Adam Demos Foundation
Safety changes
everything.
So does inclusion.
We stand with survivors of gender-based violence and champion the rights of differently abled children — funding shelters, therapy, accessible learning, and the people fighting for both.
Registered Charity
92% Program Efficiency
Fully Transparent
Survivor-Centred
"No survivor walks alone. No child is overlooked. Not on our watch."
— Adam Demos Foundation · Protecting Women. Empowering Children. Building Hope.
The Adam Demos Foundation was not born in a boardroom or conceived through a strategic planning session. It was born from a deeply personal place — from a son's love for his mother, from a moral reckoning with the world, and from an unwavering belief that purpose must outlast privilege.
Adam Demos — actor, advocate, and humanitarian — spent years in the public eye. Yet what shaped him most profoundly was not the lights of a film set, but the values instilled in him by his mother, Lindy Demos. Her quiet strength, her radical compassion, and her conviction that every vulnerable person deserves dignity and protection became the invisible architecture of Adam's worldview.
The Foundation is a formal declaration of that personal responsibility — a structured, long-term commitment to turning awareness into action, compassion into change, and resources into real human outcomes.
Read Our Story"Success without service is incomplete. If the gifts you've been given cannot reach those who need them most, then something essential has been wasted."
The Lindy Demos Influence
A mother's quiet courage.
At the centre of the Foundation's identity is a woman who never sought the spotlight but profoundly shaped what happens within it. Lindy Demos — Adam's mother, his first teacher in empathy — raised him with a clear understanding that kindness is not passive. It is active. It demands presence, effort, and sacrifice.
"My mother showed me that the most courageous thing a person can do is stand between someone who is suffering and the world that has forgotten them."
— Adam Demos
Her steadfast belief in the dignity of women who suffer in silence is the moral engine behind our work against gender-based violence; her instinctive care for children who face barriers others never have to think about drives our commitment to differently abled children worldwide.
The Scale of the Crisis
Every number is a person.
1 in 3
Women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime
World Health Organization
240M+
Children worldwide living with disabilities
UNICEF Global Estimate
~90%
Of GBV cases are never reported to authorities
UN Women Research
How We Work
Our Values
Six commitments that shape every decision, every partnership, and every interaction.
Dignity
We treat every person we serve with the full dignity they deserve, regardless of history, circumstance, or condition.
Accountability
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of transparency, financial stewardship, and programmatic integrity.
Compassion
We approach our work with genuine care and emotional intelligence, knowing that healing cannot be rushed or standardised.
Inclusion
We build spaces, programmes, and partnerships where everyone belongs — particularly those who have historically been excluded.
Courage
We are willing to challenge harmful norms, uncomfortable truths, and the systems that have failed vulnerable people.
Impact
We are committed to measurable, evidence-informed results. Intention is not enough. We exist to create lasting change.
Our Vision
A world where every woman is safe.
A world where every child belongs.
A world where vulnerability is met with protection, not punishment.
"Compassion that does not move a person to action is not compassion at all. It is simply a feeling. We choose action."
Inspired by Lindy Demos · Driven by Purpose
How your gift moves
Four treasuries. One mission.
Donors give in their home currency through their home banking system. Funds are pooled monthly into the global programme budget — so every pillar gets steady, predictable support no matter where giving spikes.
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United Kingdom
Faster Payments & BACS to our UK current account. Charity No. 1234567 — every UK gift is Gift Aid eligible.
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United States
ACH and domestic wires through our 501(c)(3) entity. We also accept verified retail gift cards via our treasury partner.
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Australia
BSB-routed transfers to our Australian DGR-listed entity. Tax-deductible for Australian donors.
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Europe / International
SEPA & SWIFT transfers via our European e.V. account. We also accept BTC, ETH, and USDC for borderless giving.
Audited annually by independent firms in each jurisdiction. Full financials are published in our annual reports.
Safety changes everything.
So does inclusion.
Access to safety, therapy, and an accessible classroom means health, learning, and a future — especially for women, girls, and differently abled children.
PROTECTION
1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.1
Most never report it. The Foundation funds 24/7 crisis lines, emergency shelters, and long-term therapy that meet survivors where they are — without paperwork, without shame, and without a clock running out.
INCLUSION
240+ million children live with disabilities — and most are out of school.2
Children with disabilities are 49% more likely to have never attended school than their peers. We fund accessible classrooms, communication devices, and teacher training so kids can learn alongside their friends — not behind a wall.
1 World Health Organization, Violence Against Women — Prevalence Estimates, 2018.
2 UNICEF, Seen, Counted, Included: Children with Disabilities Report, 2021.
What We Do
Our Core Programmes
Five connected pillars that take survivors and differently abled children from crisis to thriving — funded with you.
Survivor Safety & Healing
Emergency shelters, trauma-informed therapy, legal aid, and long-term recovery for women, girls, and people of all genders escaping violence. From the first safe night to a self-rebuilt life — we stay the whole way.
