Time
Personal hours, hands-on work, and service on a committee or a board.
How we give
Philanthropy is more than a cheque.
Money is one of five things we have to give, and it is not always the one that matters most. The others cost nothing to a funder and can be worth more to an organisation than the grant beside them.
Five forms of giving
Talent
Professional skill and expertise put to work: legal, financial, governance, design, technology.
Treasure
Grants, and in-kind goods and services where those are what the work actually needs.
Ties
Opening a network. Connecting an organisation with other funders, sponsors, partners and volunteers.
Testimony
Using a voice publicly. Advocating for a mission, naming why the gift was made, and encouraging others in.
Most of our relationships involve more than one of these. Some involve no money at all.
Eligibility
Who we can fund
We are happy to listen and to talk to anyone. A conversation costs nothing and often leads somewhere, even when a grant does not.
Financial support is narrower, and the limit is legal rather than editorial. As a private ancillary fund, we can only make grants to organisations endorsed as Deductible Gift Recipients under Item 1 of the Australian system. That is a rule of the structure, not a judgement about the work.
If you do not hold Item 1 DGR status yourself, it is often still possible. Many projects are auspiced by an organisation that does, which receives and administers the gift on the project’s behalf. Raise it in the conversation rather than assuming it rules you out.
Time, talent, ties and testimony carry no such restriction.
Getting in touch
How organisations come to us
Many of the organisations we support are found rather than fielded: through networks, through other funders, and through people who know the work from the inside.
Others contact us directly. We read every message. An unsolicited approach is a legitimate way in, not a long shot.
What to expect
No form, no panel, no hoops.
We work lean, and that is deliberate. Less process at this end means more of the giving reaches the work at yours.
Email us at rise@honeycake.foundation. There is no template for that first email. It helps to know who you are, what you are trying to do, and what would be different if it worked.
Write whenever you like. The conversation usually begins well before a decision, so earlier is better.