Alongside the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026, AIDN was honoured to create a dedicated space for those interested in international philanthropy and development — AIDN’s Open Ground. 🌍
Proudly supported by The Phillips Foundation (Australia, Asia and Africa) and The Life You Can Save, Open Ground provided an opportunity for the global development community to network, connect with colleagues, and tune into Lightning Talks from funders, implementers and practitioners alike.
The day also finished with a Global Givers Social, bringing philanthropists, development professionals and others working on global causes together for a relaxed end-of-day gathering.
We are particularly grateful to the many passionate and powerful speakers who shared their expertise from across the sector, including:
🌍 Julie Rosenberg & Simon Lewis (AIDN)
🌍 Felix Brooks-Church (Sanku)
🌍 Michelle Higelin (ActionAid)
🌍 Ben Clark (The Phillips Foundation), Annabelle Chauncy (School for Life), Edna Kilusu (Orkeeswa), Geena Dunne (The Cova Project) & Hannah McNicol (So They Can)
🌍Máire Ruane (FRE02)
🌍Aparajita Gogoi (Centre for Catalyzing Change)
🌍Logan Whitaker (Cotton On Foundation), Kat Dekker (Give Industries) & Louise Pfeiffer (The Life You Can Save)
🌍Steve Killelea (Institute for Economics and Peace)
🌍Fadela Novak-Irons (CALLS Network) & Najeeba Wazefadost (APNOR)
🌍Tanya Armstrong (Classroom of Hope)
🌍Vicky Yee (Women’s Fund Fiji)
🌍Jacob Sarkodee (Australian International Counter Slavery Alliance)
Congratulations to all involved in the organisation of the Philanthropy Australia Conference for 2026.
