The Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation has announced its 2026 Grassroots Grants program allocations, distributing targeted capital to community support, mental health, and food security organisations across the Hunter region. The funding rounds form part of a broader $800,000 philanthropic deployment across regional New South Wales, bringing the foundation’s cumulative community capital contributions to more than $27 million since its inception in 2003.
The Hunter allocations fund specific operational assets and service delivery expansions for local non-profit groups, addressing increased regional demand for localised health, welfare, and social enterprise infrastructure.
Among the primary regional allocations, the Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation secured $38,000 to modernise its patient transport fleet. The capital will replace aging vehicles utilised to transport oncology patients to medical appointments across the Hunter, while funding ongoing support programs including domestic cleaning assistance, fuel vouchers, and patient care kits.
General Manager of the Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation, Louise Ross noted that fleet optimisation directly affects service sustainability and cuts down geographic barriers to regional healthcare.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation for their support in funding this new vehicle, which will make a meaningful difference to the way we deliver our services,” Louise said.
“For our clients, it means improved access to support when they need it most, helping reduce barriers during an already challenging time.
“It also strengthens our ability to show up across the community at events and activations, increasing visibility of our work and connection with supporters. Importantly, this investment supports the long-term sustainability of HBCF, ensuring we can continue delivering vital services for years to come.”
Food security initiative Eat Up Australia received $34,000 to scale its fresh nutritional distribution lines, targeting more than 3,300 students across 60 educational campuses throughout Newcastle and the Central Coast.
Founder of Eat Up Australia, Lyndon Galea said the philanthropic funding resolves regional logistics challenges inherent in supply chains for fresh produce.
“At Eat Up, we believe no child should go hungry at school. While the cheese sandwich is our humble hero and sits at the heart of our free school lunch program, delivering fresh fruit and vegetables to children in regional communities in a scalable way has long been a challenge,” Lyndon said.
“This support from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation helps activate our Regional NSW Snack Program across Newcastle and the Central Coast, enabling us to deliver more nutritious, balanced lunches to local children who need them most.
IMAGE | Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation deploys regional grant funding to Hunter community groups
