Announcing a new place-based leadership project for communities facing major climate and environmental transitions
WELA is excited to have been named as one of the initial recipients of funding from a new ‘Coalition of Funders for Women and Families’, formally announced yesterday at the Women Deliver 2026 conference, one of the world’s largest global gatherings focused on gender equality and women’s leadership.
This support will enable us to deliver a new multi-year, place-based leadership project, strengthening women’s and gender-diverse leadership in priority communities facing transition due to environmental and climate challenges. This could include major coal-to-renewables transition, climate-driven water scarcity impacting river systems, or fire-affected regions.
It reflects the central role of women and gender-diverse people in driving community-led solutions, often in ways that are under-recognised, under-resourced, and under-supported.
(L-R) Prof Kristy Muir, Georgie Byron AM, John Hartman, Stella Avramopoulos, Leonie Bell, Fiona McLeay, the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Stacey Thomas, Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, Annika Freyer, Tamika Sadler. Michael Barr and Kerry Gardner AM, not pictured. Image courtesy of Hynesite Photography.
Across Australia, communities are navigating significant transitions, from climate impacts and water stress to energy system change and ecosystem decline. A place-based approach recognises that lasting environmental stewardship and leadership are strongest when those embedded in communities and landscapes are supported to shape what happens, how it happens, and who benefits. Outcomes improve when change aligns with local lives, livelihoods, knowledge and values.
Women, gender-diverse people, and First Nations people already hold key social, relational, and environmental custodianship roles in these communities, yet remain under-recognised in formal leadership and decision-making.
At the same time, investment in climate and environmental transition is often concentrated in technology, infrastructure, and industry change. Without parallel investment in leadership, there is a risk of reinforcing inequality and weakening long-term outcomes.
This project is designed to respond to that gap by strengthening leadership capacity within communities already navigating change, and supporting women and gender-diverse leaders before, during, and after disruption.
WELA has spent the past decade delivering leadership programs that support women and gender-diverse people working across climate, conservation and environmental systems. Our Leadership Intensives have brought together hundreds of leaders across Australia to build capability, confidence and connection.
This initiative builds on that foundation by developing a place-based leadership program in communities experiencing significant environmental and climate transition. It will sit alongside WELA’s existing strategic plan and strengthen our core work across our three strategic pillars: Empower, Connect, and Influence. Read our 3-year plan here.
We are grateful to the Coalition of Funders for Women and Families, and to the coalition conveners Paul Ramsay Foundation for their commitment to more coordinated, long-term investment in community-led change.
The coalition reflects a broader shift in philanthropy towards collaboration, longer-term investment and community leadership.
We also thank our wider WELA community – our alumni, partners, and supporters – whose ongoing commitment has helped make this work possible.
We look forward to working with partners and communities to design and deliver this project, and to sharing more as this initiative develops into 2027.