We are a thought leadership organisation. We work on collaborative projects to inspire action for a fairer world, building on the legacy of the late Premier, Don Dunstan.

The Foundation is proudly supported by
the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.

Established in 2003, the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence program was a global first.

A tested Social Innovation, it was developed in South Australia to address urgent challenges or to explore areas of opportunity through new policy development and systems reform.

In 2013 the Don Dunstan Foundation hosted the first residency outside of government. Reverb focused on the live music industry in South Australia and was incredibly successful, with the establishment of the St Paul’s Creative Centre, the Music Development Office and the listing of Adelaide as a UNESCO City of Live Music, all consequences of the residency.

In 2016 the Thinkers in Residence Program formally transitioned to the Don Dunstan Foundation. In 2017 the first series of residencies was launched with a focus on growing the Purpose Economy – we called them the Social Capital Residencies. The aim was to build on South Australia’s founding purpose: to be a better society, while addressing our most contemporary need – job creation.