In a powerful demonstration of community supporting community, the Buderim Foundation is today hosting its inaugural Thompson Charitable Fund Grants Celebration at the Buderim War Memorial Hall, to award $372,200 in life-changing grants to organisations supporting those in need across the region.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli is joining Buderim Foundation chairman Rick Woods, grant recipients, Foundation volunteers, and community champions at the event, which honours the generosity of Roy and Nola Thompson, who established the fund. The event celebrates the three local organisations providing a lifeline to people facing their toughest moments.

Five grants totalling $372,200 are being awarded to grassroots organisations addressing homelessness, domestic violence, and financial hardship across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, support that will help local families and individuals find stability, hope, and a path forward.

The new 2025 Grant Recipients include:

• $112,200 to SunnyKids – $44,200 to provide essential equipment and goods in new transitional housing, helping people rebuild their lives with dignity and $68,000 for a program supporting people in necessitous circumstances
• $160,000 to Aus Living Support – $45,000 for its School Aid program – ensuring local children don’t miss out on education, and $115,000 for its Rental Supplement Program and Bond Aid Program, keeping families in homes and preventing homelessness
• $100,000 to Gateway Care to provide food vouchers to provide immediate relief for people in crisis

Today’s celebration marks the first official recognition of the Thompson Charitable Fund’s impact since its establishment – a fund born from one couple’s deep commitment to their community and designed to support the most vulnerable among us.

Buderim Foundation chairman Rick Woods, who is presenting the cheques at today’s celebration, said the Thompson Charitable Fund embodies the spirit of community looking after community.

“The Thompson Charitable Fund was created to address some of the most pressing needs in our community – supporting people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and financial hardship across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa,” Mr Woods said.

“Through the incredible generosity of Roy and Nola Thompson, local people are helping local people in their hours of need. These grants enable our partner organisations to provide emergency accommodation, essential goods, rental assistance, and support services that can make the difference between crisis and stability for families and individuals doing it tough.

“What moves me most is that this is our community rallying around our neighbours who need help. The Foundation is proud to work alongside organisations like SunnyKids, Aus Living Support, and Gateway Care who are on the frontline every day, providing not just practical help but genuine hope to those who need it most.”

With spring blooms already in bud, the annual Buderim Garden Festival is set to return from Friday 17^th to Sunday 19^th October 2025, celebrating the season with a comprehensive program of open gardens, exhibitions and plant markets.

Now in its 49th year, the Festival represents the showcase event for the Buderim Garden Club, which has been nurturing the region’s horticultural tradition since its establishment in 1946.

Buderim Garden Club President John Lyon said the Buderim community has always had an affinity with gardening, with the Festival at the heart of their annual program since 1975.

“We are very proud that the Festival attracts visitors from around the state, and this year’s Festival is coming together better than ever,” Mr Lyon said.

The Buderim Foundation is launching an ambitious 21-week Community Challenge with the goal of raising $2.1 million to mark the organisation’s 21^st 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 17^th 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 21^st 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 50^th 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.

As many Sunshine Coast families continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, the Buderim Foundation is proud to have provided a $100,500 grant to Gateway Care Food Centre to provide urgently needed food for local families.

The grant from the Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund is the third provided to Gateway Care Food Centre and brings total funding to a total of $302,000 to the organisation since 2023.

Buderim Foundation chair Rick Woods said the grants have provided much-needed support to families in need, including those experiencing homelessness, living in poverty or with domestic violence.

The Buderim Foundation will host a very special Moonlight Celebration with humanitarian Rev Tim Costello AO as our special guest to celebrate our 21^st Birthday – 21 years of community, generosity and impact.

The Moonlit Celebration will be a formal evening on Saturday 23^rd August with live music, a delicious sit-down meal, a keynote speech from Rev Costello AO and lots of surprises at the new Buderim Mountain State School Hall.

Buderim Foundation Chair Rick Woods said the Foundation was honoured to have Rev Tim Costello AO as a special guest for the evening.

“Tim is well-known for his humanitarian work, which aligns with the philanthropic philosophy at the heart of the Buderim Foundation.” Mr Woods said.

“As a community, we are very lucky that the founders created the Foundation in 2004 by establishing investment funds to help support the community. The idea was simple, 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 grants program 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 $1.8M in total has been distributed back into our communities since inception.”

The Buderim Foundation is opening applications for its annual Community Grants Program for 2025, with grants available for local organisations making a positive impact on the Buderim community.

The Buderim Foundation 2024 Community Grant recipients. Photo by Cheryl Nonmus.

Applications open on Monday, 19^th May, to organisations serving the local Buderim community, and eligible applicants will need to apply before Tuesday 1^st July 2025.

Buderim Foundation Chair Rick Woods said this year marks the Foundation’s 21^st Anniversary and, thanks to the success of the Foundation in managing the community’s generous donations, the maximum grant amount for an individual organisation had been increased from $10,000 to $15,000.

Mr Woods said the application process details and 2025 guidelines are available on the website, with successful applicants to be announced at the Foundation’s 2025 annual Community Grants Celebration on Sunday, 14^th September.