Our Stories of Impact

Read the latest stories, research, and interviews from across Minderoo Foundation and our partners.

Feature stories

Foundation

What happened at UNGA81? Meet the partners that drove action.

From community-led humanitarian programs to practical safeguards for artificial intelligence, our partners are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges – and we’re proud to back them.

Here are just some of the partners that showed up at UNGA81 this year and how they pushed forward progress.

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Impact Missions

The community-led recovery efforts in Ukraine you should know about.

Often, it is the communities most affected by conflict that are left to navigate its aftermath.

Meet the grass-roots organisations helping communities recover and rebuild across Ukraine.

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Natural Ecosystems

Out of sight must never be out of mind

The deep sea is a vast and fragile ecosystem that helps regulate our climate and sustain life on earth.

Yet as deep-sea mining edges closer to reality, the world faces a defining question: will we protect what we still barely understand?

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Marc Fennell stands with his arms crossed answering a question. In the background, you can see there is a Q&A panel before a movie theate screen with The State of Man branding.
Minderoo Pictures
Behind the scenes: The State of Man with Marc Fennell
John Hartman looks at the camera, in the middle of speaking. He is wearing a dark blue checked sportscoat and a light blue shirt unbuttoned at the top. He looks professional but approachable.
Effective Philanthropy
Minderoo For-Purpose Fellowship: Build a career that matters.
A still from the Keyframe BIT report video, with a cartoon of a hand holding a mobile phone, and the two points ‘How safe are dating apps?’ and ‘When abuse occurs, who’s responsible?’ in white text on a purple background.
Gender Equality
Keyframe: The hidden danger built into dating apps.
Cynthia Erivo wears a barrister’s wig as Tessa in the film adaption of Prima Facie.
Minderoo Pictures
Prima Facie: The other side of justice
Marc Fennell stands facing the camera with his arms crossed, surrounded by a crowd of men facing away from the camera. Promotional artwork for ABC TV series The State of Man, starting Tuesday 13 October at 8pm.
Minderoo Pictures
The State of Man: The online communities reshaping contemporary views on manhood.
Plastics
The Plastic Detox: Participants Julie and Eric share their journey.
A birds eye view of a woman holding a mobile phone. On the screen of the phone is a profile on a dating app. There are small coloured squares over much of the screen, giving a pixellation effect.
Gender Equality
A landmark report has found that nearly every woman experiences abuse on dating apps.
A female reporter sits on a stool in front of a large background of the inside of a fridge looking out, and in a script font the headline ‘Plastic NOT Fantastic’.
Impact Missions
60 Minutes: Why scientists are warning us about everyday plastics.
A long shot of a person using a mine detector over a sadny piece of ground next to a field. A heading on the image reads ‘Ukraine‘s next chapter?’
Impact Missions
In Focus: Can You Rebuild in a Warzone?
A large white and grey boat at sea, on a relatively calm deep blue ocean, but with land showing in the background.
Natural Ecosystems
A voyage exploring the secrets of the deep sea.
The New York skyline at dusk, with the UN building at the centre of the lit up city skyline. The sky is a dark blue and the river below looks silky from a long exposure and is a darker blue.
Foundation
Five things to expect from UNGA81.
Tim Meakins stands against a theatre flat, balancing a painted wooden sword on his wrist. In the background is a table with a mock stone on it.
Create without limits: Minderoo Artist Fund 2027.
A view of MRI films showing cross sections of a brain. There are blurry reflections of the brain pictures in the foreground, giving the image an abstract air.
Cancer
Changing the rules of brain cancer research.
An oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) swims close to the surface in bright blue ocean waters, surrounded by black and white striped pilot-fish (Naucrates ductor).
Natural Ecosystems
Four ways the High Seas Protection Portal is helping turn science into stronger marine protection.
A close up of hands stacking compostable cardboard food containers. A jar next to the containers is full of what look like mustard seeds.
Plastics
Could edible packaging help reduce our reliance on plastic food packaging?
