Wattle students using philanthropy as a tool for change

Thirty of the University’s future global sustainability student leaders met with Wattle Fellowship philanthropic founder John McCall MacBain on 12 March, during his visit to Australia.

The 2025 Wattle Fellowship cohort with Wattle founder John McCall MacBain (right). Picture: Supplied

Wattle Fellows Tany Brahmanand (Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences) and Alex Wood (Faculty of Science) led an informal ‘fireside chat’ with John, exploring how he and his wife Dr Marcy McCall MacBain were inspired to enter the philanthropy space and how they ascertain if an opportunity is right for their Foundation to support.

The McCall MacBain Foundation philanthropic ethos is to invest in people, ideas and initiatives that transform our collective future. Their work provides scholarships and other educational opportunities that nurture transformational leadership globally. It was through the generous philanthropic support of the Foundation, and a gift from the Estate of Len John Grasso that the Wattle Fellowship program was established in 2022.

“For me, the Wattle Fellowship has been liberating. It’s bridged knowledge gaps and given me the license to interrogate what I actually want to stand for, alongside a cohort I’ve grown to love,” Ms Brahmanand shared about her own experience in the 2025 Wattle cohort.

Mr Wood commented that John's impact across philanthropy and sustainability is truly inspiring, and he found the opportunity to learn from his experience in person fantastic.

"Hearing his passion for education highlighted how the McCall MacBain Foundation’s support and vision have made the Wattle Fellowship such a uniquely valuable opportunity," Mr Wood said.

"The discussion shifted my perspective on the incredible potential of philanthropic investment to drive meaningful change in areas that public and corporate funds can't reach."

A highlight of the afternoon was a panel discussion hosted by Wattle Director Linh Do, featuring global climate leaders Meg Argyiou, Board Chair of 1 Million Women, Tish King, First Nations philanthropy advisor at Groundswell, and Jonathan Pershing, Program Director of Environment at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The panel discussed the role of philanthropy in driving meaningful social change, with a focus on climate and sustainability in Australia.

The panellists discussed the concerning observation that in Australia, as recently witnessed in America, cost-of-living pressures and global uncertainty have seen climate change drop in people’s top priorities come election time. This is despite the reality of extreme climatic events such as the recent Cyclone Alfred in Queensland and northern NSW.

“The Wattle students are a tight-knit group of future leaders, and the projects they work on as a part of the year-long program in the sphere of global sustainability could affect real change,” said Wattle Fellowship Director Linh Do.

“We see the Wattle grant as a form of impact investment and have found many of the fellows go on to receive other forms of funding. For instance, Wattle fellows/alumni received over $28,000 from the City of Melbourne last year.”

The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology congratulates Master of Mechatronics Engineering student Hemant Suresh and Graduate Researcher in Human-Robot Interaction Sarah Schömbs on their selection for the 2025 Wattle Fellowship cohort.

If you are interested in partnership and philanthropic opportunities to support the Wattle Fellowship, please get in contact: wattle-fellowship@unimelb.edu.au . You are also invited to join a mailing list to receive updates on future events, opportunities and initiatives from the Wattle Fellowship.