Rainbow Giving Australia

Rainbow Giving Australia is an Australian charitable foundation focused on supporting LGBTQIA+ communities and organisations. The entity was established in 2024 through the merger of The Aurora Group and GiveOUT, bringing together two philanthropic initiatives with closely related purposes. Its historical identity is rooted in Aurora, an organisation that developed a distinctive fundraising model combining formal social events with structured giving to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and broader LGBTQIA+ causes. The Aurora initiative began in 1999 when a group of friends with substantial experience in community organisations created a vehicle through which supporters could contribute to a broad range of LGBTQIA+ projects. The name Aurora referred to the aurora's display of rainbow colours and movement, while “Ruby” was associated with the glittering imagery of the aurora and with the ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, a cultural reference with significance in gay communities. The organisation's work subsequently became associated with an annual program of high-profile dinners, community fundraising, and donations to frontline services. Aurora's signature activity was the Aurora Annual Dinner, held from 2000 and traditionally staged in late June around International Stonewall Day. The dinner combined food, wine, entertainment, philanthropy, and a keynote address dealing with significant issues affecting Australian gay and lesbian communities. Speakers included New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Virginia Bell in 2006 and New Zealand politician and former mayor Georgina Beyer in 2007. The keynote format helped position the event not only as a fundraising occasion but also as a public forum for discussion of equality, identity, legal rights, and community priorities. Historically, Aurora raised funds through two principal channels: a giving program and an events program. Its charitable activity supported both designated beneficiaries and a wider group of community organisations and projects. Two major beneficiaries identified in historical material were Twenty10 GLBT Youth Support and the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service of NSW. These relationships reflected Aurora's emphasis on practical services, including support for young people and counselling provision, rather than solely on symbolic or cultural sponsorship. Following the 2024 merger with GiveOUT, the organisation's activities sit within the broader Rainbow Giving Australia identity. The merged foundation represents continuity as well as consolidation: Aurora's event-led fundraising heritage and GiveOUT's philanthropic role were combined in a single national LGBTQIA+ giving organisation. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete account of the post-merger governance structure, grant portfolio, headquarters, or current leadership. Accordingly, those fields remain unreported here. The organisation's known public purpose is to mobilise donations and fundraising support for LGBTQIA+ communities and the organisations serving them across Australia.

Rainbow Giving Australia's history combines the institutional histories of The Aurora Group and GiveOUT. The current foundation was formed in 2024 when the two organisations merged. The merger created a consolidated Australian philanthropic platform dedicated to LGBTQIA+ communities, while preserving the historical significance of Aurora's long-running fundraising and events work. Aurora was established in 1999 by a group of friends who had previously been involved in a range of community organisations. Their aim was to create an organised way for supporters to donate to causes benefiting lesbian, gay, and transgender communities. The organisation's name was inspired by the aurora, whose shifting display evokes the colours of a rainbow. Historical explanations also connect “Ruby” imagery with the glittering character of an aurora and with the ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, a reference that carried cultural resonance within gay communities. From its early years, Aurora used two complementary fundraising channels. Its giving program enabled donations to be directed toward a broad set of community causes, while its events program used hospitality and public gatherings to attract supporters and raise money. This model made the organisation both a grant-making or donation vehicle and a visible social institution within Australia's LGBTQIA+ community. The central event in Aurora's history was the Aurora Annual Dinner. The dinner was first held in 2000 and was scheduled in late June in connection with International Stonewall Day. It developed into a large formal gala featuring quality food, wine, entertainment, fundraising, and a keynote address. The keynote gave the event a public-policy and community-dialogue dimension. Rather than limiting the dinner to social celebration, Aurora used it to highlight contemporary issues of importance to Australian gay and lesbian communities. In 2006, the keynote was delivered by Virginia Bell, then a justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court. In 2007, the speaker was Georgina Beyer, a prominent New Zealand public figure and former politician. Aurora's beneficiary model included both named major beneficiaries and a broader group of organisations and projects. Historical reference material identifies Twenty10 GLBT Youth Support and the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service of NSW among its two major beneficiaries. These relationships illustrate the organisation's practical focus on youth support, counselling, and direct community services. Aurora also raised funds for other projects serving LGBTQIA+ people, although a complete historical list of recipients is not available in the supplied material. The 2024 merger with GiveOUT marked the transition from the Aurora identity to Rainbow Giving Australia. The new organisation provides a single institutional framework for LGBTQIA+ philanthropy in Australia. Aurora's legacy remains particularly visible in its annual dinner, its event-based fundraising approach, and its history of using keynote speakers to connect philanthropy with public discussion. The available sources do not establish a detailed chronology of GiveOUT before the merger, nor do they document the new foundation's full governance, grantmaking operations, headquarters, or current executive team. Those aspects therefore require further verification.

• 2024

  Formation of Rainbow Giving Australia

  [1]Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  The Aurora Group merged with GiveOUT to form Rainbow Giving Australia.

• 2007

  Georgina Beyer keynote

  [1]Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  Georgina Beyer delivered the Aurora Annual Dinner keynote, bringing an internationally recognised LGBTQIA+ public figure into the event's public-affairs program.

• 2006

  Virginia Bell keynote

  [1]Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Virginia Bell delivered the Aurora Annual Dinner keynote address.

• 2000

  First Aurora Annual Dinner

  [1]Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  Aurora began its annual formal dinner, which became its signature fundraising and community-engagement event.

• 1999

  Aurora established

  [1]Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  A group of community-involved friends established Aurora to raise and direct funds toward lesbian, gay, transgender, and related community causes.

An Australian LGBTQIA+ philanthropic foundation that combines charitable giving with community-focused fundraising events and partnerships.

• Charitable giving · 1999

  Giving program

  A structured philanthropic program through which donors support a broad range of causes benefiting LGBTQIA+ communities. Historical material describes the program as one of Aurora's two main fundraising activities, alongside events. It supported both major beneficiary organisations and other community groups and projects.

• Fundraising event · 2000

  Aurora Annual Dinner

  A formal annual gala first held in 2000 and traditionally scheduled in late June around International Stonewall Day. The dinner combined food, wine, entertainment, fundraising, and a keynote address on issues affecting Australian gay and lesbian communities. It became Aurora's signature public event.

• Community philanthropy · 1999

  Community support and donations

  Aurora directed funds to LGBTQIA+ community organisations and projects. Named major beneficiaries included Twenty10 GLBT Youth Support and the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service of NSW, alongside a wider range of organisations serving community needs.

• 2000Aurora Annual Dinner

  Australia

  Aurora's annual gala used hospitality, entertainment, public speaking, and donor engagement to raise funds for LGBTQIA+ community causes. Its late-June timing linked the event with International Stonewall Day.

  Outcome. The dinner became Aurora's signature recurring fundraising and community-discussion platform.

  Source
• 1999Aurora giving program

  Australia

  Aurora established a giving program allowing supporters to contribute to a broad range of lesbian, gay, transgender, and related community causes.

  Outcome. The program formed one of the organisation's two core fundraising channels and supported named beneficiaries as well as other community projects.

  Source

• 2024

  Merger with GiveOUTM&A

  Background

  Aurora and GiveOUT operated as LGBTQIA+-focused philanthropic organisations in Australia, creating a basis for consolidating their fundraising and charitable activity.

  Action taken

  The two organisations merged to establish Rainbow Giving Australia.

  Aftermath

  Rainbow Giving Australia became the successor entity identified in the canonical reference material. Detailed post-merger governance and operating arrangements are not specified in the available sources.

  Source

1. 1Rainbow Giving Australiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Aurora Group official websiteauroragroup.org.au