The end of the financial year is here. If you have been meaning to put some tax-deductible giving somewhere that genuinely matters, you have until 30 June 2026 for it to count in this financial year. To make it easy, here is a short guide to local causes you can support right now, all from the comfort of your couch.
Jump straight to a cause
Before you give
To claim a deduction, a donation of $2 or more generally needs to go to an organisation with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, which then issues you a receipt. Donations made to an individual, including through some personal crowdfunding pages, are usually not tax-deductible.
If you are unsure how a gift fits with your own circumstances, your accountant can help.
Help Sam Pratt get home
Greenwich para swimmer Sam Pratt is a national champion who has fought back from more than most of us will face in a lifetime. Right now she is stuck in a hospital bed at Royal North Shore, well enough to want to be home but unable to go. Her Greenwich house has stairs just to get inside and a bathroom that is not wheelchair accessible, and the modifications she needs cost more than she has and more than the NDIS can cover quickly enough.
The Rotary Club of Lane Cove has set up a tax-deductible fund through RAWCS to help get Sam home, with money going towards accessibility, safety and bathroom modifications. Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible through the Rotary Australia Benevolent Society. With EOFY here, a gift now is one of the most direct ways to help a local get her life back.
Donate: Sam Pratt Home Modifications fund
Getting Sam home is not only about money. If you are a registered builder, tradesperson, occupational therapist or equipment supplier who can help, you can reach the team at Lane Cove Swim Club or contact us at [email protected].
Women & Children First
Women & Children First is a not-for-profit supporting women and children escaping domestic and family violence, and it runs Delvena Women’s Refuge right here on the Lower North Shore. Demand for safe shelter and crisis support is higher than ever, so a gift now goes straight to work for local families. Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible.
Donate: Women & Children First EOFY appeal
Back a local sporting club
Grassroots sport runs on volunteers and tight budgets, and rising costs are squeezing clubs harder every season. The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is the only organisation in Australia through which donations to sport are tax-deductible, so a gift of $2 or more comes with a receipt.
Several Lane Cove clubs are registered with the ASF. If your family plays with one of these, this is a simple way to give back before 30 June:
- Lane Cove Netball Club
- Lane Cove Cricket Club
- Lane Cove 12 Foot Sailing Skiff Club
- Lane Cove Junior Rugby Club
- Lane Cove Cats
Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios
Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios on Longueville Road is a not-for-profit arts centre where local artists, students, children and curious locals all cross paths. Its EOFY appeal helps keep children’s art classes affordable, maintains studio equipment and pottery wheels, funds materials for school holiday workshops and keeps exhibitions free and accessible. Donations are tax-deductible.
Donate: Support Gallery Lane Cove
Sydney Community Services
Sydney Community Services is a local not-for-profit based at Pottery Lane in Lane Cove, supporting seniors, people with disability and vulnerable locals to live safely and independently at home. Your donation helps keep essential services running, including fresh meals, community transport, wellness checks and social programs that keep people connected and cared for, right across Lane Cove, Hunters Hill and Ryde. Give before 30 June and your gift is tax-deductible and stays in our community.
Donate: Sydney Community Services
KYDS youth mental health
KYDS provides free, confidential counselling to young people across Northern Sydney, with no referral needed and no ongoing government funding. Its work relies on community support. This EOFY, KYDS is running its One Decision. A Different Future. appeal, and for less than the cost of a coffee a day you can help keep that support available for a local young person who needs it. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
Donate: One Decision. A Different Future.
Your local school
Donating to a school is a quiet way to make a difference close to home. Most public schools run a Library Fund and a Building Fund, both of which hold DGR status, which means donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible. The money goes towards books, resources, technology and the spaces our kids learn in every day.
If you would like to give before 30 June, contact your school’s front office or check the school website for its giving page. Many accept online payments and will issue a receipt for your records.
However you choose to give, every contribution stays close to home and makes a real difference to a local person, family, club or creative space. From all of us at In the Cove, thank you for backing our community.
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