Support The Bunya Fund

In the spirit of the mighty Bunya pine, The Bunya Fund stands as a testament to growth, resilience and interconnectedness. Much like the pine’s organic, generative and expansive protective canopy, the Fund nurtures the seeds of co-operative and mutual initiatives across Australia. It weaves protective networks, akin to the roots of the Bunya, fortifying the resilience of communities. This Fund is not merely a source of support but also a symbol of co-operative strength and mutual flourishing, echoing the enduring and widespread embrace of the Bunya pine to foster economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being.

The Bunya Fund is Australia’s first co-operative and mutual enterprise sector fund that supports the next generation of co-operative and mutual social enterprises.

Established as a co-operative development fund set up by the BCCM in collaboration with our members, The Bunya Fund helps newer and emerging co-operatives and mutuals to grow and prosper to increase their positive impact on their members, their community, the environment and society.

Aligned with the BCCM’s mission to support growing the co-operative and mutual economy in Australia, The Bunya Fund empowers the next generation of social businesses to choose the co-operative or mutual model of enterprise if it is the right model for them.

The Bunya Fund:

• provides capacity building, education and advisory services, valued at between $5,000 and $24,000
• supports co-operatives and mutuals in addressing diverse challenges across economic, social, cultural and environmental realms in Australian communities
• provides grants for crucial professional services, such as legal advice and accounting, often inaccessible to co-op and mutual startups, and for essential equipment purchases, such as safety gear or software, to ensure startups have the necessary resources to commence operations

The first funding round recipients, Bunyans, were announced in November 2022, the second in April 2023 and the third round of recipients on 1 July 2024.

To date, 21 projects have received packages of support ranging from $2,500 to $24,000 each. More than $350,000 has been committed in the first three years to fund community owned co-ops in housing, health, employment, disability services, organic farming and the arts and beyond.

The Bunya Fund’s objectives