Our Impact 100 Legacy
Honouring Fremantle’s legacy of a collective giving initiative that raised over one million dollars to transform lives and support local grassroots charities across Fremantle
Impact 100 Has Closed It’s Doors
Raising and distributing $1,213,000 to charities and projects in our city since 2013, Impact100 Fremantle has made an enormous contribution to our Fremantle community in so many special and often enduring ways. It has brought Freo people together, shone a light on vital, crucial services being delivered in our city and provided a “step-change” to any local charities when they have needed it.
It has been a challenging project every year; one that has asked a lot from our intrepid volunteer team!
After the team was reduced from 11 to only three people again after the 2024 campaign, we felt we needed to down tools for 2025 to explore ways to make this thing the best it can be.
We have found the solution, BUT, it is bitter-sweet news, as this evolution to a more durable and sustainable model means that Impact100Fremantle has run its course.
We are so grateful to everyone for their support and contribution to this wonderful event each year, and we are SO PROUD of the impact we have collectively had. But the model has proved to be unsustainable for our little committee.
We LOVE Fremantle. We want to see it thriving for generations to come. There is so much to love about this town, and so many stories, so much history that connects us all. This is a city that needs to be cherished, supported, and nurtured.
We have spent the past year adjusting our approach, to enable us to be more sustainable and durable, to find new ways to make our donors feel more connected and our charities really feel heard and represented, and to really ensure our Fremantle communities are supported where it matters most, for now and well into the future.
Impact100 Fremantle has always been run by a team of dedicated volunteers. Whilst the Fremantle Foundation (FF) has always provided the charitable vehicle for donations and granting for Impact100 Fremantle, it is the volunteer committee that has done all the grunt work.
For those of you unfamiliar with FF, they are a Community Foundation founded in 2010 by ex-Freo Docker, Dylan Smith. Community Foundations (CFs) have been around since 1914; there are currently over 1,700 CFs across the globe, and around 50 in Australia currently, all operating with the same basic principle at heart - The pooling of community resources to create a sustainable, perpetual support base for the community(s) they represent. These resources are then distributed into the community to ensure that it can thrive.
They are Fremantle Foundation by name, but in reality, they support projects, charities and donors all across WA.
Anyone can open a Named Fund, be they an individual, family, business, or indeed – a community.
Impact100 Fremantle was one of Fremantle Foundation’s Named Funds.
In 2025, Fremantle Foundation did not yet have a Named Fund that was governed by the Fremantle community, for the Fremantle community. A Fremantle Fund.
Midway through last year, Fremantle Foundation set up a Steering Committee to look at the creation of such a fund to support Fremantle. A durable, perpetual source of funding for those people and projects in need, forever.
As part of the evolution from Impact100 Fremantle, two longstanding Committee members, Michael Bresnahan (Bres to many) and Jack Busch joined the Steering Committee.
That steering Committee grew into a Fund Advisory Committee of 15 members, chaired by Sarah Booth (2024 Fremantle Community Citizen of the Year amongst many other things). All the members are passionately involved and committed to Fremantle and bring a very diverse range of skills and expertise.
Their work has now led to the creation of the Good Fund Freo, a Community Fund committed to supporting the Fremantle community, now and ongoing.
Good Fund Freo is designed to ‘fund the gaps’ by supporting local people and ideas that strengthen our community, especially where traditional grants don’t reach.
Both the Fremantle Foundation and Good Fund Freo are very excited about the contribution the Good Fund Freo can make to Fremantle, and we are hoping you will be too.
Click here to learn more about Good Fund Freo.
Thankyou once again for your amazing generosity and support.
It’s been a beautiful thing.
Stu MacLeod & the Impact100 Fremantle Volunteer Committee
Our History: How the Model Worked
For over a decade, Impact100 Fremantle operated on a powerful international collective giving model, designed to foster a deep culture of local philanthropy and build a more connected community.
Managed as a special program under the broader umbrella of the Fremantle Foundation, the model was beautifully simple:
Power in Numbers
Every year, at least 100 passionate community members from all walks of life came together, each contributing a tax-deductible $1,000 donation.
Pooled Resources
These individual contributions were pooled together to form a transformative $100,000 primary grant directly targeted at underserved local populations and grassroots initiatives.
Democracy in Giving
Beyond raising funds, Impact100 created a deeply rewarding and hands-on experience for donors. Members engaged in educational launch events, thorough site visits to applicant organisations, and collective voting sessions.
The Pitch Night
The journey culminated in our annual Grant Awards Evening, where finalists shared their visions, members voted, and a game-changing $100,000 grant was awarded to empower a local charity to dream bigger and expand their impact.
Our Major Grant Recipients & Impact Stories
The true legacy of Impact100 Fremantle lives on through the incredible local organisations whose vital work was amplified by our community's collective generosity. Here are just a few stories of the initiatives we have been proud to champion.
CircusWA
Impact100 Fremantle Winner (2022)
CircusWA is a community-focused, not-for-profit circus academy that trains up to 400 students each year. Beyond developing a unique art form, CircusWA cultivated a vibrant, creatively engaging community hub where diversity and difference are actively embraced. They provide a safe space where local youth are encouraged to fully be themselves, build physical confidence, and dream big.
Earbus Foundation
Impact100 Fremantle Winner (2019)
The Earbus Foundation is a Western Australian children's charity dedicated to reducing the high incidence of middle ear disease in Aboriginal and at-risk children. Uniting experts across education, health, and cultural sectors, their mobile fleet of Earbuses travels to over 100 regional and remote locations. Their vital outreach treats thousands of children annually, working to eradicate hearing loss impacts so every young person can reach their full potential in listening and learning.
Dismantle
Impact100 Fremantle Winner (2010)
Dismantle is an innovative Western Australian not-for-profit dedicated to breaking the cycle of social disadvantage for at-risk young people aged 12 to 25. Through hands-on youth development programs like their flagship BikeRescue initiative, as well as employment social enterprises, they provide vital mentoring, case management, and real-world training to help vulnerable youth build self-esteem, overcome barriers and successfully transition into their future.
Major Grant Recipients
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Our Sponsors
