AEGN Environmental Philanthropy Conference 2026 Full Program
SPEAKERS
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Tuesday 11 August
Welcome Drinks
at Taxi Kitchen, Level 1 Federation Square, Melbourne VIC
Time: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Wednesday 12 August
Conference Day 1
at The Glasshouse, Olympic Park Oval, 1 Olympic Blvd Melbourne VIC
Time: 8.00am - 5.30pm
Time
Session
8.00 - 9.00am
Registration & Tea/Coffee
9.00 - 9.30am
Welcome to Country and Conference Opening
Speakers
To be announced
Please note: Sessions, speakers and timings are subject to change. More details to come.
9.30 - 10.30am
Bold, Brave & Looking Beyond: The Opening of the AEGN Environmental Philanthropy Conference
The morning will set the tone for the conference and connect to our theme — Bold, Brave and Looking Beyond — inviting delegates to reflect on a defining year for Australia’s environment sector and the geopolitical, climate and nature context shaping everything to come. Set amongst the scale of what’s required, this opening session will then focus on the opportunity and impact from collective action, the AEGN’s strategic focus areas and practical ways for members to deepen their involvement, exploring the highest-leverage moments in the year ahead for Australian philanthropy to shift the dial on climate and nature.
Speakers: Amy Remeikis (The Australia Institute), Dr Tony McAvoy SC (a Wirdi man from Central QLD and Australia's first Indigenous Senior Counsel), Zoe Daniel (Former Independent Federal MP) and Claire O'Rourke (AEGN).
To be announced
Morning Tea & Connecting
10.30 - 11.15am
4.05 - 5.20pm
Break out 1: Funding Nature Better - A Case Study in Collective Action (Wattle Room)
The scale of Australia’s biodiversity crisis requires a concerted giving approach. Nature needs more funding, delivered at speed, to organisations capable of achieving results. Hear how five AEGN members are collaborating for impact, and how the Nature Funding Framework influences their collective and individual giving.
Speakers: Kate Green (Rendere Environmental Trust), Esther Abram (Nature Impact Collective), Margie Jenkin (AEGN), moderated by Ella Colley (Gum Tree Foundation).
11.15 - 11.55am
The Mechanics of Systems Change and How Philanthropy Can Accelerate it
Significant change rarely looks inevitable until after it's happened. So how does it actually occur — and how do you position yourself to help make it so?
Joojin Kim knows firsthand. As CEO and Founder of Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), Joojin has been at the forefront of accelerating the energy transition in South Korea; combining legal strategy, policy influence and civil society mobilisation to shift entrenched systems. In this session, he will share insights on how change happens in practice, and the role strategic philanthropy can play in navigating complexity, identifying leverage points that matter and enabling lasting impact. Includes Q&A.
Speakers: International keynote speaker Joojin Kim, CEO and Founder of Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), introduced by John Hepburn (The Sunrise Project).
Conference MC
End of Day 1 Wrap-up & Reflection
5.20 - 5.30pm
To be announced
12.45 - 1.30pm
Lunch & Connecting
Break out 2: Misinformation and the Role of the Media (Banksia Room)
The climate wars are increasingly fuelled by sophisticated, ideologically driven disinformation "playbooks.” with the media and social media playing crucial roles in amplifying a misleading narrative. Our speakers will share how explanatory journalism and new media communicators are working to strengthen the information ecosystem by amplifying evidence-based information and promoting solution-based action.
Professor Christian Downie (ANU), Andrea Carson (University of Melbourne), Misha Ketchell (The Conversation) and Therese Cochrane (AEGN member).
Break out 3: Gender-wise funding for better climate and environmental outcomes (Flannel Room)
In this session we’ll share stories of how gender-wise funding has made a genuine difference to climate and environment strategies, solutions and impact; and where gender-blind approaches have missed the mark. Come and hear from practitioners and experts who will open the door to an exciting world of gender-wise climate solutions.
Speakers: Clare Gibellini (National Disability Research Partnerships), Victoria McKenzie-McHarg (WELA), Julie Reilly OAM (AIIW), Millie Telford (Reichstein Foundation), Peter Walton (Greater Melbourne Foundation).
