Thank you for 22 years.
To our incredible and supportive community,
It is with the deepest gratitude and sadness that we write this message today.
After more than two decades of mobilising young Australians to take action against poverty and injustice, the Oaktree Foundation will be winding up its operations by December 2025.
This deeply difficult decision follows a comprehensive assessment of our financial position and the ongoing challenges facing the non-profit sector. The decision to close does not reflect a failure of vision or of our incredible community, but rather the difficult financial realities of sustaining a youth-led organisation in an increasingly constrained funding environment.
In the last few years, Oaktree has tried everything to improve our financial situation; restructuring our team, reducing costs, trialing new fundraising initiatives and diversifying our income streams. But despite our efforts, we were unable to find a sustainable path forward.
Since 2003, Oaktree has empowered thousands of young people to create change, drive campaigns, lead advocacy efforts, and partner with communities internationally. Our innovative program model, the Oaktree Youth Solidarity Fund, has supported 15 different youth-led organisations since 2019 to access critical core funding support to stabilise and grow their organisations.
Our national work has seen hundreds of young people Australia wide enter the international development sector as confident and experienced leaders, with some even going on to create their own new organisations.
We are proud of the legacy we leave behind.
We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has walked this journey with us, from our earliest campaigners to our most recent volunteers, donors, and partners.
Oaktree’s impact is woven through the lives of those who have contributed to our mission, and through the communities and causes we have supported. We are comforted by the fact that Oaktree will live on in the lives of those it has impacted for years to come.
Although it is an end for us as an organisation, our vision lives on through SHIFT Next, www.shiftnow.org/next where young people around the world will continue to scale their ideas, grow their movements and shape the future. Every year, SHIFT supports thousands of young people leading positive change in their communities. It is here that the mission of Oaktree's Youth Solidarity Fund will continue for years to come.
Stay tuned for some more updates in the weeks ahead.
Thank you,
The Oaktree Team
Who are we?
For over 20 years, Oaktree has been Australia's leading youth-led organisation in international development.
We exist because young people across the Asia-Pacific are systematically excluded from the funding and decision-making power needed to address the challenges that affect them most. Through our youth-to-youth solidarity program, the Oaktee Youth Solidarity Fund (OYSF), we redistribute resources and power directly to youth-led organisations driving change in their communities.
From Timor-Leste to Pakistan, we've supported grassroots leaders working on education, climate justice, mental health, and equity. We've helped launch the next generation of changemakers who now lead NGOs across the region.
At our core, we believe young people aren't just future leaders—they're driving change today.
Our Impact
Strengthening Mental Health in Laos
In Laos, many young people face mental health struggles with no support.
Your donation helps youth-led groups like Gamlangchai host wellness festivals, train peer supporters, and spark thousands of conversations that reduce stigma and build lasting networks of care.
Together, we’re creating safe spaces where none existed before.
Protecting young women in Pakistan
In Pakistan, girls and young transgender women are leading the fight against child marriage and gender-based violence.
Your donation helps youth-led groups like Girls United for Human Rights deliver education, train young advocates, and lead climate action in conflict-affected regions.
With your support, they are not just demanding change, they're creating it.
Educating young refugees in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, young Rohingya activists are leading from the world’s largest refugee camps.
Your donation helps youth-led groups like RHRC train refugees in leadership, human rights, and job-ready skills.
Supporting organisations like this empowers young people to break cycles of poverty and lead change in their communities.
So far, we've empowered over
80,000 young people
15
Youth-led organisations across the Asia-Pacific have been supported through the OYSF.
+13,000
Young people have been empowered through our educational programs and workshops.
30
Communities across the Asia-Pacific have benefited from Oaktree’s international projects.
