By Kym Goodes, Chair – Tasmanian Community Fund Board

Across Tasmania, community members – from the Huon to the Highlands to the Hellyer area - step up every day to make their towns more inclusive, resilient, creative and connected. They lead programs to support young people, care for the environment, preserve culture, and respond to some of our most complex social challenges. As a funder, the Tasmanian Community Fund (TCF) has the privilege of supporting this work. But with that privilege comes responsibility – and right now, it’s time to pause and ask the people we serve a simple but powerful question: How are we doing?

The TCF has been around for more than 25 years. Since our inception, we’ve distributed more than $144 million into more than 3,260 projects led by local communities and not-for-profits. That legacy matters – but we can’t rely on legacy alone.

Recent months have highlighted the need for us to return to first principles – to listen well, reflect openly, and reset where needed. In that spirit, the Board has committed to a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process.  This is about checking in, being accountable, and making sure our future direction is grounded in the reality of what Tasmanians need now.

As a Board, we’re engaging in those conversations. We believe they’re not just necessary – they’re healthy. But listening isn’t something we want to do behind closed doors or through formal submissions.  We want to create a genuine opportunity for our stakeholders to tell us how we’re doing, where we’re doing great and where and how we can better deliver on our mission to support vibrant, cohesive and connected communities.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be opening up to hear from our stakeholder – through an online, independent survey to capture these important insights and some targeted one-on-one discussions.  We’ll be inviting past applicants, unsuccessful applicants, current grantees, potential applicants, sector leaders and broader stakeholders to share their views. What’s working? What’s not? What do you want to see more of, less of, maintained, or done differently?

This engagement will inform a review of our strategic priorities and grant-making approach. But more than that, we hope it will affirm the Fund’s connection to the people and places we serve.

Because Tasmania’s future is being shaped every day by people in our communities doing the work — our job is to listen, invest, and get out of their way.