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Annual Giving
$33.0M
Grant Range
$1K – $25K
Endowment
$100.0M

About

The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas is an Australian philanthropic foundation established in late 2018 by Judith Neilson with an endowment of at least $100 million. It aims to support and celebrate quality journalism and storytelling, both in Australia and internationally, through grants, education programs, and events.

Tips for Applicants

The Institute supports specific projects through grants, with a focus on public interest journalism, investigative reporting, and international coverage, particularly in the Asian region. They collaborate with existing journalism schools and news organisations, both traditional and emerging. Applicants should demonstrate how their projects will contribute to creating new and higher-quality journalism, potentially focusing on underrepresented voices or communities.

Giving Philosophy

The Institute's approach to giving is focused on encouraging and supporting quality, evidence-based, and public interest journalism. It provides resources to help journalists and media organisations develop skills and knowledge, with an emphasis on creating new and higher-quality journalism that might not otherwise be produced. The founder, Judith Neilson, aims to support stories that need to be told to a wider audience, including non-English speaking communities and those in regional areas.

Notable Grants

Support to re-open The Australian Financial Review's South East Asia bureau in Jakarta
Funding to the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) for its National Radio News service
Funding to ABC for a remote media literacy program (The Regional Schools Ambassadors Program) in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory
Sponsorship for the Chris Watson Award for Outstanding Regional Newspaper Reporting at the Kennedy Awards
Significant funding for more arts reviews and criticism in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WA Today, in partnership with the Copyright Agency
Grants to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age to employ an Indigenous journalist and trainee photographer for Indigenous issues coverage
Funding for Guardian Australia's Pacific Project
Support for Ngaarda Media, a community radio station in Roebourne, Western Australia, for news coverage

Giving History

2021
$2.4M
2023
$1.2M
-49% decrease from 2021 to 2023

ACNC Financial History

YearGrants GivenRevenueTotal AssetsNet Assets
FY2023
$1.2M
$860K AU + $362K intl
$171K$42.5M$42.3M
FY2022
$3.9M
$3.2M AU + $727K intl
$10.2M$47.5M$45.9M
FY2021
$2.4M
$2.1M AU + $302K intl
$5.1M$46.8M$46.0M
FY2020
$2.2M
$2.1M AU + $116K intl
$16.0M$50.6M$48.6M
FY2019
$437K
$45.0M$41.1M$38.8M
5yr total$10.2MSource: ACNC Annual Information Statements

Focus Areas

mediajournalismresearcheducationhuman rightsarts
Geographic
AU-NationalInternationalAU-QLDAU-NSWAU-WAAU-NTAsia
Recipients
nfpresearchcommunity orgschooluniversityindividual

Financial Details

Source of Wealth
Property (Platinum Asset Management divorce)
Revenue Sources
inherited, finance, property

Board & Leadership

ACNC
ACNC
ACNC
ACNC
Simon Freeman
secretary
ACNC
Linked from structured person roles rather than unstructured foundation summary text.

Data Sources

Profile quality: high
Foundation profile updated: 23 June 2026 (today)
Website scan updated: 23 June 2026 (today)
Website pages scraped: 5
Added: 5 March 2026 (110 days ago)
View on ACNC Register →