Gardiner Foundation

Directions Website Contact the organization

Gardiner Foundation Gardiner Foundation is a self-sustaining philanthropic organisation. We aim to achieve this through smart investments and strategic partnerships.

Our vision is vibrant, thriving Victorian dairy communities where people want to live, work and invest. Our vision is to invest in emerging leaders and practices to help develop a long-term future for the dairy industry.

Working on a dairy farm and thinking about your next step?Applications are now open for Proud to be a Dairy Farmer 2027,...
13/10/2026

Working on a dairy farm and thinking about your next step?

Applications are now open for Proud to be a Dairy Farmer 2027, a fully funded, three-day program for dairy farm employees aged 20–30.

Explore career and farm ownership pathways, visit farms and a processing facility, and connect with other young people building their future in dairy.

📍 Melbourne and Gippsland
📅 15–17 February 2027
✈️ All participant costs covered, including interstate flights

Proudly supported by Gardiner Foundation, the program welcomes dairy farm employees from across Australia.

Apply or encourage someone on your team to take part: https://www.proudtobeadairyfarmer.com.au/

13/10/2026

See different dairy systems firsthand, learn from industry leaders and build connections with others shaping the future of dairy.

Applications are open for Gardiner Foundation’s fully funded 2027 New Zealand Study Tour, taking emerging dairy leaders across the South Island for eight days of learning and exchange.

Apply by 5 pm AEDT, Monday 9 November. Apply via our website.

Libby Clymo wants to help farming communities stay fit and healthy.Growing up on a dairy farm in Calivil, Libby saw how ...
12/10/2026

Libby Clymo wants to help farming communities stay fit and healthy.

Growing up on a dairy farm in Calivil, Libby saw how difficult it could be to access allied health services. Her own experience of a ruptured ACL at seven helped inspire her to pursue physiotherapy.

In 2024, she received Gardiner Foundation’s Shirley Harlock Tertiary Scholarship to support her physiotherapy studies at La Trobe University in Bendigo.

“Farming will always be part of who I am, but I have found there are other ways to support farm communities.”

What could your next chapter look like?

If you’re from a Victorian dairy community and starting tertiary study in 2027, explore Gardiner Foundation’s scholarships and apply.

Applications close 5pm Monday 23 November 2026.

Find out more: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/people-in-dairy/tertiary-scholarships/

Applications are now open for Gardiner Foundation’s 2027 New Zealand Study Tour!Explore New Zealand’s South Island on a ...
04/10/2026

Applications are now open for Gardiner Foundation’s 2027 New Zealand Study Tour!

Explore New Zealand’s South Island on a fully funded, eight-day tour designed to build your leadership skills, broaden your dairy industry knowledge and connect with other emerging dairy leaders.

If you’re aged 20 to 40 with at least two years’ dairy industry experience, we’d love to hear from you. Applications are welcome from across Australia.

📅 Tour: mid-March 2027

⏰ Applications close: 5 pm AEDT, Monday 9 November 2026

👉 Find out more and apply: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/people-in-dairy/new-zealand-study-tour/

Supported by Australian Dairy Conference Lions Club of Strzelecki and Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF).

Stronger communities start with local people and local ideas.We’re investing $151,000 in 19 community-led projects acros...
30/09/2026

Stronger communities start with local people and local ideas.

We’re investing $151,000 in 19 community-led projects across Victoria’s dairy regions through our 2026 Community Development Grants.

From youth mentoring and wellbeing programs to food relief, digital access and more accessible community spaces, these projects will help people connect, participate and thrive.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients across Gippsland, Northern Victoria and South West Victoria. We’re proud to support your work alongside South West Community Foundation, Gippsland Community Foundation, Border Trust and Greater Shepparton Foundation.

Meet the recipients: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/news/151000-invested-in-community-led-projects-across-victorias-dairy-regions/

Congratulations to Janine Waller, CEO of the Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF), on graduating from the Austral...
27/09/2026

Congratulations to Janine Waller, CEO of the Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF), on graduating from the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLP) as part of Cohort 32.

