THANK YOU
More than a gala - a Sapphire family of friends united for the oceans. $1.6 million raised, powered by love, friendship and belief in what’s precious
“Sapphire has never been just about raising funds - it has always been about raising each other. At Sapphire Dinner 2025, it felt less like a gala and more like a family table: a gathering of friends, bound not by obligation but by love, trust, and the belief that together we can protect what is precious.
Raising over $5 million in the last five years is far beyond what we imagined, and we hold it with immense gratitude to our friends. But what moves us most is knowing it was achieved not through grand institutions, but through people who showed up with love and stood shoulder to shoulder for the oceans. This is the essence of Sapphire: proof that when community leads, transformation follows.
Thank you to our partners, our friends, and everyone who stood with us this year. Thank you for believing, for showing up, and for making this family what it is.”
Hayley Baillie & Ryan Gollan
Co-Chairs of The Sapphire Project
What if restoring just 3% of coral reefs could protect 50% of the entire ecosystem?
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s TED talk is live! Watch Theresa Fyffe, the Foundation’s Executive Director of Impact, deliver a powerful call to action for the future of coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. With breakthrough technologies, local leadership, and a bold plan to restore reefs at scale - we have a lifeline.
A Legacy Project:
Unite, Educate and Inspire
A Legacy for the Oceans: The Sapphire Project is a catalyst for transformative change - dedicated to raising vital funds and awareness for organisations making a tangible impact on ocean conservation. More than just a fundraising initiative, Sapphire is a rallying call for collective action: inspiring communities, celebrating innovation, and mobilising resources to safeguard a blue future.
Through immersive events like the Sapphire Dinner, we connect donors with bold, visionary initiatives. Together, we are building philanthropic momentum and a shared commitment to the protection of our oceans.
We are deeply invested in preserving marine ecosystems. Each year, aligned with United Nations World Oceans Day, we amplify our efforts - connecting local impact with global dialogue to highlight the urgent need for ocean conservation.
Yet today, less than 2% of charitable contributions in Australia support environmental causes - an even smaller fraction goes toward protecting our oceans. This stark gap underscores the urgent need for targeted, strategic support.
As proud advocates for UN World Oceans Day, and in a unique collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, we held our 2024 Sapphire Dinner at The Tank - a breathtaking iconic venue beneath the gallery. Themed "Awaken New Depths," the evening was a celebration of innovation, generosity, and collective action.
Looking ahead to our fifth anniversary in 2025, we will gather again on Friday, 15 August, to support five leading organisations driving marine conservation and climate action across Australia:
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation
The Great Southern Reef Foundation
Sea Forest Foundation
Surfers for Climate
Seadragon Conservation
(A conservation partnership between the University of Technology Sydney, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, and Jordan Askill Labs)
The Great Barrier Reef - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world - is the largest living structure on Earth. Beyond its beauty, it sustains 64,000 jobs, contributes $6.4 billion annually to the economy, and plays a critical role in global biodiversity, climate regulation, and even medical discovery.
But this irreplaceable ecosystem is under threat. Rising ocean temperatures and repeated bleaching events are jeopardising its survival - placing the future of our oceans, and life on Earth, at risk.
Since launching in 2021, The Sapphire Project has raised over $4 million for ocean conservation across three dinners, thanks to the generosity of individual donors. Our events have engaged more than 1,500 in-person supporters, and in 2024, our inaugural Singapore event marked the beginning of Sapphire’s international expansion. Our impact continues to grow through global partnerships with like-minded brands.
In 2025 and beyond, we’re not just acknowledging the crisis - we’re contributing directly to solutions. The decade from 2020 to 2030 is our window to act decisively. The legacy we create today will shape the world inherited by future generations. The time to protect what cannot be replaced is now.
To read more about us, please click here. To discover more about our dedicated efforts in 2025, click here.
Sapphire Dinner 2024 at the Tank, Art Gallery of NSW
“Sapphire’s work is vital for Australia and the world. The culture that Sapphire has built on collaborative impact, building support, and generating funds for the best and brightest initiatives coming out of Australia gives hope for our oceans and our common future. Thank you to the Sapphire committee, who my husband David and I had the pleasure of meeting last year. A special thanks to all our supporters, whose unwavering support since our inception has been instrumental. You are ocean heroes and For The Oceans!”
Susan Rockefeller
Honorary Chair of The Sapphire Project
Founder of Protect What is Precious®
Young Sapphires Launched
Tiffany & Co. Foundation & Earth Day
Art for the Ocean
“The ocean provides the oxygen for every second breath we take.
In 2025, the UN World Oceans Day’s theme is Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us. This is so pertinent here in Australia. Our coast is intimately linked to our national economy, industry, arts, social lifestyle and cultural identity, with more than 85 percent of Australians living within 50 kilometres of the sea. Water has always been good to me, it’s time to give back.”
Ian Thorpe AM
Sapphire Committee & Ocean Ambassador
“The greatest danger to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Robert Swan