Café Art Australia is a social venture with the mission to connect people affected by homelessness with the wider community through their art.

Café Art Australia was founded in August 2015. We run an annual photography competition in which single use cameras are provided to those experiencing homelessness for one week for them to capture images that inspire them. The winning photos feature in a calendar, the MySydney calendar, which is sold both online, at markets and in cafes. We also run exhibitions to share the photos produced with the wider community. We are in the process of showcasing the photography in cafes, enabling cafe visitors to purchase the art, with all proceeds going to the participants. 

Café Art Australia is a not for profit organisation and all proceeds of calendar and art sales are put back into the homeless community through facilitating photography competitions and exhibitions. In the future we are looking to expand to offer photography training and mentoring. We currently operate in Sydney and are intending to broaden our horizons to Melbourne in the future. 

We are privileged to partner with a number of organisations, including Fuji, PrintCraft, Jet Bar Caffe and the Darcy Project.

We believe that everyone has a story to tell and a talent to share. We also believe in promoting those in society who, often through new fault of their own, have fallen on harder times. Our programs offer an opportunity for individuals to have fun, engage with their community and realise their true value and worth in our society.


For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
— Nelson Mandela