ASIT — Australian Social Investment Trust

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ASIT Pilot Project · It's Our Place Initiative · Illawarra-Shoalhaven NSW

Project Bellambi
Collective Impact in Action

A place-based, whole-of-community initiative tackling intergenerational disadvantage in Bellambi, Wollongong NSW. Supported and facilitated by ASIT since 2015 as a subsidiary project under the It's Our Place model — Australia's first Collective Impact initiative targeting social housing estates at this scale.

📍 Bellambi, Wollongong NSW Est. 2015 🏛️ ASIT Subsidiary 👥 4,011 residents 🏠 78% Social Housing 10+ Year Commitment

ASIT Score

7.8/10

Tier 2 — Growth

Social Value: Long-term
10–20yr return horizon

4,011

Residents

Bellambi community

123

Actions Created

▲ 110 completed

800+

Co-designers

Community & partners

ISSIT Partners

Govt + NGO + UOW

18/25

Preschool Enrolments

▲ From near zero

150

Jobs Created

Bunnings partnership

Key Details & ASIT Score

📅

Established

2015 (incubation)

📍

Location

Bellambi, Wollongong NSW

🎯

Model

Collective Impact (Kania & Kramer)

🏠

Social Housing

78% of suburb — highest in NSW

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SEIFA Score

692 — most disadvantaged in Illawarra

⏳

Commitment

10+ years (to at least 2025)

ASIT Score

7.8/10

Funding Tier

Tier 2 — Growth Grants

Social Value Horizon

10–20 year return on social investment — reduced policing, health, welfare and justice costs to government

Phase

Phase 2 underway (2019–2021) · Phase 3 planned (2022–2024) · NSW Govt housing renewal now active

Leadership Team

Natasha Scully

ASIT Founder & CEO

Led Bellambi Collective Impact since 2014 incubation · Backbone team lead

Gillian Dryland

ASIT Platform Co-founder

20 years in charity sector · Driving ASIT platform vision

Helen Freeland

ASIT — Backbone Team

Co-facilitates It's Our Place Bellambi with Natasha Scully

Jess Dart

Evaluation Lead — Clear Horizon

Led scoping workshop & Theory of Change development with Liz Bloom

Lauren Gale

Evaluation Framework Author

Authored Our Place Evaluation Framework — ASIT 2017

9-Dimension Profile

Governance & Accountability

8.5/10

ACNC registered. ISSIT Advisory Board with senior leaders from 9 government and NGO organisations. Clear governance structure under Trust model. Evaluation framework authored by Clear Horizon. ASIT as neutral backbone is formally constituted.

Impact & Results

7.5/10

110 of 123 actions completed. Preschool enrolments from near zero to 18/25 families. Volunteering up from 13.3% to 15.3%. Crime reporting increased (positive indicator). DV mentoring program active. AEDC childhood vulnerability scores improved 2015–2018. Attribution still developing — long-term results expected over 10–20 year horizon.

Financial Sustainability

7.0/10

NSW FACS (major funder through Future Directions strategy). Multi-agency resource pooling across ISSIT members. In-kind contributions tracked. Bunnings and Google corporate partnerships secured. Ongoing funding diversification needed for 10+ year sustainability.

Geographic Reach

8.0/10

Whole-of-suburb place-based model covering all 4,011 residents and 1,061 families. Deep Wollongong/Illawarra-Shoalhaven roots. Model already expanded to Bundaleer, East Nowra and Warrawong. NSW Homes housing renewal now underway at Bellambi estate.

Program Maturity

8.0/10

10 years operating. Theory of Change developed with Clear Horizon consultants. 4-phase implementation model (2015–2025+). Action plans co-designed with 800+ community members across Phase 1 and Phase 2. Internationally recognised Collective Impact framework (Kania & Kramer).

Leadership Quality

8.5/10

Natasha Scully is a nationally recognised social impact innovator. Advisory Board includes NSW Premier & Cabinet, Health, Education, Police leadership. Clear Horizon (Jess Dart) provides independent evaluation expertise. Adaptive management approach embedded.

Volunteer Engagement

7.5/10

Bellambi Safety Group self-organising monthly — community-led. Volunteering rate rising from 13.3% to 15.3% (goal 18.1% by 2025). Community events growing in participation. Google provided 100+ teachers with free professional development. Aboriginal community self-organising emerging.

Community Embeddedness

9.0/10

Deepest possible community embeddedness — the community IS the project. Action plan co-designed with 800+ residents. Children's drawings used as baseline insight. Community voice is Principle #1. Aboriginal community on Dharawal Country specifically included. Community leaders emerging organically.