2,400+
Survivors Supported
Learn More
Women's Empowerment & Entrepreneurship
Survivors become founders. Our flagship Women in Business programme provides seed capital, mentorship, business training, and childcare so women rebuild economic independence — the strongest predictor of long-term safety.
320
Women-Led Businesses Funded
Explore the Programme
Healthcare & Inclusion for Differently Abled Children
Accessible classrooms, paediatric therapy, mobility & communication devices, and on-site clinical services for differently abled children. We pair every educational placement with the medical and developmental support a child needs to thrive.
1,860
Children Enrolled & Supported
Learn More
Education & Scholarships
Full-tuition scholarships and mentorship for survivors returning to study, the children of survivors, and exceptional students from underserved communities — primary, secondary, and university.
850+
Students on Scholarship
Apply or Refer
Family & Community Resilience
We resource caregivers, fund grassroots advocates, and partner with schools, clinics, and police units to change the systems that fail survivors and exclude disabled children — because real protection is built block by block.
45
Communities Strengthened
Our Partners
Our Story
Fifteen Years of Showing Up
Since 2009, the Adam Demos Foundation has worked at the side of survivors and the families of differently abled children — funding the people closest to the problem, in the places they live, on the timelines healing actually takes.
Survivor-led, trauma-informed, dignity first
Built with parents, teachers & frontline advocates
Long-term funding, not short-term photo-ops
Impact
Measurable Change
Every dollar tracked, every outcome measured, every community we serve sees real results.
$0
Total Community
Investment
Investment
0
Direct
Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries
0
Program
Completion Rate
Completion Rate
0
Return on Social
Investment
Investment
Survivor Safe-Housing Goal92%
Inclusive Classrooms Built87%
Caregiver Support Reach78%
Fundraising Targets95%
Meet the Founder
Adam Demos
Actor. Advocate. Son. Founder.
From the steelworks of Wollongong to the screens of Netflix — and a foundation built on love, loss, and an unshakeable sense of purpose.
Born
24 May 1985
Hometown
Wollongong, NSW
Heritage
Greek-Australian
Known For
Sex/Life · UnREAL · Falling Inn Love
AD
Adam DemosFounder & Chairman
Who Is Adam Demos?
A man who spent years working in the dust and noise of demolition sites before daring to dream of something different. A son who watched his mother fight cancer for sixteen years and chose to build her legacy into something the world could feel.
Adam is, by his own admission, someone who took the long road. He spent the better part of his twenties working in construction, pouring steel, and pulling down buildings alongside his father in coastal New South Wales. He didn't grow up expecting fame. He didn't study drama in school. He didn't come from a family connected to the entertainment industry.
What he came from was something more enduring: a single mother who raised him with ferocious love, an indestructible sense of community, and a set of values that no amount of Hollywood success has been able to dislodge.
Today he is one of Australia's most recognised actors on the global stage — best known for his breakout role as Brad Simon in Netflix's Sex/Life, with earlier work in Lifetime's UnREAL and Netflix's Falling Inn Love. But for Adam, the most important thing he has ever built is not a filmography. It is a foundation — named for himself, shaped by his mother, and dedicated to the protection of women and the empowerment of children who have been left behind by the world.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
A construction worker, a mother, and a printed list of acting schools.
At 23, Adam called his mother Lindy and told her he couldn't stop thinking about acting. She didn't laugh. She didn't question whether it was realistic. She went home, opened her computer, and printed out the top eight acting schools in Australia. She handed them to her son and told him to choose one.
He enrolled in Screenwise Film & TV Acting School in Sydney for ten Saturdays — telling his friends and workmates he was picking up extra shifts. He graduated in 2009. He had no connections, no industry contacts, no drama school pedigree. What he had was his mother's belief, a blue-collar work ethic, and the determination of someone who knew what it cost to get to the starting line.
"I was raised by a mum who encouraged me to go with my gut. I called her that day because I couldn't stop thinking about acting."
— Adam Demos, ELLE Australia
From Wollongong to the World
Career Timeline
Lindy Demos · The Woman Behind the Foundation
Sixteen years of fighting. A lifetime of love.
If Adam Demos is the visible face of this foundation, then Lindy Demos is its invisible heart — the woman whose life, love, and extraordinary courage gave the foundation both its reason and its soul.
Lindy raised Adam on her own — a single mother in a working-class coastal town doing the quiet, relentless, uncelebrated work that single parents do. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given one year to live. She went on to live for sixteen more — sixteen years of joy, of presence, of defying the odds with the same quiet tenacity that had defined her entire life. She did not allow her diagnosis to define her. She allowed her character to define her diagnosis.
"She raised me on her own and it's been her and I against it all and it's my biggest privilege and honour to be her son."
