Our founder
Emma Kate McLeod
I promised her, as I held her in my arms for that last time, that I would make a difference…..that I would prevent others from living with this tragedy.
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia was founded by Emma McLeod OAM.
After a predictable pregnancy with no health issues, Emma’s daughter, Olivia Kate, died suddenly 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 organisation dedicated to stillbirth and baby loss in Australia.
Our story
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is the only Australian charity dedicated to stillbirth research. It is 100 percent community funded. Since 2009, the Stillbirth Foundation has allocated more than $1 million to fund the most rigorously designed studies aimed at finding a means of preventing stillbirth and supporting the families of stillborn babies.
It was established in October 2005 by the families and friends of stillborn babies, led by Emma McLeod. At the time, Emma was shocked to discover so little was invested in researching the possible causes of stillbirth. Emma resigned from her corporate career to establish a charity dedicated to stillbirth with the aim of raising awareness and to help answer why stillbirth continues to happen at a staggering rate of 6 babies per day – a number that has not changed in decades.
In 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. The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is an organisational member of FIA, meaning it is a signatory to the FIA’s Principles and Standards of Fundraising Practice, and therefore upholds the highest ethical and professional standards for fundraising.
Today the Foundation exists as a Company and a Trust. It holds all necessary legal charitable tax concessions both with the ATO and in each state. In addition to funding stillbirth research, this structure allows the Stillbirth Foundation to raise awareness about stillbirth, including medical and societal risk factors, and potential ways that stillbirth might be prevented.
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is recognised nationally as a leading voice on stillbirth and represents the voices of thousands of Australian families who have been touched by stillbirth.
Our mission
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia’s mission is to significantly reduce the incidence of stillbirth through research, education and advocacy.
Our strategic goals are:
- Supporting researchers to generate new knowledge about stillbirth and encouraging the translation of research into practice
- Supporting the community and health professionals to change behaviours that will help to reduce the incidence of stillbirth and support bereaved families
- Extending the reach and impact of the Stillbirth Foundation Australia by being a leader and advocate in the field of stillbirth.