Capacity Building Fund

Building Our Capacity to Care

The Capacity Building Fund is helping Cancer Wellness Support prepare for the future — investing in the people, spaces, resources and sustainable income that make our care possible.

For over 20 years, we have supported people living with cancer, their carers and families through affordable, person-centred care grounded in compassion, connection and community. As demand continues to grow, we need to ensure our capacity grows with the needs of our community.

In 2025–2026, CWS delivered 9,384 subsidised therapies to a community of more than 1,000 members. For many, that support is ongoing, reinforcing the importance of having the therapists, specialist capability, facilities and resources needed to respond.

We are already turning this investment into action. In June 2026, we opened our new Penrith Wellness Centre, providing significantly greater capacity for therapies, groups and programs. Our third Op Shop in St Marys represents another important investment in our future — creating an additional sustainable income stream to help fund affordable cancer care and support the growing needs of our community.

Cancer Wellness Support has deliberately built a community-funded model that does not rely on ongoing government funding to deliver our programs and services. This gives us the independence to respond to what our clients, carers and families need, and to direct our resources where they can make the greatest difference.

Importantly, the funds we raise stay local. Our Op Shops are central to this model, generating more than $2.2 million in revenue in 2025–2026. Together with fundraising, donations, grants and partnerships, this income is reinvested into our community — helping subsidise the cost of care, keep services affordable and accessible, and build what we will need for the future.

The Capacity Building Fund gives CWS the ability to plan ahead and make considered investments in our people, facilities, systems, specialist capability and sustainable income — while protecting the affordability and accessibility at the heart of our purpose.

Every contribution helps us build our capacity to care — ensuring CWS can respond to the growing needs of our community today, while preparing for what our clients, carers and families will need tomorrow.