A little girl wearing a pink jumper looks up while pulling her hands apart to clap. In the background are another little girl and a little boy, also clapping. All three are sitting on the ground.
Communities
How Minderoo’s place-based strategy is empowering communities across Australia.
Two women sit in arm chairs in a podcast studio with slats of light coloured wood on the back wall. A television between them has the ConTEXT logo on it and they each have a large professional podcast mic on a long arm in front of them.
Communities
ConTEXT: Fixing Australia’s early childcare system.
An abstract digital illustration featuring flowing blue and green lines with glowing yellow particles, evoking a sense of data flow or neural networks
Artificial Intelligence
8 things to know about artificial intelligence.
A young boy and girl stand with their backs to the camera, looking out over a heavily flooded road, with partially submerged road signs, light poles and trees sticking out of the water. In the background a bridge has escaped being submerged but the water level is past the level of the bottom of the bridge. The children are dressed in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops and are looking down into the water.
Communities
800,000 Days of Learning at Stake: why climate resilience matters for young children.
The graphic features Australian bodybuilder Aziz ‘Zyzz’ Shavershian. The backdrop is a gym and the text reads "Stan Original. Poster Boy: Becoming Zyzz | Revealed | New Documentary Aug 5.
Minderoo Pictures
Poster Boy: Becoming Zyzz
A close up of a woman's hand, pressing her thumb onto a canvas painted with a First Nations design, to add to the painting.
Foundation
From GenerationOne to One Minderoo: 25 years supporting First Nations empowerment.
A bird's eye view of a range of creams, gels and liquids in petri dishes, on a white background. The effect is very scientific.
Plastics
The hidden plastics in your beauty routine – and 6 things dermatologists recommend.
Kal Glanznig, filmmaker and ocean advocate, is pictured looking at at sea. He is surrounded by trees.
Minderoo Pictures
The Plastic Country: Australia's hidden plastic problem
Dr Krista Singleton-Cambage and Dr Robert Glasser sit around a small round table in a podcast studio. On the wall behind, between them, there is a TV screen that has the ConTEXT logo on it.
Natural Ecosystems
ConTEXT: What on earth is Lethal Humidity?!?
A low aerial view of a river valley in spring. The river winds through the flat valley with low hills in the background. The water is completely flat with no hint of any ripples and there is a perfect reflection in the water.
Impact Missions
Ukraine: Recovery begins before conflict ends.
An aerial view of an archipelago. The small islands and their surrounding reefs cut diagonally across the photo frame. On one side of the islands there is only dark water, with waves breaking on the shore. On the other side, the shallow waters with reefs are a bright and beautiful turquoise colour, which drops off very abruptly into deeper and dark blue water.
Natural Ecosystems
What if every voyage helped map life beneath the surface?
A woman wears a matching pink activewear set as she stretches her legs against a clear blue sky.
Plastics
Could your activewear be making you sick? It may contain PFAS.
Minderoo Pictures
SILENCED: Survivors facing a new kind of silencing
Communities
Welcome Baby to Country: Nurturing belonging from the beginning.
A still of Dr Kevin Thomas, wearing a blue business shirt and looking serious while gesturing with his hands. In the top right corner sits the ConTEXT logo.
Plastics
ConTEXT: Plastic pollution isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a human health issue too.
A photo of coral, under bright blue light in an aquarium, in a rounded circle on a black background. At top left there is the title 'SPOTLIGHT' in glowing white letters.
Natural Ecosystems
Spotlight: Ningaloo coral spawning.
Minderoo Pictures
Life Could Be a Dream: A story of resilience and reinvention
A young baby sits with their back to the camera, looking intently at their mother who is blurred in the background, reaching across to get some blocks to play with the baby.
Communities
Australia needs a blueprint to unlock our children’s potential.
A photo of the Seafarers Bridge and Melbourne Convention Centre taken at night with a slow shutter speed, so the water of the river looks silky and the sky is a beautiful purple. The water reflects purple, blue and gold colours from the sky and the lights.
Gender Equality
Four ways Australia is shaping the push for gender equality.
Female IT specialist analysing data and encryption in a professional environment.
