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Rick Cohen is a Melbourne-based social entrepreneur, hospitality operator and mental health advocate. He is the founder of Worthy Cause, a DGR1 registered charity that funds a six-month paid employment training program through cookies made in Melbourne and two New Grounds cafes.

Rick Cohen is a Melbourne-based social entrepreneur, hospitality operator and mental health advocate. He is the founder of Worthy Cause, a DGR1 registered charity and social enterprise that uses food, especially cookies made in Melbourne, to fund a structured six-month paid employment training program for people facing complex barriers to stable work. Founded in 2021 with AUD $17,000 of personal capital, Worthy Cause now runs two New Grounds cafes and a cookie manufacturing kitchen on $1pa lease agreements with Melbourne Polytechnic, with FY25 turnover of approximately AUD $650,000 across 12 FTE plus 12 or more regular volunteers.

Recognition includes Burgmann College's 2023 Equality Prize, a $50,000 grant from The Funding Network in 2024, the Australian Unity Enduring Grant Program ($75,000 per year, 2025 to 2027), and selection into the AMP Foundation SPARK Tomorrow Maker 2025 cohort. Referral partners include Workskil, WISE Employment and Mind Australia.

Rick speaks publicly about his lived experience of severe trauma, PTSD and depression. He trained at Casa Brusada, his family's restaurant in Italy's north-east. He sometimes describes himself as "the accidental CEO" and "Head of Cookies".