Yes, CERES is a registered charity so every donation over $2 is tax deductible. 

CERES’ impact continues to grow. Each year, we welcome over 650,000 visitors and provide environmental education to more than 30,000 school children. Our work: bringing people together, creating hope, and offering free, nature-filled spaces, has never been more needed.

But like many community organisations across Australia, we’re facing some of the toughest economic challenges in our history.

What’s putting pressure on CERES?

• Rising costs across the board
  The cost-of-living crisis has driven up our day-to-day expenses while also putting pressure on the income we generate through our social enterprises.
• The long tail of the pandemic
  We’re still recovering from significant financial losses caused by COVID. The pandemic disrupted our programs and depleted our already limited reserves.
• Increased costs on major projects
  Several recent community infrastructure projects—funded through grants—faced major cost increases during construction. CERES had to dip into our cash reserves to complete them.
• Growing community need
  As concern about the climate grows and Melbourne’s population rises, more people are turning to CERES. We’re seeing increasing demand for our programs and public spaces. Meeting this need requires more support, staffing, and resources.
• A lean legacy
  CERES has always operated with minimal reserves so we could deliver the greatest possible impact. But this leaves us vulnerable in tough times. We’re now focused on building a stronger, more sustainable financial foundation.

We’re taking proactive steps to meet these challenges, and to secure CERES for the future. Your support will help us continue growing hope, community and climate action for generations to come.

We’re taking action beyond this appeal to build a stronger and more sustainable future for CERES. This includes both short-term changes and long-term planning.

Improving how we work

• Reviewing all programs and activities to ensure they align with our mission
• Streamlining operations while protecting our core focus on environmental education
• Rolling out cost-saving measures across the organisation

Planning for the long term

• Continuing funding discussions with all levels of government
• Building partnerships with philanthropic organisations
• Strengthening our fundraising capacity
• Supporting the growth of our social enterprises

These changes will help CERES become more financially resilient. Our goal is to create a well-resourced, well-funded organisation that remains a thriving hub for community and environmental action.

This year, like many other social purpose organisations, we’re struggling to cover the basic running costs of CERES Park and the core functions that support all we do.

We know this may come as a surprise—many in our community aren’t aware of the financial challenges we’ve been facing. Support from our community is particularly important at this time, which is why we’ve asked more directly and urgently than in previous years.

In addition to the operational changes we’re making, we’re continuing conversations with government and philanthropic partners to secure a more sustainable future for CERES.

Your donation helps CERES continue doing what matters most—growing food, restoring ecosystems, and creating spaces where people reconnect with nature and each other.

The $150,000 we’re seeking will support the essential behind-the-scenes work that makes everything possible:

• Caring for and maintaining our 4.5-hectare park and urban farms.
• Maintaining safe and welcome community spaces 
• Supporting our education programs for thousands of school children
• Sharing our stories to inspire action and change

Meeting this goal will give us the time we need to put longer-term sustainability measures in place. We’ll keep supporters updated on how the campaign is going and the impact their support is making.

CERES operates under full board governance with regular financial oversight and qualified financial advisors. As a registered charity, our accounts are audited annually by independent auditors.

You can view our annual reports and financial information at any time on our website. 

Yes. Merri-bek Council has been CERES’ original and longest-running partner.

Merri-bek Council provides the land CERES operates on through a peppercorn lease and contributes $280,000 each year to help keep CERES open and free for everyone. That support is vital — but it covers less than 15% of what it takes to keep everything running.

We’re incredibly grateful for this support, and we continue to work with Merri-bek Council to keep CERES accessible and thriving.

We’ll keep our community informed throughout this important time. To stay in the loop, you can:

• Subscribe to our newsletter – Make sure you’ve selected ‘What’s Happening at CERES?’ in your preferences. You can subscribe at the bottom on this page.

   

• Follow us on social media @ceresbrunswick

   

• Read our annual reports on the ‘About CERES’ page.

Please email board@ceres.org.au and we’ll do our best to respond. Due to high email volume, we may not be able to reply immediately, but we appreciate your interest and will get back to you.

You can also find more detailed information in our annual reports and throughout our website.

We understand many people are doing it tough. If you’re not in a position to give financially, you can still help through spreading the word. This is one of the most powerful things you can do. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find resources to help share the campaign with your network.

Thank you for being part of the CERES community. Every act of support, whether it’s donating, sharing, or simply showing you care, helps keep this place the incredible people-powered place we all love.