Gender Equality
Three ways artificial intelligence (AI) is putting gender equality at risk.
John Hartman wears a mid-blue plaid suit jacket and white shirt, standing in front of the Swan River, with large trees and the city of Perth in soft focus in the background.
Gender Equality
The $12 billion opportunity: Women are the key to closing Australia’s generosity gap.
Gender Equality
Equimundo: Engaging men and boys in championing gender equality
Natural Ecosystems
Why 2026 will define the future of our oceans.
A photo of artist Sherry Quimbao next to a quote in black block letters saying "Strong sense of community", with extra large stylised quotation marks around it in white.
Communities
InFocus: Why the world needs artists right now...
Plastics
Why BPA is just the tip of the (plastic-covered) iceberg.
A researcher snorkelling off the side of a small boat, at the Ningaloo Reef, surrounded by tropical damselfish.
Natural Ecosystems
Why Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf must be protected together.
Communities
Meet the 2026 cohort of the Minderoo Artist Fund.
A side on view of a young woman with dark hair, looking at a phone in her right hand. The background is stripes of bright lights that have been blurred, and there is motion blur around the young woman.
Artificial Intelligence
Australians support AI innovation, but safety must come first.
Artificial Intelligence
ConTEXT: If AI fails, who’s responsible...
Impact Missions
Minderoo continues support for the people of Ukraine.
Communities
What happens when we listen rather than tell in our communities?
Plastics
The Plastic Detox: Revealing the hidden dangers of plastic in our homes.
Natural Ecosystems
When the whales whisper, we must listen.
Communities
Community is not a thing of the past: It begins in the present.
A close up of a man’s hands, manually planing a large round mast of light wood. The image is in a circle and surrounded by black, as if illuminated by a spotlight. At the top left is the word ‘SPOTLIGHT’ lightly glowing as though it is a light source.
Impact Missions
Spotlight: Leeuwin mast building
Impact Missions
Sudan is suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Artificial Intelligence
Australians want a balanced approach to AI, one that delivers benefits and protects people.
Communities
Ten-year partnership to help children and their communities in Adelaide’s north to thrive.
Gender Equality
ConTEXT: Why sharing the care matters.
Gender Equality
Walk Free’s international data collaboration to fight modern slavery wins global recognition.
Minderoo Pictures
Songs Inside: What can music bring to a place like prison?
Natural Ecosystems
It’s our choice – let’s create a future where coral reefs thrive.
Plastics
Spotlight: Project Vibrant.
Plastics
Impact investing is driving purpose and profit at scale.
Natural Ecosystems
Sailors are helping scientists chart the ocean’s hidden cast of characters.
Gender Equality
Five ways you can support 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.
Natural Ecosystems
How can we protect nature while thriving alongside it?
Communities
KeyFrame: The State of Australia’s Children
Communities
Australia’s future depends on how we treat our children today.
Communities
The State of Australia’s Children: Why early action matters more than ever.
Artificial Intelligence
ConTEXT: AI is spying on you (and you agreed to it).
Two fire fighters spray water on a bushfire. The photo has a slow shutter speed so that bright sparks of fire have made glowing trails. The light is extremely orange, making the whole photo have a strong orange cast. The mood of the photo is of a scary and dangerous situation.
Gender Equality
Four ways gendered expectations affect everyone in climate disasters.
Communities
Spotlight: WAAPA’s new production, Tivoli Lovely.
Natural Ecosystems
Nine things to know about COP30 and what it means for Australia and the Pacific.
A mid shot of Dr Alaeldin Elmalik holding a microphone up to his mouth and in the middle of speaking. He is wearing a charcoal coloured suit and sitting on a tall stool. To the left of frame is Julie Rosenberg, and to the right, Simon Eccleshall. They are both looking at Dr Elmalik.
Philanthropy
Crisis Catalysts: The role of philanthropy and other unusual suspects in times of humanitarian need.
A close up of Ryan Ginard, holding a microphone up with his left hand and gesturing in an open hand, palm up gesture with his right. He is wearing a white shirt and greenish blue jacket, has black rimmed glasses, and has a SXSW Sydney branded lanyard and pass around his neck. Behind him, the blinds shutting out the light from the large windows are a similar blue to his jacket, and are somewhat textured, making a pleasant background.
