Catalysing Impact unlocks $3.77m for climate and inclusion enterprises
From left: Anh Van, Lauren Hicks, Kristen McDonald, Melanie Greblo, David Sea, Jack Howes, Pete Horsely, Harris Ryan, Adam Long, Kurt Gruber, Jessica Mendoza-Roth, Jay Boolkin and James Aiken
Sydney, 3 December 2025: QBE Foundation and Social Impact Hub celebrate the successful conclusion of the first year of Catalysing Impact, a new initiative designed to accelerate the growth and impact of Australian purpose-driven businesses and impact enterprises focused on climate resilience and inclusion.
In its inaugural year, the program has helped unlock a total of AU$3.77 million in funding for participating enterprises, with QBE Foundation’s AU$1.02 million in grants and Social Impact Hub’s capability building support leveraged to secure a further AU$2.75 million in external funding.
Showcasing the inaugural cohort
The 2025 program culminated in a live crowdfunding showcase at QBE’s Sydney headquarters, where employees from across the organisation came together to hear the enterprises pitch, allocate seed funding from QBE Foundation, and make personal donations. A further AU$54,995 was pledged from QBE Foundation and QBE employees together, adding to the broader catalytic funding outcomes delivered through the program.
A year of catalytic support in action
Over the year, Catalysing Impact has aimed to help fast-track the growth and investment-readiness of enterprises working at the intersection of climate resilience and inclusion.
Funded by QBE Foundation and delivered by Social Impact Hub, the program is designed to meet enterprises where they are – supporting earlier-stage ventures laying the foundations for growth and more established organisations seeking catalytic capital to scale.
In the first year of the program, support included:
Targeted funding support - Enterprises received AU$10,000 participation grants and five enterprises received catalytic grants between AU$50,000 and AU$350,000, designed to unlock additional external investment and expand their impact.
Diagnostics, tailored mentoring and advisory - Through Social Impact Hub’s Professional Impact Network, enterprises accessed specialist support on impact measurement, strategic and financial planning, governance, fundraising and operational challenges, helping sharpen business models and strengthen engagement with funders.
Collaboration with QBE employees - A design-thinking hackathon and multiple skilled-volunteering projects connected the participating enterprises with QBE employees, who worked on real-world strategic and operational challenges and brought fresh perspectives, new networks and practical solutions.
Enterprises reported that the combination of funding and capability building has strengthened their planning, financial management and pitching, and contributed to securing funding that may not otherwise have been available.
Stronger, more confident and ready to grow
Through diagnostics, advisory and mentoring, Catalysing Impact has helped participating enterprises refine their strategies, clarify their impact stories and improve their financial models and forecasts, while building confidence to engage with investors and partners.
In the program evaluation, participants highlighted benefits such as more coherent business and strategic plans, access to high-quality advisors and experts, stronger financial foundations, and sharper, more compelling pitches that opened doors to new relationships and opportunities.
QBE employees at the heart of the program
QBE employees played a pivotal role in the inaugural year, bringing the program to life through hands-on engagement with the enterprises.
At the Catalysing Impact hackathon, cross-functional teams of QBE staff spent a full day working side-by-side with three of the enterprises on strategic and operational challenges using a structured design-thinking process. Participants described the experience as energising, practical and highly collaborative, and noted that it deepened their understanding of social enterprises and impact-driven business models.
Skilled-volunteering projects extended that engagement over several weeks, with QBE employees supporting enterprises on marketing, financial analysis, risk and strategy. Volunteers reflected that the projects were professionally valuable and purpose-driven, offering a meaningful way to apply their capabilities in a new context.
A collaboration between foundations and a platform for growth
At its core, Catalysing Impact reflects a meaningful collaboration between QBE Foundation and Social Impact Hub’s Foundation, backed by a shared commitment to backing enterprises that are building a more resilient, inclusive future. QBE has brought its funding, people and brand to the table; Social Impact Hub has brought specialist expertise in impact, investment readiness and enterprise support; and together they have created a model that both strengthens individual organisations and helps grow the broader social enterprise ecosystem.
The program’s first year has laid strong foundations - demonstrating that when catalytic capital, tailored capability-building and meaningful employee engagement come together, they can help unlock new funding, accelerate growth and enable purpose-driven enterprises to take the next step in their journey.
Viv Bower, Group Executive of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability and QBE Foundation Global Chair, said the inaugural year demonstrates the power of combining catalytic capital with deep capability-building and employee engagement:
“The first year of Catalysing Impact has shown what is possible when funding, expertise and collaboration come together. Through the QBE Foundation’s support and the incredible engagement of our people, we have helped empower enterprises focused on building a more resilient and inclusive future. We are excited to build on this momentum in the second year of the program.”
Jessica Mendoza-Roth, Founder & CEO of Social Impact Hub, said:
“This first year has confirmed that when you pair high-calibre enterprises with catalytic funding, tailored advisory to build capability and committed corporate partners like QBE, then you can move the dial on both impact and investment readiness. We’re grateful for QBE Foundation’s leadership and the enthusiasm of QBE employees, and we’re looking forward to supporting a new cohort in 2026.”
2026 Program: Expressions of Interest now open
Building on the success of the inaugural year, Catalysing Impact will continue in 2026, with applications now open for a second cohort of enterprises.
Social enterprises operating in Australia that are working on solutions related to climate resilience or inclusion are invited to submit an Expression of Interest. The program will again offer:
Funding support - AU$10,000 participation grants, with an opportunity for selected enterprises to apply for catalytic grants of up to AU$400,000 to unlock further investment.
Tailored mentoring and advisory - Access to experienced advisors, mentors and experts to support impact measurement, strategic planning and operational improvement.
Collaboration and networking with QBE professionals - Opportunities to work alongside QBE employees through hackathons, skilled volunteering and live pitching events, expanding networks and sparking innovation.
Enterprises interested in joining the next Catalysing Impact cohort can learn more and apply at: https://www.socialimpacthub.org/catalysing-impact
ENDS
Media enquiries
Social Impact Hub
Jay Boolkin
Senior Collaboration Manager, Social Impact Hub
Phone: 0401 389 442
Email: jay@socialimpacthub.org
QBE Foundation
Sophia Elliott
External Communications Specialist, QBE Australia
Email: sophia.elliott@qbe.com