Achievements and impact
The work, on the record.
Grants, recognition, partnerships and the numbers underneath. Updated as the program grows.
Impact at a glance
Why the model pays back
Worthy Cause moves a participant from approximately $20,000 a year on JobSeeker to approximately $50,000 a year on minimum wage. That is a 2.5x shift in earned income, and it returns income tax to the Commonwealth while removing the benefits cost. At 30 participants a year the model contributes roughly $300,000 of income tax and saves roughly $600,000 in benefits. It is also, of course, a person with a real job.
Timeline
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Couturing founder feature
Founder backstory and the bake-a-thon detail.
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Impact Boom Episode 557
The fullest podcast account of the trauma-to-purpose arc, the vibe-check decision filter and the generational-impact vision.
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Australian Unity Enduring Grant Program
Three-year commitment: AUD $75,000 per year from 2025 to 2027 to fund the paid training program.
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AMP Foundation SPARK Tomorrow Maker
Selected into a cohort of 12 early-stage social entrepreneurs for an 18-week subsidised program delivered with Impact Boom and Business For Good Network.
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Pressing:On podcast
Long-form interview with Claudia Nervis covering program mechanics, the opportunity gap and the policy economics of the model.
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The Funding Network grant: AUD $50,000
Funded wages for 15 program participants in the round. Six of seven completers moved into employment.
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JOY 94.9 long-form interview
Radio interview on the program and lived experience.
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Peppermint Magazine Issue 59
Print feature on the origin in psychiatric care and the first bake-a-thon.
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The Commons feature
Cookies with a Conscience: lived experience, program mechanics and the first stockist story.
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Burgmann College Equality Prize
Awarded by Rick's alma mater college at ANU for the access-to-opportunity model.
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First trade press feature
Food and Drink Business profile of the cookie manufacturing operation.
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First retail stockist
Lamanna and Sons South Yarra stocked the cookies for 18+ months. First independent retail relationship.
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Founded Worthy Cause
Launched as a DGR1 registered charity and social enterprise with $17,000 of personal capital. First base at Coburg North, Melbourne.
What's next
The opportunity gap, in Rick's framing: the kitchens, the licences and the proven program exist and could serve more people. Participants earn above award and that does not change. Growth therefore depends on corporate sponsorship, community support, and more cafe locations (each one a self-contained unit, more cookies sold, more people through the program).