Philanthropy
Five insights about the future of generosity from SXSW Sydney.
Four First Nations children perform on a clay pan in a remote site in New South Wales, at sunset. They are walking with their hands held out in front of them, parallel to the ground. The sun is low in the sky and creates a warm glow over the image, and means the children are back lit.
Communities
Investing in creativity to strengthen communities.
Natural Ecosystems
Eight ways to advance ocean conservation through gender equity.
Foundation
Five ways UNGA80 moved global action forward.
Cancer
Nearly everyone has a cancer story. That’s why we act.
A somewhat rough ocean with white froth on the top of swell and a grey overcast sky. There is a flock of seabirds flying in what looks like a strong wind.
Natural Ecosystems
The High Seas Treaty has been ratified! Here’s 5 things that must come next.
A man and two women walk towards a small village, wearing bright red jumpers over which they have bright red bullet proof vests. They are heading away from the camera but are turned a little towards it so their faces can be partly seen. It is sunny but in the background, there are dark grey rain clouds, giving a moody atmosphere to the photo.
Impact Missions
Humanitarian personnel are dedicated to improving the lives of others. This should never cost them their own.
A signpost with a number of major global cities on it and the distances to each. The signs are arrow shaped and point in a number of different directions. This is a low angle shot so the sign post is set against a blue late afternoon sky.
Foundation
Article 109: Unlocking the UN’s potential for the 21st century.
A refinery complex at sunset. Across a field with frost on it, the industrial complex can be seen, putting out large amounts of heavy vapour. The sunset is beautiful and dramatic colours of pink and orange.
Natural Ecosystems
Five ways lethal humidity is changing our world.
A long shot of the tallship Leeuwin under sail on a calm blue ocean. The photo of the Leeuwin is in a circle and surrounded by black, as if illuminated by a spotlight. At the bottom right is the word ‘SPOTLIGHT’ lightly glowing as though it is a light source.
Impact Missions
Spotlight: Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation.
A low angle shot of Ben Von Wong’s installation entitled The Thinker’s Burden. It is a 6m tall facsimile of Rodin’s The Thinker, with winding flat strips of bronze representing a DNA double helix wrapped around the Thinker. At the foot of the sculpture and the base of the seat is plastic waste, mostly single-use drink bottles, which over the course of a week was added to, to completely eclipse the Thinker himself. Behind the installation is a large yellow board with the words PLASTIC TREATY on it.
Plastics
Five key takeaways from the recent round of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.
Communities
Create without limits: Minderoo Artist Fund 2026. (Expressions of interest are now closed.) 
A group of primary aged children sit variously on grass and a blue esky, eating slices of watermelon. In the background, glimpses of their mums can be seen.
Communities
Four ways early intervention can change the lives of children and families.
Caroline Croser-Barlow stands in front of a podium, with a pull up banner behind her. She is raising her hands in a gesture supporting her point. She wears a maroon top with a pattern of flowers outlined in a lighter colour and has solid rimmed glasses.
Communities
Early intervention is not a nice-to-have – it is a necessity.
Nicola Forrest, wearing a denim jacket, sits in a play boat at a day care centre, accompanied by three young First Nations girls. One sits at the bright blue “wheel” of the boat while another watches her. The third is standing next to where Nicola sits, and is wearing a yellow ochre coloured dress with matching headband.
Communities
Our children are precious – and the future.
Amy Graham sits in a blue armchair, wearing a whit blouse and yellow ochre coloured slacks. She is holding a mobile phone and has a lapel mic fixed to her top. At top right, there is an overlay of the ConText logo.
Communities
ConTEXT: The Cost of Late Intervention report.
A screenshot of a table called "Plastic Chemical Evidence Grid" set at a slight angle. The subheading says "A synthesis of findings on chemical groups and health". The table headings are Outcome, Bisphenols, Phthalates, PCBs. The grid shows that there is at lease one significant harmful health outcome for each of the 3 chemical groups listed.
Plastics
Like an umbrella in your back pocket! The plastic health harms e-dashboard.
