
- To encourage 'Wayward Women' to become micro-philanthropists and use the power of collective giving to raise and distribute much-needed funds to not-for Victorian profit organiaations and projects.
- To build a strong, vibrant and collaborative giving circle community that endeavours to create significant and positive change in the world.
- To empower our members by giving them a choice regarding their contribution and where it should be invested.
- To create an affordable membership structure that is accessible to women from all financial backgrounds.
- To encourage diversity and invite women from different backgrounds and with different life experiences to become members.
- To support community-focused organisations and projects that may not be eligible to receive funding from mainstream funding bodies.
Wayward Woman Giving Fund (WWGF) raises funds that are distributed to Victorian (Australian) non-profit organisations and projects that support and benefit four key areas:
1. Women - Education, economic justice, violence against women, women’s civic and political participation, women’s health, housing, culture.
2. Children - Education, child safety, housing, culture, health.
3. Cultural Community Development (CCD) - The creative sector and the community working together to create projects that benefit the community.
4. The Environment - Environmental groups focusing on local issues.
Melbourne-based Artiste Melynda von Wayward (The Wayward Woman) is the driving force behind the Wayward Woman Giving Fund (WWGF).
For many years Melynda has wanted to be a philanthropist and make meaningful change in the world, so she began to investigate the idea of micro-philanthropy and discovered the concept of the ‘Giving Circle’ – an accessible way for individuals to join together by pooling smaller amounts of financial resources to fund social change and make a substantial cumulative impact in their community.
The idea of collective giving truly excited Melynda, so she took the idea to the board of the not-for-profit organisation Society of Australian Punk Inc. (SOAP), of which she is the chairperson, and asked the board to support the creation of the WWGF by acting as the Auspicing organisation. The board agreed and WWGF was officially created in 2023.