Capital Collaborations
We facilitate unique funding collaborations to enable finance for impact. Drawing on our strong networks in funding, philanthropy and impact investing, we increase the possibility of meaningful capital solutions. Using our expertise in investment readiness at SEFA, we provide solutions to those early-stage or stable organisations who face barriers to traditional capital.
Individual organisations are able to benefit from our legal status to receive funding allocations, or blending a philanthropic grant with capital from our social finance team.
Philanthropic or corporate partners who want to further their mission by supporting for-purpose organisations, are able to utilise us a giving vehicle, to further their nominated purpose.
How do we do this?
We facilitate unique funding collaborations to enable finance for impact. Drawing on our strong networks in funding, philanthropy and impact investing, we increase the possibility of meaningful capital solutions. Using our expertise in investment readiness at SEFA, we provide solutions to those early-stage or stable organisations who face barriers to traditional capital.
HOW WE DO
Funding Collaborations
We help you utilize our legal status in order to receive grant funding or philanthropic capital.
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As a specially listed Item 1 DGR entity with Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) status (refer to ATO endorsement), Sefa Partnerships is uniquely positioned to facilitate tax-deductible giving. This structure enables us to direct funding to community groups, for-purpose businesses, and not-for-profit organizations—even those that lack DGR status and would otherwise be ineligible for philanthropic funding.
In Australia, most purpose-driven organizations lack DGR status, limiting their access to critical funding. This makes Sefa Partnerships’ tax status and role as a connector of catalytic capital essential for unlocking social impact.
For example, Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) can typically only grant funds to charities with DGR1 status. However, Sefa Partnerships can distribute funds to benevolent institutions and support purpose-driven organizations beyond the restrictions typically imposed—enabling tailored support where it’s needed most.
How do we assess potential funding collaborations?
• Alignment with Charitable Objectives: Does the collaboration advance our charitable mission?
• Appropriateness of Capital: Is philanthropy the best solution, or would another type of capital be more effective?
• Value of Sefa Partnerships’ Involvement: Why Sefa Partnerships? What unique value can we bring to the collaboration beyond funding?
HOW WE DO
Blended Finance
We give you access to Blended Finance.
Many for-purpose organisations struggle to combine the opportunities or requirements for funding in a strategic and actionable way.
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At Sefa Partnerships, we’re uniquely positioned to provide a tailored approach to financing in the social outcomes sector, known as blended finance. This approach is designed specifically to support established social enterprises and for-purpose organizations that require a mix of financing options to meet their needs.
Blended finance enables us to strategically combine different types of capital—such as debt, equity, and grants—allowing organizations with diverse goals to invest alongside each other while achieving their individual objectives, whether focused on financial returns, social impact, or a blend of both.
Often, impact investors and traditional financial institutions can only partially meet the financing needs of for-purpose organizations. Blended finance overcomes key investment barriers by addressing (i) high perceived and actual risks, and (ii) suboptimal returns relative to comparable investments. This approach creates investable opportunities where conventional methods fall short.
This is where Sefa Partnerships steps in. We collaborate with cross-sector partners to ensure capital needs are met, preventing missed opportunities and supporting the growth and sustainability of for-purpose organizations.
We’re also fortunate to work closely with Sefa’s Social Finance team, who structure tailored deals for for-purpose organizations. Our unique ability to receive and hold charitable funding and grants on behalf of organizations lacking the legal structure to do so allows us to leverage this funding. By combining it with low-interest capital from Sefa’s Social Finance team, we enhance the availability of funding for your organization.
“Sefa worked with us to ensure we had a sound business model and to develop a relationship with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. Sefa really believed in and backed our vision despite all of the challenges that we faced getting the project off the ground.”
— Jenny Briscoe-Hough, General Manager, Our Community Project Inc.
Sefa Partnerships and Tender Funerals
Jenny Briscoe-Hough had an idea to adopt a social enterprise business model to provide affordable funeral services. With the hope of “empowering people to take control of their dying, their deaths and their funerals”, Tender Funerals was born.
Tender’s vision is to reach a diverse range of cultures and beliefs, with a focus on working with disadvantaged and indigenous community members. It runs educational programs to explain how relatives can become more involved in the end-of-life process and to change the way communities think about dying.
Tender Funerals became a reality when Sefa Partnerships joined forces with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) to create a deal that combined both debt and philanthropy. The Sefa Partnerships loan assisted with the purchase of Port Kembla’s former fire station and the grant from VFFF enabled the conversion of the building into a mortuary.