A close up of several pairs of hands weaving natural plant fibres, in a loose circle over a traditional First Nations dot painting with vibrant red, blue, white, yellow and black colouts.
Communities
Six ways we’re connecting regional WA through art, culture and creativity.
Minderoo Pictures
The Cranes Call: Justice in real time.
A close up of a vigorously boiling brown broth with lots of bubbles.
Plastics
Simmering danger: What’s brewing in our bodies from plastic exposure.
A wide shot of a stage set up in a paddock. The viewing area is bounded by walls of hay bales and inside hundreds of people sitting in camping chairs are waiting for the show to start. The shot has been taken at sunset and the sun is artistically shining through the gap between the stage and the stage roof.
Communities
The village still matters but it’s becoming rarer.
Dr Christos Symenoides standing outside a commercial building on a CBD street. He is wearing glasses and looks determined and trustworthy.
Plastics
As seen on Four Corners: The health risks of plastic chemicals – and how we can change course.
A humpback whale breaching out of a bright blue ocean, with a distant coastline in the background.
Natural Ecosystems
UNOC3 Recap: 4 key wins for our oceans and what needs to happen next.
A bird's eye view of a school of fish swimming in a long group over a rocky reef. The water is relatively shallow and is a bright, beautiful turquoise.
Natural Ecosystems
Why we support 30x30.
A metal spoon heaped with bright multi-coloured pieces of plastics on a light blue background.
Plastics
Could plastics be hiding in your food? New tool helps measure the invisible.
A half-half image of the same coral bommie at Ningaloo Reef - on the left, a healthy reef with a cloud of small damselfish swimming around it. Above the bommie is a free diver in a black wetsuit and mask, holding a camera. The right half shows the bommie with the corals bleached. They are bright white and no fish can be seen in this photo.
Natural Ecosystems
InFocus: Ningaloo Coral Bleaching.
A bird's-eye view of a small fishing trawler with a red hull that has cast out a bright green net. The net is spread out in elegant folds around the boat. The ocean surrounding the boat is dark blue and has no waves.
Natural Ecosystems
A major global ocean summit is happening – here are 6 things you should know.
A close up of the polyps of a bright orange and yellow soft coral. The branching tentacles of each polyp can be clearly seen and are translucent. The shallow depth of focus means that some of the coral is softly blurred, while the deep green background is extremely out of focus.
Natural Ecosystems
eDNA: A new way to understand and protect marine life.
A pygmy blue whale against a background of mid blue of a shallower area of the ocean. Rays of light are shining through the water column, looking as though they are radiating from the bottom of the photo, rather than from the surface.
Natural Ecosystems
Endangered whales in the firing line – and the science the industry missed.
Dr Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan woman, is speaking into a headset microphone, holding a clicker for a screen. The shallow depth of field means that the background is out of focus, but it can be seen she is standing in front of a slide deck and to the side is a range of pull up banners.
Natural Ecosystems
I refused to be pushed aside - and it transformed the way we protect our oceans.
A crowd of people walking along a pedestrian mall. The plane of focus is on the leafy trees in the background, so all the people's faces are blurred.
Gender Equality
Five surprising truths about how Australians really feel about gender equality.
A midshot of a yellow plastic duck with an orange beak floating on top of a bath full of white suds. The water below the suds is very blue.
Plastics
Five shocking ways phthalates in plastics are hijacking your hormones.
Gender Equality
Reporting is the floor, not the ceiling: Encouraging ethical leadership beyond compliance.
An aerial view of a series of tropical reefs with ocean channels between them. The parts of ocean are dark blue, while the shallower areas are a bright turquoise and green. The words "OCEAN with David Attenborough" are superimposed over the picture.
Minderoo Pictures
OCEAN with David Attenborough.
Plastics
Countdown to INC-5.2: The final push for a Global Plastics Treaty.
Natural Ecosystems
ConTEXT: Unlocking the ocean’s secrets.
An underwater scene of a coral reef in shallow water that has suffered extensive bleaching. Many of the corals are bright white, while some are in the process of turning white but still have some colour.
Natural Ecosystems
