supporting new social enterprise projects in the city of parramatta
Pitch for Good Parramatta 2026
Do you have a social enterprise idea that could benefit the communities of Parramatta?
Are you looking to grow community support and raise funds to launch or grow your impact-driven business?
If yes, then Pitch for Good Parramatta is for you.
We’re here to help you bring your social enterprise idea to life—creating lasting change and a better Parramatta for all of us.
About Pitch for Good Parramatta
Since 2016 Pitch for Good Parramatta has supported community initiatives to launch and grow in the Parramatta area. We do this by helping you develop your concept, story and pitch, and supporting you to raise the funds you need to make it happen through online crowdfunding campaigns and a live fundraising event.
The whole program is FREE, thanks to the City of Parramatta, and has been designed to help you rally the resources you need to do more good.
The live Pitch for Good Parramatta event brings the community together to celebrate local organisations and changemakers and help them make their project ideas happen. All ticket revenue from the event is allocated by the audience to their favourite projects, then matched by the City of Parramatta, then added to your crowdfunding campaign as a boost midway through the campaign period.
If you have an idea that will do good in the City of Parramatta and want to explore crowdfunding as a tool to get the project off the ground or to take your next step to grow your impact, this opportunity is for you!
Stage 1: Crowdfunding Masterclass
We’re looking for 20 social enterprises to join a 2-hour crowdfunding workshop, delivered by StartSomeGood’s Co-Founder and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Tom Dawkins. In this workshop you’ll learn the fundamentals of crowdfunding, and what it takes to make a crowdfunding campaign a success.
You will be given expert guidance on telling your organisation’s story and pitching your project idea to engage and inspire the audience. Connect with a room full of other local social enterprises who are creating positive social change in Parramatta, whilst learning how to take your impact to the next level.
Stage 2 Selection
If you need to raise between $5,000 and $15,000 for a project, whether it is launching a brand new program, growing or expanding an existing project or looking to establish a presence in Parramatta, Stage 2 of the Pitch for Good Parramatta program can help raise funds and raise awareness of your organisation and the amazing work you do.
A selection process will choose 6 of the 20 participating social enterprises to participate in hands-on crowdfunding coaching and earn a spot in the Pitch for Good Parramatta 2026 live fundraising event.
Crowdfunding Coaching
If selected, you will receive expert training on how to pitch your idea, connect with your community and support to develop your crowdfunding campaign from the experts at StartSomeGood. These are skills that you can use again and again to further support your organisation into the future. You’ll learn to hone your story, present a fresh and inspiring crowdfunding campaign and develop outreach plans to maximise your fundraising success! You’ll be supported to launch your crowdfunding campaign on StartSomeGood’s platform in early November.
Live Pitch Event
Selected projects also have a unique opportunity to share your idea with the local community at the Pitch for Good Parramatta live event, happening on Thursday 19th November 2026 at the beautifully restored Parramatta Town Hall.
This fun and lively event allows you to pitch your idea to the audience, and each audience member donates the value of their event ticket to a project or projects of their choice, which is then matched by the City of Parramatta. These funds are then included as a midway boost to your crowdfunding campaign on StartSomeGood which have, on average, gone on to raise another 400% online.
Information Session Recording 2026
P4GP 2023 Video
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much does it cost to participate in Pitch for Good Parramatta?
The whole program is FREE and designed to help you rally the resources you need to do more good.
Do I have to be based in Parramatta to apply?
We accept applications from social enterprises based both inside and outside Parramatta. The main requirement is that your initiative must be run within the City of Parramatta Local Government Area or directly benefit people living or working in Parramatta.
If successful, what is your time commitment?
The crowdfunding masterclass runs for 2 hours in-person in Parramatta. If you progress to Stage 2, you can expect the following time commitments:
- Crowdfunding coaching: 3 x 2hr group workshops
- Crowdfunding campaign design: 6-10+ hours (self-directed, with one-to-one online support from StartSomeGood)
- Weekly online progress check-in and support: 1 hour x 6 weeks
- Attendance at the Pitch for Good Parramatta event: 6pm-9pm Thursday 19 November
- Active promotion of your crowdfunding campaign: Self-directed – As much time as you like over 4 weeks
I’m not sure if my social enterprise is ready to crowdfund – can I still apply for the masterclass?
Yes! The masterclass is a great first step to explore crowdfunding for your organisation in the future.
Can I apply if I have a social enterprise idea that I want to launch?
The program can (and has) help launch a new social enterprise, but you must be ‘launch-ready’ or have a pilot project that is well defined and has a clear link to progressing your social enterprise mission. Early-stage social enterprise ideas are not suitable for this program.
If I’m not selected for Stage 2, can I still participate in the live pitch event?
The Pitch for Good live event is part of City of Parramatta’s World Social Enterprise Day celebrations, so there will be plenty of other ways for you to be involved in the festivities.
I have more questions about the program – where can I receive answers?
Join our 30 July online information session for a comprehensive overview of the program.
Criteria (What We're Looking For)
- The project must demonstrate how it will create positive social change for residents, other people (visitors, workers) and/or organisations and groups within the City of Parramatta Local Government Area (LGA – see below for a map – it’s a much bigger area than just the Parramatta Business District);
- Project can take any form – a one-off community event, an upgrade or investment into an existing facility, a new initiative from a community organisation, the launch of a social enterprise, a behaviour change initiative or anything that you think would create social or environmental outcomes in Parramatta.
- Project must be to do something specific and well-defined – ie. it is to launch a new project, or bring something new to Parramatta, to grow an existing project in a new way. The program is not for general fundraising for your organisation. It is not to support Business as Usual.
- Applicants must be committed, if successful, to running your initiative in the City of Parramatta LGA, with a view to undertaking further activities in the Parramatta area into the future;
- Projects must have a core focus on improving social or environmental outcomes;
- Crowdfunding targets must be for projects valued between $5,000 and $15,000 and the project must be able to be delivered if those funds are raised;
- Applicants must be committed to sharing the learnings and outcomes of their project with StartSomeGood and the City of Parramatta;
- You must be willing and able to attend (and pitch at!) Pitch for Good Parramatta and run a vigorous crowdfunding campaign.
General Eligibility
Assessment Criteria:
- The extent to which the project demonstrates how it will create social/environmental/cultural impact within the City of Parramatta Local Government Area;
- Demonstrate commitment and credibility in your area of focus;
- Evidence that your project is ready to go if successful in your crowdfunding campaign, including evidence of engagement with relevant individuals or groups within the LGA needed to support the project (put differently, you must have what you need to go forward if funding is provided, such as permission where required);
- The viability and attractiveness of initial ideas for the crowdfunding campaign and evidence of commitment to running a strong crowdfunding campaign, including details of networks that will be targeted to contribute and, where relevant, evidence of the support of your Board or Management Committee to participate in the program;
- Evidence of need or strengths-based opportunity
- Achievability of the project objectives, and suitability of the crowdfunding goal;
- The extent to which the target group has been engaged in the project development.
Key Dates
- 21 August: Registrations close for crowdfunding masterclass
- 1 September: Crowdfunding masterclass
- 18 September: Stage 2 Selection
- October: Campaign development and coaching program
- November-December: Crowdfunding campaigns run
- 19 November: Pitch for Good Event
