To mark World Nature Conservation Day 2025, the NAB Foundation has announced two new grant recipients; leading conservation organisations, Odonata Foundation and Bush Heritage Australia.
Each organisation will receive $90,000 to help deliver practical, community-led projects that protect Australia’s ecosystems and wildlife.
Odonata Foundation, a Victorian-based environmental charity, is focused on saving native species through its innovative ‘We Save Species Recovery Model’. Working across Victoria, NSW, ACT and WA, Odonata partners with landholders and organisations to build genetically strong populations of threatened species—such as the eastern quoll, mainland eastern barred bandicoot and southern brush-tailed rock wallaby.
The NAB Foundation grant will help expand this model across multiple sites and offer a lifeline to the nine core species targeted by the program.
Bush Heritage Australia is a national not-for-profit that has spent more than 30 years protecting biodiversity by buying and managing land for conservation and partnering with Traditional Custodians and other landholders. The grant will support a new 600-hectare restoration project in southwest WA, enabling biodiversity mapping, cultural heritage surveys and development approvals.
NAB Executive for Sustainability, Jessica Forrest, said the grants reflect NAB’s commitment to environmental resilience.
“We’re proud to support organisations making a real difference on the ground. These grants are about backing practical efforts that strengthen Australia’s biodiversity and natural environment, Ms Forrest said.
NAB colleagues lend a hand
In the lead-up to the announcement, 20 NAB colleagues spent a day volunteering at Odonata’s Mount Rothwell Conservation Centre in Little River. The team helped collapse rabbit holes – one of the biggest threats to the reserve – and saw firsthand the impact of Odonata’s work.
Plans are also underway for a NAB team visit to Bush Heritage in the coming months, continuing our support for conservation efforts across the country.
These grants form part of the NAB Foundation’s broader commitment to social and environmental progress. In FY25, the Foundation provided $6.3 million in grants to organisations focused on climate resilience, First Nations economic empowerment and housing affordability.