Member-led Breakout Sessions
3.20 - 4.05pm
Afternoon Tea & Connecting
1.50 - 3.20pm
The Funding Ecosystem: Growing Capital for Nature
The capital required to heal our planet dwarfs what philanthropy can deploy through grants alone. So what else can philanthropists do — with their corpus, their networks and their influence — to amplify their grantmaking and mobilise more money, faster, towards the outcomes that matter?
This session opens up the toolkit. Through the experiences of three AEGN members, we explore the practical reality of blended finance, mission-aligned investing and catalytic capital — what they look like in practice, what they've unlocked, and what other philanthropists can take from their approach. Includes Q&A.
Speakers: Lisa Miller (Wedgetail), Izzy Jensen (Transition Accelerator), Rachel Ball (Reichstein Foundation), introduced by Alan Schwartz AO (Trawalla Foundation) and moderated by Kate Saunders (AEGN member and Australian Ethical Foundation).
To be announced
Wednesday 12 August
Networking Drinks
at The Glasshouse, Olympic Park Oval, 1 Olympic Blvd Melbourne VIC
Time: 5.30pm - 7.00pm
Thursday 13 August
Conference Day 2
at The Glasshouse, Olympic Park Oval, 1 Olympic Blvd Melbourne VIC
Time: 8.00am - 5.30pm
Time
8.15 - 9.00am
Session
Speakers
Registration & Tea/Coffee
N/A
9.00 - 9.10am
Conference Welcome & Reflection
Conference MC
9.10 - 10.30am
Fed up: How Australia’s Food Systems are Harming People and Planet
The global food system feeds billions. It also drives deforestation, depletes soils, drains freshwater and accounts for a third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most powerful — and most overlooked — drivers of environmental harm, Australia’s food systems are controlled by a shrinking number of corporations, who now exert unprecedented influence over what is grown, how it’s produced, what reaches our shelves, and ultimately how land, water, soil and biodiversity are exploited.
This session offers a clear, accessible introduction to how corporate concentration across the food system — from seeds and fertilisers through to processing, logistics and retail — shapes climate and nature outcomes. It unpacks the links between corporate incentives, public health, environmental degradation and community wellbeing, while exploring why today’s profit‑led system pushes planetary boundaries, undermines farmer livelihoods and hinders consumer choice. Designed to be highly engaging and non‑technical, the session will help understand how power dynamics in the food system influence environmental outcomes, and why building fairer, more resilient systems are essential for a healthy planet. Includes interactive table discussions.
Speakers: Anna Lappé (Global Alliance for the Future of Food), Sally Higgins (Farmer & COP31 Youth Climate Champion), Amanda Larsson (Greenpeace), Professor Phillip Baker (University of Sydney) and Mark Wakeham (Strategy Partner Advisory).
To be announced
10.30 - 11.10am
Morning Tea & Connecting
11.10 am - 12.40pm
What does it look like when the funding is strategic, the collaboration is deep and the change that follows is real, large-scale and lasting?
This session brings together five examples of how bold change can happen, in a fast-paced series of five-minute TED-style talks. Each story illuminates a different dimension of what it takes: the role of capacity building and place-based funding, the intersection of people power and policy, the long-term vision that sustained the work, and the critical moments where philanthropic backing made the difference between an idea that fizzled and one that shifted an entrenched system.
Speakers: Georgina Woods (Lock the Gate Alliance), Nick Chiarelli (Ocean Impact Organisation), Anne Poelina (West Kimberley Blueprint - joining via Zoom), Dr Celine Steinfeld (Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists), Paddy O'Leary (Country Needs People), Nathan Brennan (Country Needs People), and Richard Swain (Invasive Species Council), moderated by Michelle Gortan (Macdoch Foundation).
The Secret Source: Stories of Bold Philanthropy
To be announced
12.40 - 1.30pm
Lunch & Connecting
1.55 - 3.00pm
3.35 - 4.35pm
Bold, Brave & Looking Beyond: A Conversation with Craig Winkler and Karrina Nolan
Bold doesn't always look bold in the moment. Sometimes it means stepping in early to back an idea with potential and then walking alongside a strong leader. This closing session brings our conference themes to life through a real story of what becomes possible when philanthropists bring resources to leadership at the right moment.
