Disability Sport and Recreation
Based in VICRuns sport and recreation for people with disability across Victoria, including kids camps and a yearly festival, plus disability awareness programs.
- Disability
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
Best charity to donate to in Australia
The best charity to donate to in Australia might be one you've never heard of. These six smaller charities do big work in their communities, from crisis support to landcare. Find the one that matches what you care about. Every dollar you give goes to them.
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How to find the best charity for you
Start with the cause that matters most to you, then look at what a charity does, where it works and how it reports on its work. Registration with the ACNC, the national charity regulator, is the baseline, and every charity on Tap4Change is ACNC-registered.
Australia has around 60,000 charities, and a handful get most of the donations. Plenty of smaller charities do great work on tight budgets but rarely have the marketing money to be seen. This page puts six of them in the spotlight. For the big household names, see our guide to the best charities to donate to in Australia.
Still weighing things up? Our guide to the most effective charities in Australia covers how to judge impact, and our guide to donating to charity in Australia walks through every way to give.
- Check the basicsACNC registration, clear programs and regular updates.
- Match your valuesPick the cause and community you care about most.
- Look beyond the big namesSmaller charities often rely on local donors.
Six smaller Australian charities worth knowing
Each one is ACNC-registered and listed on Tap4Change. Tap a card to see their profile, their latest updates and how to give.
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Micah Projects
Based in QLDProvides community services across Queensland, including domestic and family violence services, Home for Good and inclusive health partnerships.
- Community services
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
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Lifeline Canberra
Based in ACTAnswers the 13 11 14 crisis line around the clock and offers mental health and domestic violence training in the community.
- Crisis support
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
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Landcare Australia
Based in NSWSupports the landcare community with funding, projects and networks to improve biodiversity and build resilient food systems, including Junior Landcare.
- Nature
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
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C Care
Based in VICDelivers meals, groceries and pantry programs to people doing it tough in St Kilda and across Melbourne.
- Food relief
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
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Family Life
Based in VICSupports children and families in Melbourne's south with family services, early intervention mental health and a children's contact service.
- Families
- Tax deductible
- ACNC registered
Want a different charity? Search all 60,000+ charities. How we picked these six: from Tap4Change's charity data, we took charities rated 3 stars with a complete profile and annual donations under $1 million, then picked the top one in six different causes by their most recent annual donations. Schools, hospitals and religious groups were left out.
A thank you perk from brands that do good
Some donations come with a thank you perk from a partner brand, like a voucher or a free product. It's a small thanks for showing up, never the reason to give. Offers change often, so check what's on when you donate.
See brands that do goodBring your mates along
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Why smaller charities are worth a look
Big charities do great work, but they're not the only option. Here's what the charities above do in their own communities.
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A voice on the line
Crisis support answered around the clock by people in your own community.
Lifeline Canberra answers 13 11 14 -
A meal and a chat
Meals and groceries for people who are doing it tough.
C Care runs meals and pantry programs in St Kilda -
Getting in the game
Sport and camps for kids and adults with disability.
Disability Sport and Recreation runs DSR Kids camps -
Looking after the land
Local projects that restore rivers, bushland and farmland.
Landcare Australia runs the Murray Darling Healthy Rivers Program
What your donation actually pays for
Your donation pays for the people and basics that keep local services going: phone lines, meals, sports gear, tools for landcare groups and family support workers. For smaller charities, regular gifts make planning possible.
Programs listed come from each charity's details in Tap4Change's charity data. For how fees, ACNC registration and tax receipts work, see the Tap4Change FAQs, the ACNC Charity Register and the ATO's gifts and donations guide.
Choosing a charity questions, answered
What is the best charity to donate to in Australia?
There isn't one best charity for everyone. The best one for you does work you care about, is ACNC-registered, and is clear about its programs and results.
The six above are smaller charities with strong profiles on Tap4Change. For bigger household names, see our guide to the best charities to donate to in Australia.
Should I donate to a small or a large charity?
Both do important work. Large charities can run national programs and respond at scale. Smaller charities often work in one community and rely more on local donors, so your gift can be a bigger share of what they raise.
Plenty of people do both: a regular gift to a big name and another to a local group.
Are donations to these charities tax deductible?
Yes, if the charity you choose is eligible. Tax deductibility is shown at the top of each charity's page on Tap4Change. Donations to a charity endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), and covered by Item 1 of the table in section 30-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, are tax deductible.
All six charities on this page are marked as tax deductible in our charity data. You can download your receipt from your profile to claim it at tax time.
How can I check a charity before donating?
Look it up on the ACNC Charity Register, which shows its registration and annual information. Every charity on Tap4Change is ACNC-registered.
Then check its Tap4Change profile for programs, updates and whether it's a deductible gift recipient.
What is a thank you perk, and does it change my donation?
A thank you perk is a small gesture from a brand that partners with Tap4Change, such as a voucher or a free product, offered with some donations. Your donation still goes 100% to the charity. The perk comes from the brand, and offers rotate, so what's available depends on when you give.
If you can't donate right now, reach out to the Tap4Change team at support@tap4change.org. Sharing a charity's page is a great way to help too.