Transparency

8.0/10

First Annual Report published 2016/17 with full data transparency including baseline vs current. Clear Horizon evaluation framework published. Data sources documented (ABS, BOCSAR, ACARA, AEDC). Honest about attribution challenges. ACNC registered — public financials available.

Major Initiatives — Success & Outcomes

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Early Learning Initiative

Near-zero preschool enrolments in 2015 identified as critical vulnerability. ISSIT delivered information packs to 25 families with preschool-age children in social housing.

Outcome: 18 of 25 families enrolled children in preschool by 2018. AEDC childhood vulnerability scores improved. Children arriving at Bellambi Public School increasingly school-ready.

👮

DV Mentoring Program

Domestic violence identified as major community concern — residents didn't know who to turn to or felt unsafe reporting. NSW Police and TAFE Illawarra co-designed a community mentor program.

Outcome: Community mentors now trusted first contacts for DV support. Crime reporting increased significantly. First proactive Police-FACS door knock in Wollongong LAC — model expanded to other Illawarra estates.

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Google STEM Partnership

Facilitated collaboration between Corrimal Community of Schools and Google to improve STEM outcomes and school reputation. 100+ teachers received free professional development.

Outcome: Corrimal HS recognised as leader in 21st Century Learning and STEM-focused school. Students won Social Change through STEM competition in 2017.

🛠️

Bunnings Employment Pipeline

ISSIT identified Bunnings owned land in Bellambi. Engaged national and local management to create community employment pathways before store opening. Sessions held at Neighbourhood Centre and Surf Club on job applications.

Outcome: Bunnings opened December 2017 — 150 jobs created. Local residents employed. Labour force participation in Bellambi increased from 40.69% to 41.37%.

🏡

Bellambi Safety Group

Community-led safety group formed in 2015. Meets monthly to clean rubbish, remove graffiti and raise awareness. Initially facilitated by ISSIT — now self-organising and expanding independently.

Outcome: Community garden no damage in 6 months. Residents taking ownership of litter. Graffiti reduced. Community feels 60% cleaner. Residents now report feeling safe — including new solo residents.

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Neighbourhood Centre Hub

WCC, FACS, Community Industry Group and ASIT collaborated to strengthen governance and compliance at the Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre — identified as the community's core hub in the Action Plan.

Outcome: Centre now legally compliant and governance strengthened. 9 community events held. Weekly coffee groups running. Community reporting it feels like family. Young people increasingly included.

Donor View

Why This Project Matters to Donors

🏠

Social Housing Concentration

Highest in any NSW suburb

78%

👶

Preschool enrolments

From near zero in 2015

18/25

🤝

Community Actions Completed

Of 123 co-designed actions

110

💼

Jobs Created (Bunnings)

Local employment pipeline

150

🏛️

Government Partners Engaged

ISSIT member organisations

🏘️

NSW Govt Housing Renewal

Direct result of project impact

Active

The Investment Case

Bellambi is proof that ASIT's Collective Impact model works. Starting from one of NSW's most disadvantaged postcodes — 78% social housing, SEIFA 692, 92.8% without wage income — community-led action has produced measurable change within 3 years and triggered NSW Government housing renewal investment.

Long-term ROI to Government

Reduced policing · Reduced juvenile justice · Reduced mental health costs · Reduced welfare dependency · Increased tax base

✓ ACNC Registered

✓ ASIT Subsidiary

✓ 9 Govt Partners

✓ Clear Horizon Evaluated

Funding Needs

→Phase 3 Action Plan delivery ($200K+)

→Longitudinal wellbeing measurement ($60K)

→Model replication — 3 new communities ($150K)

→Social investment actuarial modelling ($80K)

Positives, Strengths & Challenges

✓ Positives

NSW Government's Homes NSW housing renewal at Bellambi is a direct signal that the project has shifted the narrative about the community at the highest policy level.

Results within 2 years exceeded expectations — Natasha Scully: "We've seen results we were not expecting." This inspired rollout to Bundaleer, East Nowra and Warrawong.

Community-led model working — Bellambi Safety Group self-organising without ISSIT facilitation. True community ownership emerging.

Cross-sector collaboration model is replicable and scalable. Police and FACS joint door knock approach now expanded to other Illawarra estates.

⭐ Strengths

ASIT as neutral backbone is the key structural strength — no single agency controls the agenda. Government, NGOs and community all at the table as equals.

Theory of Change covers all 5 levels (Foundations → Population Impact) — one of the most comprehensive frameworks for place-based collective impact in Australia.

