Empowering women for 138 years: The Queen's Fund releases its 2024/2025 Annual Report

The Queen's Fund's 2024/2025 Annual Report.

We are pleased to share with you The Queen's Fund's 2024-2025 Annual Report. The below contains excerpts from The Queen's Fund Annual Report 2024-2025, 'Words from Our President' page 3. Head to the TQF website to read the full report.

View The Queen's Fund 2024/2025 Annual Report

2025 marks the 138th year that the Queen's Fund has been in existence. As the nationwide housing crisis and cost-of-living pressures continue this year, for too many women and children in Victoria, availability of and access to basic necessities such as food, a roof over their heads and personal safety remain dangerously unstable. The Queen's Fund continues to step in and make a difference.

This financial year, The Queen's Fund received 2,863 applications, and granted a total of $811,374 to 5,019 Victorian single women, single mothers and their children. This is now our highest number of applications ever received on record, and an increase of over 5% from last year.

Domestic violence and family crisis sadly continue to remain the primary reasons for single women in Victoria seeking our assistance, representing 48% of all applications, but appearing in many of the other applications as a secondary or contributing factor. Basic necessities, utilities and rent continued to be the top three most requested reasons for assistance, accounting for 52% of all funds granted and reflected the struggle to survive economically that our applicants face daily.

This year, we welcomed three new committee members: Danielle Barlow is a former lawyer with 20 years experience in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors; Shubhangi Shukla is a chartered accountant and finance professional; and Amelia Horvat is also a chartered accountant with experience in forensic and strategy consulting. Beloved long time members Sally McLean and Lee Ann Connor stepped down from The Queen's Fund this year. Please see the Annual report to read of their achievements during their time with us.

Lucy O'Sullivan steps down as president after three years - we would like to thank her for her exceptional work during this time in steering the management committee. She remains as deputy president going forward, while handing the baton over to Melissa Goode and Melissa Whiting who in a first for The Queen's Fund, will act as co-presidents.

We would also like to give a big shout out and thank you to all our individual donors, trusts, foundations and corporate sponsors for another year of their support. As always we are grateful to our incredible partners, all the referral agencies we work with and our patron, the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardener AC. The generosity of so many goes a long way to helping us continue our mission to empower the women and children of Victoria.

Please continue to keep The Queen's Fund in your thoughts as you give generously, whether it's your time to volunteer, energy to apply for a grant to help your client in need or spare us some loose change. All efforts are greatly appreciated!