Australia’s coral reefs are in crisis.
Communities
“Write clear and hard about what hurts.”
Plastics
ConTEXT: Unpacking the PFAS Problem.
Natural Ecosystems
From floods to forced migration, climate change is reshaping security risks worldwide.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping our world, whether we realise it or not.
Minderoo Pictures
Three leaders, one mission: Breaking the silence on domestic violence.
A graphic made up of a dark coloured circuit board with a small raised square in the middle, in which the letters ‘AI’ are made up of small brightly coloured cubes.
Artificial Intelligence
Genie in a bottle? AI’s potential and peril.
Plastics
Top 5 sustainable solutions to the global plastics crisis (none of which are recycling).
Plastics
Another piece of the plastics puzzle: how phthalates can affect brain development.
Minderoo Pictures
Magic Beach: where childhood imagination meets breathtaking animation.
Minderoo Pictures
Plastic People: the shocking truth about toxic chemicals in our everyday lives.
Minderoo Pictures
Unbreakable: the Jelena Dokic story of survival, strength, and speaking out.
Gender Equality
Is analysis paralysis the real barrier to gender equality?
Plastics
Five plastic items to take off your Christmas wish list.
Plastics
The tug of war on plastics: why the Global Plastics Treaty talks stalled.
Communities
ConTEXT: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
Communities
Are you one pay check away from homelessness?
A 3D illustration of a cascade of bright multi-coloured plastic fragments. Amongst the bits of plastic are recognisable items, such as rubber ducks, plastic food containers and bottle caps.
Plastics
A once in a generation chance to halt the insidious march of plastic.
A 3D illustration of a plate of multicoloured ‘spaghetti’ that looks like the plastic insulation for wires. The strands are wound around a fork that is raised in the air.
Plastics
What’s hiding in your bowl of spaghetti? The toxic truth about plastics.
Gender Equality
Have efforts to address gender inequality in Australia gone too far?
Natural Ecosystems
As world leaders gather for COP29, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Communities
A 25-year commitment to support future generations of West Australian artists.
Minderoo Pictures
The individual and collective: co-creating social impact to transform trauma.
Natural Ecosystems
Located in the heart of Perth, the Swan-Canning Estuary is rich in cultural and ecological significance.
Plastics
Dying mermaids and giant taps: this is how art is uniting the fight against plastic pollution.
Plastics
Take an Umbrella: opening the power of plastics chemicals research.
Minderoo Pictures
“Left Write Hook” follows eight survivors of childhood sexual abuse as they embark on a transformative journey through a unique recovery program.
A graphic that says ‘Artist Fund’ in a white all caps condensed sans-serif font. The R, I and F have been stretched horizontally. After the word fund is ‘25’ in the same font, but the text is outlined rather than solid and is a bright neon yellow in colour. In the corner of the graphic the words ‘Apply Now’ are written on a curve in a nondescript sans-serif font.
Communities
Unleashing WA’s creative power: Minderoo Artist Fund 2025.
Natural Ecosystems
Uncovering the sea-crets of inner (*not outer) space.
Communities
How the Artist Fund is helping a Broome dancer build her community’s dreams.
Plastics
Seven ways plastic is poisoning us (that you probably didn’t know).
A woman wearing a light orange jumper pushes a small trolley with a green plastic basket around a supermarket. In the background, out of focus, it can be made out that there are open supermarket fridges full of vegetables wrapped in plastics.
Plastics
Five unsuspected everyday items that contain plastic (hint: you’re consuming them).
A photo of Jaron Green.
Communities
My journey from homelessness to hope: a story of transformation.
A long shot of Minderoo Foundation staff at the 2024 Philanthropy Australia conference posing in front of tall blue neon light up letters that say 'PA2024'. The characters P and 4 are obscured by people standing in front of them - to the left, four women and three men; to the right, three women and one man. They are all wearing business casual attire and conference lanyards.
Philanthropy
A reimagined approach to philanthropy in Australia.
Communities
Partnering with local communities to create change for Western Australian children.
Minderoo Pictures
Mozart’s Sister: The story of Maria-Anna, a child prodigy forgotten to time.
Plastics
Betty Osei Bonsu is my name. This is my plastic toxic story.
Plastics
Would you like a side of plastics with that?