Celebrating Excellence. A look at our First Nations Partners
26th June, 2025
Cotton On is proud to be an Australian-born business on First Nations lands. We Acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original custodians of the lands upon which we live and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect and appreciation for the thousands of years that they have cared for and conserved this Country’s lands, waters and culture, and continue this today.
Stretching from Wadawurrung Country in Victoria to North-East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Cotton On Foundation is proud to stand alongside First Nations organisations who are providing young people with the tools, opportunities, and support they need to shape their own paths.
By investing in programs that centre cultural knowledge, language, and connection to Country, our partners help create spaces where identity is honoured and leadership is nurtured.
Through these partnerships, we’re working towards a future where young First Nations people can thrive—strong in culture, strong in self, and strong in community.
Meet our First Nations partners
Common Ground: Storytelling has the power to change systems.
Our newest collaboration, Common Ground is a collective of First Nations people changing systems through storytelling.
For First Nations people, storytelling is more than words. It is a responsibility, passed down through generations. When our stories are held with care and shared with respect, they have the power to strengthen communities and create lasting change.
Common Ground builds on existing community power to strengthen the stories we tell ourselves and others, so we can reimagine stronger futures. Futures that centre First Nations people, Country and truth-telling in everything.
To learn more click here
Dhimurru Learning on Country | Yolŋu Country, Northern Territory
Facilitated by Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, the Learning on Country program forms a key part of the curriculum at Yirrkala School. Students, senior Yolŋu Elders, rangers, vocational education trainers, and teachers work together on Country, Yolŋu knowledge and traditions providing the foundation for learning.
The program supports intergenerational knowledge sharing, strengthening cultural identity and promoting wellbeing, while also meeting curriculum and vocational training requirements.
Since 2016, our partnership with Dhimurru and Yirrkala School has helped support the delivery of Learning on Country Galtha workshops and related activities.
To learn more click here
The Mulka Project | Yolŋu Country, Northern Territory
In 2013, we formed our first partnership in Yirrkala, North-East Arnhem Land by supporting the infrastructure build of Buku-Larrnggay’s digital and music production wing including their community stage. Today, we fund the Mulka Project who are the production house, recording studio, digital learning centre and cultural archive for the Yolŋu community. Through our partnership, we support music workshops that enhance positive connection to culture and identity for young people in Yirrkala and the broader
Homeland communities.
To learn more click here
Strong Brother, Strong Sister (SBSS) | Wadawurrung Country
Creating a strong sense of belonging through meaningful support networks
SBSS is an Aboriginal-owned and led organisation servicing Geelong and the greater Wadawurrung area. Through youth groups, mentoring and one-on-one counselling, SBSS is breaking down barriers facing young people today, advocating for the needs of their community and amplifying the voices of young First Nations people.
To learn more click here
Community-Based Aboriginal Teacher Education (C-BATE) | Yirrkala School & Laynhapuy Homelands School
C-BATE supports Yolŋu teachers in furthering their careers without having to leave their communities to study. Teachers can develop skills while remaining connected to their families, communities, and elders. This increases the number of qualified Yolŋu teachers working in Yirrkala School and Laynhapuy Homeland Schools while supporting the teachers in maintaining a strong sense of culture and identity.
Djalkiri Foundation
Supporting Yolŋu people to lead empowered lives of meaning
Djalkiri Foundation is creating more opportunities for Yolŋu to connect to their chosen pathway, building capacity and promoting Yolŋu ways of working.
Working alongside mentors and community Elders, programs include higher education support, wellbeing support and mentoring for personal life plans.
To learn more click here
The Reef Cooperative | Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
A Cotton On Foundation-supported environmental partner since 2022, Citizens of the Reef and The Reef Cooperative is doing incredible work to protect, preserve and restore the Great Barrier Reef.
The Reef Cooperative provides opportunities for young Yirrganydji and Gunggandji Traditional Owners to obtain comprehensive skills including dive training, survey methodologies, and MARRS reef star building and management on sites on the Great Barrier Reef, as part of the Reef Intervention Training Program (RITP).
The Reef Cooperative was co-developed with Yirrganydji and Gunggandji Traditional Owners and is a collaboration between @citizensofthereef @gbrbiology, Gunggandji Rangers, Yirrganydji Land and Sea Rangers, @mars.anz and supported by founding funder @cottononfoundation.
To learn more, click here
Together, we’ve raised over AUD $5.8 million to date to support our First Nations partners. Your ongoing support is the reason we can continue to partner with these amazing programs and make a difference.
To learn more about Cotton On’s commitment, click here to read Cotton On’s 2024 Good Report