities are resilient, thriving and able to contribute equally to a prosperous society.

The Judith Neilson Foundation forges partnerships with organisations working to strengthen communities and tackle inequality across Africa, Australia and the world. 

Guided by its mission and values, the Foundation supports long term partnerships, collaborative action, and practical solutions that shift systems and expand opportunity. Based in Sydney, it focuses on the issues and places where its contribution can make a meaningful difference. 

The Foundation believes resilient communities are built through equity, creativity, and local knowledge. Its work is grounded in listening, trust, and a commitment to learning on the go. 

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At least one party applying for the Collaboration Grant must be a current MLC Member. Applications may involve multiple MLC Members, or one MLC Member plus one or more external partners.

You can view the full list of MLC Members here: millionlives.co/members

Yes, your organization can still apply if in partnership with an MLC member.

While non-MLC members cannot apply individually or with another non-MLC Member, they can apply if they partner with at least one MLC Member.

Yes, it is possible for MLC Members to apply independently. However, given the scope and ambition of this award, we prioritize project ideas that involve an element of collaboration.

The ACIF Programme is open to projects from a variety of sectors, we are especially keen to invest in ideas that intersect with the following areas:

• Circular Production: Innovations that promote economic development and sustainable livelihoods, while replenishing natural resources and repurposing waste

• Climate-Resilient Services and Infrastructure: Innovations that reduce emissions, while supporting communities to adapt and respond to emerging urban climate challenges, including heat stress, flooding, food insecurity and water scarcity.

• Youth employment and mobility: Innovations that improve young people’s access to decent work, skills, transport and urban mobility, with a particular focus on young people, women, girls, refugees and persons with disabilities.

• Digital Equity: Innovations that support inclusive access to sustainable urban technologies, digital services, platforms, or global digital markets

• Safe and Healthy Spaces: Innovations that create thriving, socially secure, healthy, and joyful urban environments, while contributing to wellbeing for all and strengthening community cohesion and belonging.

No, not all parties are not required to be based in Sub-Saharan Africa, but we do require that one of them is to provide country-specific context and manage the in-field element of the project.

Absolutely! We encourage organizations and MLC Members to collaborate and co-develop as many innovative ideas as they can, so it is possible to apply multiple times with different partners and/or different ideas.

Your application will be reviewed by the MLC Secretariat and Judith Neilson Foundation Innovation Programme team. We will reach out to you in late April to let you know if your Expression of Interest has been shortlisted for pitching.

We are happy to accept proposals from collaborations of partners that have worked with one another in the past.

Yes, current and/or past Judith Neilson Foundation grantees can apply, provided that they are — or are working with — a recognized MLC member.

The first round of the collaboration grant will support four projects. We hope to have the chance to expand this opportunity to support more collaborations in the future.

The project supported through this initiative should aim to draw on the respective strengths of the collaborating organisations in order to accelerate the scaling of each of the partners’ impact (as opposed to creating an entirely new product or service for instance). Projects should look to test assumptions around a collaborative model and should ideally involve tangible in-field testing.

The collaboration could involve a scale up to a different country.

We require one application per collaboration idea. We recommend you work closely together on your submission.

If you have other questions about the Collaboration Grant initiative, please get in touch with us via: admin@millionlives.co