Formal evaluation by Clear Horizon (Jess Dart) gives the model academic and sector credibility — essential for major philanthropy and government investment.

First Nations inclusion from the outset — Dharawal land acknowledgement embedded in all reporting. Aboriginal community groups becoming increasingly self-organised.

⚡ Challenges

Attribution is the hardest problem — population-level change takes 10–20 years. Funders expecting short-term results will struggle with this model's timeline.

Data collection across multiple government agencies using different reporting periods creates gaps. The "missing middle" — between action tracking and population outcomes — is not yet filled.

Financial sustainability beyond Phase 1 government funding is unresolved. Securing multi-year philanthropic partnerships is critical for the 10+ year commitment.

Labour force participation at 41.37% remains far below NSW average of 93.7% — employment outcomes are the longest-lag indicator and require sustained 10+ year investment.

Guidance for Scale & Major Donor Alignment

What Would Accelerate Scale

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Actuarial Social Investment Modelling

Convert qualitative outcomes to economic return data. ISSIT framework designed for this — needs dedicated funding. Would unlock Social Impact Bond pathway by 2026.

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Replicate in 3–5 NSW Communities

Rollout to Bundaleer, East Nowra and Warrawong already started. Scaling requires backbone funding of $300K–$500K per community per year for minimum 5 years.

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ASIT Intelligence Platform Integration

Connect Bellambi's community data to the ASIT platform — enabling real-time population dashboards visible to funders and government.

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Multi-Funder Trust Fund Structure

Clear Horizon recommends a multi-funder trust with common reporting against a "funder roadmap" — ASIT is perfectly positioned to host this structure.

ASIT Compliance & Framework Alignment

Commonwealth Grants Rules 2024

Proportionality principle applied — community capacity assessed before intervention. Government investment matches readiness stage.

NSW OSII Social Impact Investment

ISSIT evaluation framework designed to convert to a full Social Impact Bond by 2026. Actuarial modelling pathway in place.

Standards Australia SA HB 204:2022

Lived experience at the centre — community voice is Principle #1. Evaluation uses validated wellbeing scales (Personal Wellbeing Index, Buckner's Scale, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).

ACNC Governance Standards

ISSIT Advisory Board with 9 senior government and NGO leaders. ASIT as neutral backbone meets all ACNC board accountability requirements.

NSW Future Directions Strategy

Theory of Change explicitly designed to support NSW Future Directions. Linked to Human Services Outcomes Framework and NSW Premier's Priorities.

Theory of Change — 5 Levels

LEVEL 1

Foundations

ASIT as backbone · Legal & governance setup · Community readiness assessment · Leadership identification

LEVEL 2

Strategic Approaches

Co-designed action plan · Community capacity building · Cross-sector collaboration · Data analysis

LEVEL 3

Early Signs

Community self-governance · Aboriginal groups organising · Working groups mobilising · Safety Group active

LEVEL 4

System Changes

Community pride · Services collaborating · New enterprises · Narrative improving · NSW Govt renewal

LEVEL 5

Population Impact

Safety · Education · Employment · Economic impacts · Social inclusion · 10–20 year horizon

Understanding the Score — Why 7.8 vs Raise's 8.9

A score of 7.8/10 for Project Bellambi compared to Raise Foundation's 8.9/10 is not a reflection of quality — it reflects a fundamental difference in model type. Bellambi is a systems-change Collective Impact initiative. Raise is a direct service delivery charity. The ASIT scoring framework, like all charity assessment tools globally, is inherently better suited to measuring organisations that deliver countable services to countable people. This is an important limitation donors should understand.

📊

Impact Measurement

Raise uses independent RCT-style evaluation with propensity score matching across 10,000+ individual mentees. Results are direct, attributable and publishable.

Bellambi's population-level outcomes span 10–20 years across 4,000 residents. Attribution of community change to any single initiative is a known sector-wide challenge — even Clear Horizon notes this as the hardest problem in place-based evaluation.

💰

Financial Sustainability

Raise has $5M+ in diversified revenue including Google.org, Macquarie Foundation and a growing corporate base. Revenue has grown consistently for 18 years.

Bellambi is still building its multi-funder model beyond government. The 10+ year commitment requires sustained philanthropic partnerships not yet fully secured — a challenge Clear Horizon explicitly identified.

🎯

Model Type

Raise delivers a structured, replicable mentoring program. Each intervention is bounded, measurable and directly linked to an individual young person.

