The Reef Trust Partnership (the Partnership) stands as one of Australia’s most ambitious conservation efforts: a $443 million collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (the Foundation) and the Australian Government. Over six years (2018-2024), it united more than 500 partners to carry out hundreds of projects both on the Reef and in its catchments, all working towards a shared goal: to protect the Reef for future generations.
Clear Horizon was engaged as the measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL) partner for the Partnership. Our role was to ensure that MEL supported the Partnership in achieving the outcomes outlined in the grant agreement, while promoting learning, collaboration, building trust, and guiding adaptation across the broad and complex scope of work.
The Foundation was established in 1999 to protect and restore the Reef. During the International Year of the Reef in 2018, and following the major coral bleaching events of 2016 and 2017, a landmark collaboration between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Foundation invested $443 million to elevate and amplify efforts to build Reef resilience .
The Reef Trust Partnership is one of Australia’s largest and most ambitious environmental conservation grant programs, aiming to tackle the most significant threats to the Great Barrier Reef. Its focus was on improving water quality entering the Reef, managing the coral-eating Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) population, supporting Traditional Owner and community–led initiatives, developing and testing interventions to restore the Reef after destructive extreme-weather events, and advancing scientific innovation alongside essential monitoring. The Partnership sought to bring together land managers, tourism operators, reef scientists, Traditional Owners, communities along the Reef, and government agencies to collaborate and achieve tangible, measurable outcomes for the Reef. The Partnership offered a unique opportunity. Its scale, ambition, and multifaceted nature compelled the Foundation to bring together people, science, and technology to protect and restore coral reefs. At the heart of its design were principles to build strong relationships and trust among partners, foster genuine opportunities for First Nations peoples, and empower local communities.
Embodying these values, a key element of the Partnership’s design was empowering First Nations through genuine co-design. Alongside the $12 million allocated to Traditional Owner Reef Protection, the Foundation ensured that 10% of funding from all other components was directly invested in Traditional Owner–led reef protection initiatives, resulting in a $52.8M investment and marking the most significant such commitment to date.
While an independent MEL process was a requirement of the Partnership grant agreement, the Foundation recognised its value beyond just meeting compliance and accountability requirements. The Foundation saw MEL as a vital learning tool that was essential to reaching their desired outcomes for the Reef.
Clear Horizon and The Foundation collaborated closely to embed MEL at the heart of the Partnership. Together, involving diverse stakeholders from all six component areas, we co-developed a tailored Monitoring and Evaluation Framework – designed to evolve as the program matured, while fulfilling the Australian Government’s transparency and accountability requirements. This framework included discipline-specific MEL plans for each component, all nested within a comprehensive portfolio-level MEL plan.
Anchored in best practice MEL principles, the framework was both fit for purpose and practical. It was designed to manage complexity, recognise diverse contributions, and remain adaptable as the Partnership evolved over its six-year journey. The MEL plan could capture the Partnership’s multifaceted nature, celebrate the varied contributions of its over 500 partners, and adapt as understanding deepened and priorities shifted.
As the Partnership evolved and delivery teams consolidated, Clear Horizon’s multidisciplinary team walked alongside the Foundation. We helped establish annual internal evaluation processes, delivered targeted ‘deep dives’ into emerging areas of interest, periodically revised and updated MEL processes, and conducted independent formative and summative evaluations.
“Having that phone-a-friend on tap was really useful because we were often operating in quite a reactive environment and learning as we went” – Theresa Fyffe, Executive Director of Projects and Partnerships.
As a result of the ongoing capability building delivered alongside our work, MEL became more deeply embedded within the organisation, fostering a learning culture that supported their work.
“There was definitely a capability uplift. We had staff move on to other roles and say that having those MEL skills unlocked other opportunities for them.” – Theresa Fyffe.
“Capability-building wasn’t a by-product; it was a central goal. When people understand MEL, they own it — and that ownership is what keeps learning alive.” – Nathan Delbridge, Clear Horizon Principal Consultant.
As a philanthropic organisation with a large donor base and a clear remit to be open and transparent about its funding, the Foundation sought a better way to share the progress and achievements of the Partnership with the public, aside from lengthy reports. We tailored a set of live dashboards using our Track to Change platform, which The Foundation embedded on their website. The dashboards captured a wealth of information with an engaging appearance and interactive features for the public. More than just a reporting tool, they told a story and reflected the Foundation’s progress. This approach helped build trust with communities and partners.
Click any of the below dashboards to explore the interactive dashboard on their website.
At Clear Horizon, one of our main values is to Collaborate for Success, and we regard the Foundation’s commitment to collaboration as a prime example of this. Some of our key insights on collaboration from working with the Foundation follow:
Central to the Partnership was making sure Traditional Owners weren’t just involved but were leading. This was seen as vital to ensuring the Reef’s future is understood, cared for, and protected by those who have the longest connection to it.
Many voices shaped the MEL frameworks: Traditional Owners, Foundation staff, scientists, and communities. This ensured that what was measured reflected what mattered.
Open-access dashboards turned reporting into reflection. They fostered trust, supported adaptation, and enabled everyone to see the bigger picture, not just the numbers.
MEL skills didn’t remain solely in external hands. Through everyday collaboration and investing in capability development, those skills became ingrained within the Foundation.
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Clear Horizon acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.
