About Us
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia was founded by Emma McLeod. After a predictable pregnancy with no health issues, Emma's daughter Olivia died in utero at 36 weeks in July 2002. There was seemingly no reason, and not uncommonly Olivia's death went uninvestigated. The lack of information and Emma's own grief-stricken questioning led her to establish the first and only organisation dedicated to stillbirth in Australia.
Officially launched in October 2005 as Stillbirth Foundation Inc, the organisation was introduced to family and friends as a stillbirth fundraising group with small aspirations. The Stillbirth Foundation Inc operated entirely as a voluntary organisation from within the Mater Hospital (Sydney), and without its own charitable-tax concessions, could only raise funds in NSW for stillbirth research.
In August 2008, with the assistance of legal firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, the Stillbirth Foundation Australia was established as an independent national charity with its own deductible gift recipient (DGR) status and began formal operation, independent of the Mater Hospital in April 2009. It exists as a Company and a Trust, and holds all necessary legal charitable tax concessions both with the ATO and in each state. This structure has given the Stillbirth Foundation Australia the opportunity, in addition to funding stillbirth research, to promote the stillbirth cause to the general public and raise awareness about stillbirth, including medical and societal risk factors and potentially ways that stillbirth might be prevented.
Established as a parent-driven organisation, the Stillbirth Foundation Australia also offers families the opportunity to do something proactive at a time of complete helplessness, by volunteering and/or assisting with fundraising in order to try and prevent the tragedy of stillbirth happening to another family some day.
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is run by a Board of four Directors and is supported by two committees, one for fundraising and the other a scientific assessment group. These people are all volunteers. The office is also staffed by two part-time employees, who were previously volunteers.
Today, the Stillbirth Foundation Australia operates to reduce the incidence of stillbirth by;
- funding and encouraging research into stillbirth, and;
- increasing public awareness of stillbirth