Bellambi operates across all cohorts, all domains, whole of community simultaneously. No single charity evaluation framework in the world scores this model type as highly as direct service delivery — it is a structural scoring gap, not a performance gap.

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Program Maturity

Raise has 18 years of published, peer-reviewed evaluations. Its evidence base is exceptionally mature for an Australian NFP of any size.

Bellambi is 10 years into a 20-year model — exactly where Clear Horizon's lessons learned say the evidence is hardest to capture. ASIT scores for Bellambi will rise significantly as population data matures through Phase 3 and beyond.

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Who Should Fund This

Raise is ideal for philanthropic foundations, tech donors and corporates who want clear, countable impact per dollar with social return data.

Bellambi is ideal for government (NSW FACS, DCJ), place-based philanthropy (Paul Ramsay Foundation, FRRR) and systems-change investors who understand that transforming intergenerational disadvantage cannot be counted in annual cohorts.

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The ASIT View

A 7.8/10 for a Collective Impact model tackling Australia's highest concentration of social housing disadvantage — from scratch, with no precedent — is exceptional performance. Raise is a more "scoreable" model, not a more impactful one. As ASIT develops a dedicated scoring dimension for place-based and systems-change initiatives, Bellambi's score trajectory will reflect what it truly is: Australia's most ambitious community transformation project, and the proof of concept for everything ASIT stands for.

ASIT Funding Architecture How capital flows through the trust

🏛️ Government

NSW DCJ, Federal Grants

$2–5M+

💼 Philanthropy

Foundations & Trusts

$500K–2M

💻 Tech Giving

Atlassian, Canva, Pledge 1%

$250K–1M

🏢 Corporate

Workplace giving programs

$100K–500K

↓

🔷 ASIT

Australian Social Investment Trust

Community Charity DGR1 · Compliance Layer · ASIT Score™ · Intelligence Hub

$70M+ Social Value Generated

↓ Allocated by ASIT Score

🌱 Tier 1

Foundation Grants

$10K–$50K

Capacity-building embedded

📈 Tier 2

Growth Grants

$50K–$200K

Program-level investment

🚀 Tier 3

Impact Investment

$200K+

Outcome-linked payments

ASIT Scoring Framework 9 dimensions · 0–10 scale · contextual benchmarking

Mission & Social Need

30%

Clarity of purpose, alignment with identified community need, evidence of demand. Critical for Tier 1 assessment.

Community Connection

25%

Cultural competence, grassroots embeddedness, trust from beneficiaries, peer references from community leaders.

Governance & Compliance

20%

ACNC registration, board structure, financial reporting quality, DGR status, risk management policies.

Program Design

15%

Theory of Change, evidence base, program logic, intervention maturity, adaptation and learning cycles.

Financial Sustainability

15%

Revenue diversification, cost-per-beneficiary, surplus/deficit trends, unrestricted funding ratio.

Impact Measurement

5–20%

Scales with tier: proxy indicators acceptable for Tier 1. Formal SROI / third-party evaluation required for Tier 3.

Impact Delivery in Action Real outcomes from ASIT portfolio charities

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Raise Foundation

Tier 3 · Youth Mentoring · NSW + National

Young people supported10,000+/yr

Improved ≥1 outcome85%

Social return per $1$4.00

🏙️

Streetwork

Tier 2 · Youth at Risk · Northern Sydney

Young people annually350+/yr

Wellbeing factors tracked54

Taxpayer saving per $1$16 (PwC)

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Batyr

Tier 2 · Mental Health · NSW + National

Young people reached50,000+

Lived exp. speakers200+

Cost per person reached$60–$80

🎓

Beacon Foundation

Tier 2 · Career Education · TAS + National

Schools nationwide104

Understand employer needs94%

Cost per beneficiary$400

💛

Little Dreamers

Tier 2 · Young Carers · NSW + National

Service engagements/yr10,000+

Active volunteers449

Cost per beneficiary$200

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IBFF

Tier 1 · Community Mentoring · QLD (8 regions)

Programs per year100

Revenue growth (3yr)+55%

Social valueDeveloping

Why ASIT The case for each stakeholder

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For Government

NSW & Federal funding bodies

✓One compliance interface — ASIT holds DGR1 status and absorbs government reporting obligations, removing the burden of vetting dozens of small charities individually.

✓Proportionality principle — ASIT's tiered approach aligns with Commonwealth Grants Rules 2024, ensuring grants match organisational maturity.

✓Verified social value — ASIT Score™ provides auditable evidence of impact, with social returns up to $16:$1 already demonstrated in the portfolio.