Gardiner Foundation has long sponsored Victorian dairy participants to complete the program. Graduates have gone on to drive change in their communities, strengthen their businesses and lead at every level of the dairy value chain.

Good leadership is developed. We’re proud to have supported Janine through this 15-month journey and look forward to seeing where she takes it next.

Congratulations to all of Cohort 32!

The September/October Dairy Communities Opportunity Briefing is now live, with grants, scholarships, workforce programs ...
23/09/2026

The September/October Dairy Communities Opportunity Briefing is now live, with grants, scholarships, workforce programs and other opportunities for Victorian dairy communities.

This edition includes Gardiner Foundation Tertiary Scholarships 2027, plus funding opportunities for farms, regional events and community organisations.

Explore the full briefing and share it with someone who might benefit: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/opportunity-briefing/

Could more clover help dairy farmers produce more milk while reducing fertiliser use and methane intensity?Gardiner Foun...
21/09/2026

Could more clover help dairy farmers produce more milk while reducing fertiliser use and methane intensity?

Gardiner Foundation is supporting the new $9.87 million, five-year Closing the Clover Gap research program, led by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and Dairy Australia.

The research will compare clover-rich pastures with traditional perennial ryegrass pastures and test their performance on commercial dairy farms in Tasmania and Victoria.

The aim is to provide farmers with practical strategies to improve productivity and profitability while reducing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.

Read more: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/news/gardiner-backs-research-into-the-benefits-of-clover-rich-pastures/

The Gardiner Foundation team has spent the past few days travelling through Victoria’s western dairy region, connecting ...
15/09/2026

The Gardiner Foundation team has spent the past few days travelling through Victoria’s western dairy region, connecting with farmers, processors, service providers and regional organisations.

From Warrnambool to Timboon, Cooriemungle, Cobden and Camperdown, we heard directly about the region’s strengths, challenges and opportunities, while gaining a deeper understanding of the people and businesses that keep it thriving.

A huge thank you to Nina Bakaric and Ben Anderson from Provico, dairy farmers Ash and Mitch Gristede for their Halter demo and farm tour, Julian Benson from Apostle Whey Cheese for the delicious tasting; Dairy Australia Biosecurity Lead Zoe Vogels and dairy farmer and Corangamite Shire Council Councillor Jamie Vogels, Simon and Fiona Dean from Hampden Veterinary Clinic and Cobden Chiropractic, Adam Jenkins, and finally Libby Swayn for the Camperdown Clock Tower tour and the entire WestVic Dairy team.

Thank you for welcoming us, sharing your time and knowledge, and speaking so openly with our team. We left with plenty to reflect on and an even greater appreciation for this remarkable region and its dairy communities.

Congratulations to Orford dairy farmer Rachael McGrath, who has been named a 2027 Nuffield Australia Scholar with suppor...
11/09/2026

Congratulations to Orford dairy farmer Rachael McGrath, who has been named a 2027 Nuffield Australia Scholar with support from Gardiner.

Over the next 18 months, Rachael will travel internationally to investigate what drives the successful adoption of on-farm technologies, including virtual fencing, cow wearables and advanced reproductive tools.

“For me, technology should solve a problem, not create another one. If we can get adoption right, I think technology has a huge role to play in making farming more efficient, sustainable and rewarding for the people doing it.”

Rachael’s Nuffield Scholarship builds on a journey that included the Gardiner-supported New Zealand Dairy Study Tour in 2019, an experience she credits with opening the door to the wider dairy industry.

We look forward to following Rachael’s journey and seeing the knowledge she brings home to her farm and Victoria’s dairy industry.

Read Rachael’s story: https://gardinerfoundation.com.au/stories/from-the-farm-gate-to-global-research-rachael-mcgrath-named-2027-nuffield-scholar/

Address

HWT Tower, 40 City Road Southbank
Melbourne
3000

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Gardiner Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Gardiner Foundation:

Shortcuts

Share

Category