MYOB founder and philanthropist Craig Winkler will be in conversation with Karrina Nolan of Original Power and the First Nations Clean Energy Network, exploring what it takes to hold a bold vision and how backing First Nations leadership is delivering impact.
Speakers: Craig Winkler (Technology Founder and Philanthropist), Karrina Nolan (Original Power and the First Nations Clean Energy Network)
To be announced
Conference Wrap-Up & Reflection
Conference MC
4.35 - 4.45pm
Friday 14 August
Post-Conference Field Trip - Exploring Urban Rivers: A Journey Along the Birrarung
in Berth 2, Federation Wharf, Princes Walk, Naarm/Melbourne
Time: 9.45am - 12.00pm AEST
Please keep an eye out for speakers as they are announced - watch this space!
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Speaker to be announced
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now:
Not yet a member of the AEGN?
Tickets are open to AEGN members and their guests who are potential or existing donors with an interest in the environment and have capacity to give $25,000 or more annually to any issue (not just environment).
You can apply for membership, or express your interest in attending the conference by providing us with your details, so we can confirm your eligibility.
© AEGN 2026
The offices of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network are on the lands of the Kulin nation and Eora nation.
Acknowledging the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia, we recognise their continuing connection to the land, waters and community.
And we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Elders both past and present.
Winning Hearts and Minds: Navigating Technology, Tyrants and Talking Points
In a fragmented and increasingly hostile media landscape, the rules of campaign communication have changed — and the sector must keep up. This session takes a look at what it now takes to cut through: from the way content is created and distributed, to the role of AI and technology in reaching audiences at scale, to the challenge of countering well-resourced opposition and a more polarised public conversation.
With a philanthropy lens, we will explore whether NGOs are set up to win in this context, the gaps that need to be filled for greatest impact and what the infrastructure for effective communications campaigning looks like. Includes Q&A.
Speakers: Anna Saulwick (The Gazette), Jonathan Schleifer (Breakthrough Strategies Co), Moderated by Larissa Brown (Boundless Earth).
11.55 am - 12.45pm
Afternoon Tea & Connecting
3.00 - 3.35pm
Tuesday 11 August
Pre-Conference Workshop - Feeling the Future: Emotional Resilience for Environmental Changemakers
at Sanders Place, 11-15 Albert St, Richmond (Note the address change from AEGN office to Sanders Place)
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
1.30 - 1.50pm
Break out 1: AEGN Goes to Parliament (Flannel Room)
Curious about what it’s like to head to Canberra (or state government) to lobby on issues you care about? Been to Canberra and want to share your learnings? Join our “AEGN Goes to Parliament” Session to discuss why go, what it’s like, how to determine who to try to meet and learn tips about effective government outreach with AEGN members Blair Palese, Jo Norman and Stephen Pfeiffer who recently went to Canberra to lobby for strong EPBC reform.
Speakers: Blair Palese (Ethinvest Foundation), Jo Norman (Norman Family Foundation), Stephen Pfeiffer (Philanthropist and Groundswell Giving). Moderated by Emma Bull (AEGN).
Break out 2: Reclaiming the Narrative - Local Leadership for a Healthy Basin (Wattle Room)
Our leaders have allowed a false “farmers vs environment” narrative to dominate such as in the Murray–Darling Basin, where a multi-billion-dollar water market has concentrated control over a critically endangered river system. With the Basin Plan under Federal Government review in 2026–27, this session will explore how philanthropy can support strong community leadership to help local people reclaim influence over the Basin's future.
Speakers: Mark Koolmatrie (Ngarrindjeri Elder), Henry Rischbieth (Letcombe Trust), Julie Jones (MDCA), Celine Steinfeld (WGSC), Anna Demant (Dawn Wade Foundation), Tony Shields (AEGN member) and Jono La Nauze (Environment Victoria)