about
Founded in 1912 by Eliza Hall with a donation of £1,000,000, the original Trust was created to offer meaningful help to people in urgent need.
It was shaped by Eliza and her husband Walter’s deep belief that giving should be personal, purposeful and grounded in the realities of hardship.
That belief continues to guide every decision we make today.
Her vision was simple: direct, practical help for Australians in hardship.
More than a century later, we still believe in the impact of grassroots giving.
Our Vision
An Australia free of acute financial stress.
Our Mission
Continue to provide rapid relief to individuals grappling with acute or chronic financial strain whilst partnering with organisations to address its causes.
Our Purpose
To provide direct relief to individuals experiencing acute financial distress via the provision of small grants.
To partner with organisations addressing the social issues which lead individuals into acute or chronic financial distress.
Team
kristine anderson
Kristine is an experienced leader with a strong track record across purpose-driven and corporate sectors. She has held senior roles at Social Ventures Australia, the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, and The Nature Conservancy Australia, and previously led Marketing at Strategy&, PwC’s consulting arm, across Asia.
Her work spans philanthropy, strategy, and marketing, with a focus on social equity and environmental conservation. Kristine currently serves as a Board Director of Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Business.
Chairperson
rachel findlay
DirectorRachel is a philanthropic leader with over 15 years’ experience in Australia and the UK. She currently leads the Next Horizon Initiative at the Siddle Family Foundation, supporting place-based, community-led philanthropy. Previously, she was Executive Director at Philanthropy Australia, leading national engagement across 1,000+ members.
Rachel has advised families on high impact giving at Australian Philanthropic Services and held senior roles at Social Ventures Australia, the Social Impact Hub, and NPC in London. A Chartered Accountant (ACA), she began her career at PwC and brings strategic insight, analytical rigour, and deep sector expertise to all she does.
Katie Thornton
DirectorKatie brings more than 20 years of experience in investment and asset management, including as Director, Head of Product Australia at Fidelity International, where she led product governance and strategy across a multi-billion dollar investment suite.
She has also held senior roles at AMP Capital and NAB Asset Management, and more recently worked within a philanthropy advisory practice supporting charitable trusts and foundations on investment governance. Katie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience) from the University of Sydney, and has completed further training in responsible investment through PRI Academy.
Neeraj Aggarwal
Neeraj Aggarwal has over 17 years of experience across corporate M&A, sovereign wealth deployment, and global impact investing. He currently serves as a Director at the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation and previously developed multi-asset strategies at Australian Impact Investments.
During 7.5 years at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, he managed a US$45M impact investing portfolio and led the US$100M Rebuild Texas Fund. His earlier career includes corporate finance roles at Rothschild and Macquarie Group, and he has additionally served on various non-profit boards. Outside of work, Neeraj is an ardent coach of his son’s sports teams and an aspiring squash player.
Director
cathy hockey
DirectorCathy has been working in the not-for-profit sector for the past 17 years. Cathy has experience developing and delivering programs for marginalised communities and working directly with vulnerable groups. This includes adults and children with disability, people from rural and remote areas of Australia and First Nations peoples.
Cathy has built a jobs-focused social enterprise, Bushlink, and led the growth of Royal Far West’s (RFW) National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) program, Windmill. More recently Cathy spent 3 years as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Northside Enterprise Incorporated. Cathy started her career in banking and is a certified Organisational Coach, mentor and facilitator.
Directorlouise campbell
Lou Campbell is Co-Executive Director of Consulting at Social Ventures Australia (SVA). Lou engages with senior leadership teams and boards across the social sector to weigh up complex strategic decisions and to understand and measure their impact. Lou works across many sectors including justice, disability, children and families, health and First Nations work, and she leads SVA’s work on economic empowerment and financial wellbeing.
Over her 30-year career, Lou has also worked in consulting, government, technology and banking in Australia, UK and Africa. Louise holds Masters degrees from both UNSW and Deakin University in Economics & International Development respectively.
sarah neill
DirectorSarah Neill is driven by creating better outcomes for people and communities through evidence, learning and partnership. With 20 years' experience across philanthropy, public health and government, she leads Impact and Learning at the Paul Ramsay Foundation, working across strategy, impact measurement and organisational learning to strengthen the Foundation’s partnerships and investments.
Sarah brings expertise in evaluation, governance and systems change, with experience leading complex grants, research partnerships and cross-sector collaborations.
