The Critical Steps Fund was established with the Inner North Community Foundation by Mary Crooks AO and Greg Meredith in 2016.
It reflected their sense that a simple gesture of support can significantly impact young people’s journeys into adulthood.
After the failed Voice Referendum in 2023, Mary and Greg expressed their wish to the Inner North Community Foundation that their Critical Steps Fund now makes grants only to First Nations peoples, through Aboriginal-controlled community organisations.
About this fund
A single act of support can significantly impact a young person’s journey into adulthood.
This support is especially vital for First Nations communities in Melbourne’s Inner North, where Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations have long helped young people establish their place in the world.
In a tough employment world, sometimes simple gestures of support can make all the difference for young people in overcoming social, cultural or economic barriers.
Mary and Greg created the Critical Steps Fund in the hope that young people in Yarra, Darebin and Moreland can enjoy the support of their wider community in overcoming barriers to education and employment.