About Us
We believe that communities should have the power to shape their own futures — with control over the capital, assets, and resources that underpin their wellbeing.
Our origin story
The Centre for Community Capital was born from a simple, powerful insight: capital matters.
The way capital flows through a community — who controls it, who benefits from it, and whether it builds equity, resilience, and prosperity — is one of the biggest forces shaping the futures we all live in. Yet in most communities, these flows of capital are invisible, disconnected, or controlled from elsewhere.
For years, our founders and collaborators worked alongside communities through Ethical Fields — co-creating initiatives like the Place Based Capital Program, the Environmental Markets Leadership Program, and the Community Wealth Building National Tour. We saw first-hand how local leaders, councils and change-makers were working tirelessly to build better futures for their places, but were often held back by the same problem: communities don’t have the tools, structures, or confidence to influence and own the capital systems that shape their lives.
Across hundreds of conversations, one message kept surfacing:
“If we could control the capital here, we could transform what’s possible.”
The Centre for Community Capital exists as a response to that call — a dedicated place to gather what we’ve learned, build new solutions, and support communities everywhere to claim their rightful role in shaping their future and strengthening collective wellbeing.
Our vision
Australia’s capital system serves the wellbeing of every place, every ecosystem and every person.
Our mission
To grow the capacity of communities to own and govern local capital and economic systems that are inclusive, equitable, regenerative and resilient.
What we do
We work at the intersection of community, capital, economic development, capacity building and systems change.
Our focus is on:
Place-based and community-led capital and economic development approaches that support increased local leadership, ownership, governance, inclusiveness, resilience, equity, self-reliance, wealth-building and prosperity.
Building the capacity of places, communities, local organisations, leaders and partners in functional capital and economic areas including: determining capital needs, aspirations and values, generating, accessing, setting up, acquiring and owning capital, accessing, pooling, govern and investing capital etc.
Practical solutions and implementation from the ground up – turning ideas into action through strategic, structural and capital support, solutions and tools.
A picture of the future we are building
It’s 2035 and Australia has witnessed a quiet revolution in community prosperity and resilience — powered by Place-Based and Community Capital (PBCC). What began as an emerging solution in 2022 is now one of the most trusted and effective approaches to tackling our biggest challenges: the cost-of-living crisis, the net-zero transition, housing affordability, and economic inequality.
PBCC gave communities the tools and confidence to take control of capital systems — not just as beneficiaries, but as designers, owners, and governors. Local people gained unprecedented opportunities to finance, co-own, and manage land, housing, businesses, and infrastructure. Community shareholders invested in affordable housing, renewable energy, local food systems, circular economies, nature repair, care services, and business development.
This transformation didn’t just unlock new capital — it changed mindsets. Communities began to see themselves as investors and stewards of their own future. Traditional funders and institutional investors came to the table as partners, co-investing with communities and shifting from short-term programs to systemic, long-term solutions.
Government policy played a catalytic role, introducing frameworks like Local Impact Funds, Community First Right to Buy, and the Community Super Act (2027). Together, these reforms ensured that all Australians — no matter their background — could participate in, benefit from, and shape the capital around them.
Independent studies now confirm what many suspected: PBCC has strengthened the social fabric, broken down barriers between sectors, and equipped communities to respond to crises faster and with more dignity. Amidst increasing climate events, self-organising communities have been able to coordinate disaster responses, support vulnerable neighbours, and rebuild stronger.
Today, Australia is seen as a global leader in community-led development and place-based investing. The PBCC model continues to inspire new generations of community leaders, funders, and policy-makers — proving that when local people are trusted with the tools, resources, and authority to act, they create a future where prosperity, equity, and regeneration go hand in hand.
Ultimately, PBCC is about more than finance. It is about investing in our collective capacity to thrive — so that every person, in every place, can shape a future that supports their wellbeing and the wellbeing of generations to come.