Cara Peek - Professional Development

The Mt Burdett Foundation’s Rural and Regional Advancement Foundation (RRAF) is proud to support Yawuru/Bunuba woman, lawyer, and cultural strategist, Cara Peek, as she undertakes an ambitious development project aimed at strengthening financial and operational sustainability for Indigenous-led organisations across regional WA.

Through a tailored program of business coaching and professional learning, Cara is equipping herself, and by extension, her charity and social enterprise, with the tools to create long-term, scalable impact for rural and remote Indigenous communities.

Cara is the co-founder of The Cultural Intelligence Project and Saltwater Country, a Broome-based DGR1 charity. Both organisations are dedicated to empowering First Nations people through culturally safe education, leadership development, and enterprise.

Recognising systemic barriers like limited access to capital, financial literacy gaps, and bias within funding systems, Cara is determined to break the cycle by developing real-world solutions, grounded in lived experience.

Her RRAF-funded project will provide training in:

• Sponsorship development (via the Sponsorship Accelerator program)

• Financial systems and strategy (through the Profit First methodology)

• Organisational efficiency and redundancy (via Clockwork coaching and advisory)

  
  

The combined effect? Stronger, more sustainable organisations. More funding. More jobs. More culturally safe opportunities for growth and learning. “I don’t learn for the sake of it,” Cara says. “I learn to create solutions for my people, by code-switching between systems, industries, and cultures.”

This is not just about upskilling one leader. Cara’s program is built on sharing knowledge. First internally across her team, then more broadly across the Indigenous entrepreneurs, not-for-profits, and community groups she already supports.

Expected outcomes within 12–24 months of project completion include:

• Mentoring dozens of Indigenous organisations and businesses

• Incorporating learnings into Saltwater Country and MIHHQ programs

• Supporting hundreds of individuals through workshops and advisory sessions

• Creating culturally safe, virtual employment opportunities in remote communities

• Significantly increasing the social return on investment (SROI) for both her organisations

The Mt Burdett Foundation’s Rural and Regional Advancement Foundation exists to unlock leadership potential in rural and remote WA. By supporting individuals like Cara Peek, who are already making a measurable impact in their communities, RRAF ensures that funding goes where it will have lasting, intergenerational value.

Cara’s project is a powerful example of what’s possible when lived experience, deep community ties, and strategic learning come together with the right support.

Are you working to grow your leadership, skills, or impact in regional WA?

Visit mtburdettfoundation.org.au to learn more about RRAF funding opportunities for individuals and organisations.