The Buderim Foundation is launching an ambitious 21-week Community Challenge with the goal of raising $2.1 million to mark the organisation’s 21st birthday and amplify its community impact for generations to come.
The challenge, which runs until Saturday 17 January 2026, aims to boost the Foundation’s investment funds to increase the annual grants available to support Buderim and Sunshine Coast community organisations.
Buderim Foundation chairman Rick Woods said the Foundation was proud to have provided more than $2.3million in funding to Buderim and Sunshine Coast community organisations through its Buderim Community and Thompson Charitable Funds.
“We have only been able to provide funding thanks to the generosity of our donors – all the funds donated are invested, and our grants are made from the earnings from those funds, so we can continue giving in perpetuity,” Mr Woods said.
Mr Woods said the new Community Challenge would build on the groundwork laid by everyone who has contributed over the past 21 years.
“We have a huge goal – to raise $2.1million for our investment funds in just 21 weeks, which runs until Saturday 17th January,” he said.
Mr Woods acknowledged that while the $2.1 million target is ambitious and many community members are facing financial pressures, every contribution will make a lasting impact.
“There is no amount too small to make an impact. Even $5 invested in our funds will grow and in turn lead to increasing returns to the community,” he said.
“The larger our investment funds, the more earnings we will have to distribute as grants. This approach means we can continue supporting our community in perpetuity.”
Already the Challenge is off to an incredible start thanks to the generosity of Buderim Foundation ambassadors and supporters who attended the Foundation’s Moonlit 21st Birthday Celebration on Saturday.
Mr Woods said it was a fantastic night which included a keynote address by humanitarian Rev Tim Costello AO.
“Not only was it a great night but there were some very generous donations pledged on the night.
The Grant family, Ken, Beverly, Allen and Susan with Buderim Foundation chair Rick Woods
“We were also delighted to announce a very special “Gift in Memory” donation of $1million made in memorial to long-time Sunshine Coast local and co-founder of Sunshine Coast Coaches, the late Alastair Grant.
While Alastair sadly died in 1995 at the relatively young age of 58, the contribution that he and Beverley have made to transportation in the region is significant, as is the family’s generosity in making this donation in memory of Alastair. As part of the Foundation’s Gift in Memory Program, a story about Alastair Grant has been written and is available on the Foundation’s website. Alastair Grant’s is the 50th Gift in Memory made to the Buderim Foundation and you can explore them all here – https://www.buderimfoundation.org.au/gifts-in-memory/.
“We are so grateful to the Grant family including Alastair’s wife Beverly who started the coach company with him, and to their children Susan, Ken and Alan, and we were delighted to have them and their family with us for our celebrations,” Mr Woods said.
Beverley said she hoped that their family’s donation would inspire others to also become donors, however big or small that donation may be.
The idea behind the Buderim Foundation is simple – we invest donations and bequests and distribute the earnings through grants to community organisations supporting the local community. The original investment is never spent so the fund can continue to support the community in perpetuity.
“Now, 21 years on, this idea includes the Buderim Community Funds that provide a service and support to residents in the Buderim area as well as the Thompson Charitable Fund which provides grants to organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness and financial hardship across the entire Sunshine Coast.
“Over $2.3 million in total has been distributed back into our communities since inception and we hope, through the generosity of our community, we can amplify the impact of our grants long into the future by raising $2.1 million in 21 weeks to boost our investment funds,” Mr Woods said.
Community members can get involved by making donations themselves, or by organising their own mini fundraisers. Donations can be directed to either the Buderim Community Fund, which supports organisations serving the Buderim area, or the Thompson Charitable Fund, which assists people experiencing homelessness and financial hardship across the broader Sunshine Coast region.
For more information about how to get involved or make a donation go to the Buderim Foundation’s Community Challenge – www.buderimfoundation.org.au/buderim-foundation-21-week-community-challenge/ or follow the Buderim Foundation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. If you don’t want to make a donation online, you can email info@buderimfoundation.org.au or drop into the old Buderim Post Office, which the Buderim Foundation shares with the BWMCA.