✓Outcome-linked payments — Tier 3 structure enables Social Impact Bond–style payments tied to measurable outcomes.

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For Major Philanthropy

Foundations, trusts & family offices

✓Discovery engine — ASIT surfaces high-impact grassroots organisations that would otherwise be invisible to foundation grantmakers.

✓Trust-based giving — Tiered funding with capacity-building components mirrors the Ford Foundation BUILD model, proven to deliver better long-term outcomes.

✓Portfolio intelligence — ASIT aggregates outcomes across all funded charities, giving foundations a portfolio view they cannot get from individual grants.

✓Pooled grantmaking — Multiple foundations can co-invest through ASIT, reducing administrative duplication and amplifying collective impact.

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For Tech Giving

Tech founders, Atlassian, Canva, Pledge 1%

✓Data-native platform — ASIT speaks the language of tech philanthropists: KPIs, social return on investment, portfolio analytics, and real-time impact dashboards.

✓$25B opportunity — CSI research shows Australian tech wealth is shifting from 1% to 21% of top-50 giving. ASIT is the infrastructure to channel this efficiently.

✓Venture-style diligence — ASIT Score™ mirrors startup due diligence: founders, traction, evidence base, financials, and growth trajectory — all in one profile.

✓Pledge 1% compatible — ASIT integrates with workplace giving platforms, allowing tech companies to direct their Pledge 1% commitments to verified grassroots portfolios.

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For Grassroots Charities

Small NFPs without the resources to compete alone

✓Visibility without burden — ASIT builds your profile from public data. No new reporting, no new systems. Your work speaks for itself.

✓Pathway to larger funding — ASIT's tiered model creates a credible pathway from $10K to $200K+ grants as organisations mature — no cliff edges.

✓Capacity building embedded — Tier 1 grants include support to build the governance and measurement systems needed to progress — investment, not just money.

✓Collaborative, not competitive — ASIT ends the race for the same grant dollar. Charities are scored on their own merit, not pitted against each other.

ASIT Compliance & Framework Alignment What makes ASIT credible to government, philanthropy & corporates

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Commonwealth Framework

Commonwealth Grants Rules & Principles 2024

ASIT's tiered scoring directly embeds the proportionality principle — assessment burden matches organisational maturity. Simplified Tier 1 criteria for early-stage charities mirrors the CGRGs directive that officials must not overburden grant applicants.

What this means for funders

Government funders can direct grants through ASIT with confidence that distribution methodology is fully aligned with Commonwealth grant administration law — reducing legal and compliance risk.

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Charity Regulator

ACNC Governance Standards

All ASIT-profiled charities are assessed against the five ACNC Governance Standards — board accountability, member management, conflicts of interest, financial oversight, and program suitability. ASIT's Governance & Accountability dimension maps directly to these standards.

What this means for funders

Every charity in the ASIT portfolio has been independently verified against Australia's national charity regulator standards — giving donors immediate confidence without needing to conduct their own due diligence.

⚖️

Legal Structure · Treasury 2024

Community Charity DGR Framework

ASIT's legal structure is purpose-built around the new Community Charity DGR category established by the Treasury Laws Amendment Act 2024 — the only vehicle in Australia that allows both grantmaking to non-DGR organisations and direct program delivery under a single entity.

What this means for funders

Donations to ASIT are fully tax-deductible. ASIT can pass funds to grassroots charities regardless of their DGR status — removing the single biggest structural barrier that has historically blocked funding from reaching the organisations that need it most.

📐

National Measurement Standard

Standards Australia SA HB 204:2022

Australia's first national social impact measurement standard. ASIT's 9-dimension framework is aligned to its eight core principles — including measurement of lived experience, comparability across organisations, transparency of methodology, and stakeholder engagement in assessment design.

What this means for funders

ASIT's impact measurement methodology is not proprietary or arbitrary — it follows the same national standard used by government agencies, academic institutions and major foundations across Australia, making ASIT scores credible and defensible.

🎯

NSW Government · Social Investment

NSW Office of Social Impact Investment (OSII)

ASIT's Tier 3 assessment criteria directly mirror NSW OSII's Social Impact Bond readiness requirements — evidence-based program design, organisational data capacity, measurable payable outcomes, and counterfactual methodology. Since 2013 NSW has facilitated 14 social impact investments supporting 15,000+ people.

What this means for funders

ASIT Tier 3 charities are pre-qualified for NSW Government outcome-linked payment structures — opening a pathway to Social Impact Bond investment and government performance contracts that would be inaccessible to grassroots organisations operating independently.