Publications

This year has marked a significant transition for the Churchill Trust. We farewelled our longstanding Board Chair, David Trebeck, whose leadership over eight years as Chair guided the Trust through a period of meaningful growth and evolution as we welcomed Richard Roylance—himself a Churchill Fellow—as the new Chair. Richard brings a fresh perspective to help steer the Trust moving forward. The Trust has also undergone some changes and continues to grow and develop, with new staff joining the team to support our ongoing mission and future direction.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Churchill Trust staff, including the regional secretaries and the many dedicated volunteers who make up the State and Territory Associations, selection panels and committees and of course our Board members. Their unwavering commitment to the Trust’s values and the outstanding support they provide are deeply appreciated. On behalf of all Fellows and stakeholders, thank you for your professionalism, warmth, and tireless efforts.

The Churchill Trust continues to support people from all walks of life with diverse projects, as they dedicate themselves with passion and commitment to improving Australian society. The 2023-24 Annual Report highlights that we had another successful year for the Churchill Trust, with 984 applications received (a 30% increase from the previous year) and 104 Fellowships awarded, including two joint applications.

Heartfelt congratulations and sincere thanks to the many people who made those accomplishments possible, including our dedicated staff, board, selection panels, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and Churchill Fellows. I’d also like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of former CEO Adam Davey for his valued leadership over many years

The 2022-23 Annual Report includes some important milestones for us, including awarding 84 new Fellowships, supporting most of the Fellows who were grounded by COVID-19 restrictions to embark on their Fellowship journey, as well as several new initiatives to help maximise potential Fellowship impact.

We are grateful to all of our dedicated board, selection panels, volunteers, partners, sponsors and Churchill Fellows. Together, we support people from all walks of life through diverse projects, as they dedicate themselves with passion and commitment to improving Australian society.

For the first time in the Trust’s 56-year history, we did not have an application round for new Fellowships, so in 2021 we focused on helping Fellows accelerate momentum from their Fellowships as well as strengthening our approach and preparing for Churchill Fellowships in the future.

We’ve changed the Trust’s constitution to broaden eligibility for Churchill Fellowships to include Australian permanent residents, and introduced the option of domestic travel for people living in remote communities. We put in place virtual research options to broaden access to Churchill Fellowships for people living with disability or significant caring responsibilities that make physical travel overseas unviable. With the support from one of our Patrons, Prof Tom Calma, we established an Indigenous Churchill Fellows Network to help draw together the collection experience of our Fellows and encourage First Nations applicants. We also developed our first Reconciliation Action Plan.

We’ve accomplished a lot, and this year’s annual report reflects that. A huge thanks to our dedicated team, board, volunteers, partners, sponsors and our Churchill Fellows.