BRAINWAVE AUSTRALIA LTD, trading as Brainwave Australia, is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Your Gift Helps Families Feel Supported, Informed and Connected.
For some families, a child's brain injury or neurological diagnosis arrives suddenly. For others, the path to answers can take months or years. Some families continue navigating without a clear diagnosis at all.
By becoming a Brainwave Buddy, your regular gift helps Brainwave wrap around the whole family through these moments, and the years that follow.
Start with $39 a month and give another sibling the chance to laugh, participate and just be a kid at a Brainwave Kids & Sibs Day.
Share
What Your Regular Gift Helps Brainwave Provide
"Brainwave does more than facilitate social connections; this organisation helps families build a village on a very lonely journey. We are forever grateful for the love and support we have received - we certainly would not be the same without your help!"
- Gaëlle, Brainwave Mum
IN HOSPITAL
Support during admissions and ongoing hospital stays, including Bear Essentials hospital backpacks, emergency accommodation and meal vouchers, connection with social workers, and equipment for discharge.
AT HOME
Practical and navigational support as families manage care at home, including therapy funding, equipment, NDIS navigation, education conversations and referral to other services.
IN THE COMMUNITY
Connection and belonging for the whole family, including Camp Brainwave, family days, Kids & Sibs events, parent groups, peer networks and psychology support for parents.
Monthly giving helps Brainwave plan head, so families are not only supported in hospital, but also stay connected through the months and years that follow.
Our Story Began with One Family
Brainwave began with Josephine Nicholls AM, whose six-year-old son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1993. Life changed in the way it does for families who receive news they never expected and could never prepare for.
The period that followed showed Josephine how quickly a family’s world can narrow to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and survival, and how much families need around the medical care itself.
Josephine’s story did not end when Nicholas recovered. In many ways, that was where Brainwave began.
Over 30 years, Brainwave has grown into a national organisation working with children’s hospitals across Australia, now supporting more than 1,800 children and families with practical, compassionate support.
Nicholas Cox is now an adult, Brainwave Patron and a father himself. Holding his one-year-old daughter, he sees his mother’s courage through a different lens. What she built was never just about one child. It was about every family that would one day find themselves standing where she once stood.
That remains the heart of Brainwave: care in action, and the belief that no family should face childhood brain illness alone.
Connection with Others Who Understand
"Brainwave has given our family the opportunity to have experiences we would not otherwise get in a supportive, understanding and inclusive environment, especially without fear of judgement."
- Catherine, Brainwave Mum
Brainwave’s own family survey consistently highlights that one of the most valued aspects of support is the opportunity to meet others “who understand what you are going through.”
That is what Brainwave’s family days, camps, parent groups and Kids & Sibs programs are designed to make possible. They create spaces where parents can ease their vigilance, siblings feel seen, and families can participate without judgment or explanation.
$39 a month helps Brainwave keep creating these special opportunities for connection, where children and siblings can laugh, participate and just be kids.
Make Your Tax-Deductible Gift Before 30 June
Become a Brainwave Buddy, or make a one-off gift before 30 June, and help Brainwave continue supporting families through diagnosis, uncertainty and the years that follow.
BRAINWAVE AUSTRALIA LTD, trading as Brainwave Australia, is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
Become a Brainwave Buddy
or make a one-off donation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes. BRAINWAVE AUSTRALIA LTD, trading as Brainwave Australia, is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
Why give monthly?
Monthly gifts help Brainwave plan and provide support across the year, as families’ needs change. It allows us to adapt and meet them where they are.
What does $39 a month support?
It help create opportunities like Kids & Sibs Days, family events and connection programs where children and families meet others who understand what they are going through. Each $39 makes another ticket available for our Kids & Sibs and family events, allowing us to open it up to more families. We run these events in the school holidays across the calendar year.
Can I make a one-off gift instead?
Yes. You can choose a one-off donation using the gift frequency options in the donation form.
Can I change or cancel my monthly donation?
Yes. You can contact Brainwave to update, pause or cancel your regular gift via admin@brainwave.org.au
What does my donation support?
Your gift helps Brainwave provide support in the hospital, at home and in the community for families caring for a child with a brain injury or complex neurological illness. This looks like offering practical support, navigating complex systems, equipment and therapy funding and providing opportunities for families to connect with others who understand what they are going through.
I think my child may be eligible for support. How do I register them with Brainwave?
If your family is caring for a child with a brain injury, illness or complex neurological condition, you can find out more about registering with Brainwave through our website.
How can I learn more about Brainwave Australia?
You can learn more about Brainwave Australia, our work with families, and the support we provide in hospital, at home and in community on our website.
