Sefa announces $500 million moonshot for Australia's social economy

Today, Sefa is proud to announce a bold initiative to unlock $500 million in flexible, fit-for-purpose capital for impact-led organisations by 2030. This nationwide moonshot addresses a critical funding gap for local charities, social enterprises, and regional not-for-profits that traditional finance has too often left behind.

By coordinating government funding, philanthropic capital, and private investment into intentional ‘impact stacks’, Sefa aims to ensure capital works as one to strengthen the social fabric holding Australian communities together.

This moonshot responds to a growing mismatch between community need and the way capital currently flows. Across Australia, organisations holding communities together are under pressure with the rising cost-of-living, housing shortages and growing mental health needs meaning demand for their services is increasing, yet many still cannot access funding that fits the way they operate and grow. Too often, they are seen as too small or too risky for traditional finance and left relying on short-term funding that makes long-term planning difficult.

For 15 years, Sefa has built financial architecture that delivers concrete outcomes. Having already unlocked over $160 million for the sector, we have proven that community-scale impact investing achieves measurable results. With cost-of-living pressures squeezing communities across the country, philanthropic capital alone can no longer meet the growing demand. Impact stacks offer a proven way forward. With over 30 percent of disbursed loans repaid early, the Sefa model demonstrates that transitioning organisations to mainstream capital is both highly effective and replicable.

“We are treating trillion-dollar problems as sub-scale investment opportunities, and that must change.”

Hanna Ebeling, CEO of Sefa.

Communities across Australia are facing rising pressure, while the capital available to support them remains fragmented and too often unfit for purpose. When funding works in silos, impact is limited. But when government, philanthropy, and private investment are designed to work together, capital can do far more to strengthen communities, back essential services, and create lasting change at scale. Building impact stacks is about creating the financial architecture needed to meet today’s challenges with the coordination, flexibility, and ambition they demand.

To reach this ambitious $500 million goal, Sefa will rapidly scale three repeatable impact stack patterns:

• Sequenced stacks will integrate capability support with capital, preparing organisations for larger investments over time.

• Blended and syndicated stacks will unite foundations, family offices, and private capital into single, catalytic deals.

• Bridging stacks will build structured pipelines to transition organisations into mainstream banking, backed by strategic partnerships to support specific cohorts, like First Nations businesses.

As the architect of these impact capital stacks, Sefa remains committed to providing flexible finance and targeted capability support to impact-led enterprises across Australia. We are ready to scale community impact with a range of capital working together as one.

Learn more about joining an impact stack that fits your organisation's impact goals, here: Join the moonshot.