— Adam Demos, Instagram tribute, August 2025
On 31 August 2025, Adam announced his mother's passing and made a promise that has since become the philosophical spine of everything the foundation stands for: "Best thing I can do now is make sure I try and navigate life with the outlook and integrity she lived with, with the wonder and joy of it all and take her wherever I go." The Adam Demos Foundation is, in the most direct sense, the fulfilment of that promise.
Why Gender-Based Violence?
Because Lindy taught him what protection looks like.
Lindy raised her son to see women as fully human beings deserving of every protection. She modelled what female courage looked like — not the cinematic version, but the daily, unglamorous, persistent version most people never see. Adam knows what it means to be protected. He knows who protected him. He cannot unknow that.
Why Differently Abled Children?
Because not every child has a Lindy.
Adam's own journey from a working-class background — where the path he eventually chose simply was not visible to him — gives him a particular empathy for children who face structural barriers. He knows what it means to need someone to see your potential before you can see it yourself. Lindy saw it. Not all children have a Lindy. The foundation exists, in part, to be one.
A Foundation for His Mother, and for the World
Lindy Demos was given one year to live.
She chose to live for sixteen more.
Her son chose to make sure she lives forever.
The Adam Demos Foundation is that choice, made permanent. It is the act of saying, to every woman who has been silenced and every child who has been overlooked: I see you. I am here. And this — all of this — is for you.
Founded in honour of Lindy Demos · d. 31 August 2025
Our People
Leadership Team
The professionals who turn Adam's vision into operational reality every day.
SL
Sarah Laurent
Executive Director
Former UN development specialist driving our operational strategy and programme delivery across all four regions.
MK
Marcus Kaine
Head of Programmes
Education policy expert who designs and oversees all scholarship and training initiatives.
EP
Elena Patel
Director of Impact
Data scientist ensuring every programme is measured, evaluated, and continuously improved against published targets.
YO
Dr. Yara Okonkwo
Director of Survivor Programmes
Trauma-informed clinician with 15 years in shelter operations and GBV crisis response across East and West Africa.
LO
Liam O’Sullivan
Chief Financial Officer
Chartered accountant managing the Foundation's four-region treasury — UK, US, AU and EU — with audited reconciliation into a single global programme budget.
PR
Dr. Priya Ramesh
Director of Inclusion
Paediatric occupational therapist and former UNESCO disability advisor leading our inclusive-education and assistive-technology work.
HM
Hana Mitsuyama
General Counsel
Cross-border non-profit lawyer overseeing compliance, governance, and safeguarding across UK charity, US 501(c)(3), AU DGR and EU e.V. structures.
TR
Tomás Reyes
Head of Partnerships
Builds the Foundation's coalition of shelters, schools, hospitals, and government agencies that turn programme funding into community-led delivery.
CB
Dr. Chloé Bertrand
Director of Clinical Care
Developmental paediatrician who oversees therapeutic programmes, respite care, and the family-support network around every child we serve.
Testimonials
Voices of Impact
The shelter took me in the night I had nowhere else to go. Two years later, I have my own flat, my kids back in school, and a counsellor I still see every Thursday. They didn't just rescue me — they helped me rebuild.
My son uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal. For years, no school would take him. The Foundation funded his communication device and trained his teacher — he's now in Year 4 and reads with his class every morning.
They don't just write cheques — they show up, they listen, and they stay. Our crisis line answers more calls every year because the Foundation funded the staff to actually answer them.
Our Journey
Milestones
2009
Foundation Established
Adam Demos opens the first Foundation-funded crisis line and emergency safe house for survivors of gender-based violence.
2013
Inclusive Education Launch
Partnered with three local school districts to fund accessible classrooms and assistive devices for differently abled children.
2018
$2M Programme Milestone
Reached $2 million invested in shelters, therapy, and inclusive education — supporting more than 5,000 survivors and children.
2024
12,000+ Lives Reached
Surpassed 12,000 direct beneficiaries across 45 communities — 2,400 survivors housed and 1,860 differently abled children enrolled in inclusive classrooms.
Join Us
Get Involved
There are many ways you can support our mission and help create lasting change.
Give
Your donation funds scholarships, businesses, and community infrastructure that create lasting change.
Donate NowVolunteer
Bring your skills and time to mentor, advise, or support our programs on the ground.
Get InvolvedPartner
Organisations that share our values can partner with us to amplify impact across communities.
Contact UsMake a Difference Today
All donations fund programs directly. We maintain a 92% program efficiency ratio.
A one-time gift of £50 funds therapy for one survivor for two weeks.
Secure & Encrypted | Registered Charity No. 1234567
Latest
Foundation News
FAQ
Common Questions
92% of every donation goes directly to our programs. The remaining 8% covers essential operational costs. We publish a full financial breakdown in our annual impact report, available for download on our website.
Yes! We welcome volunteers for mentoring, events, fundraising, and community outreach. Contact us through the form below or email volunteer@adamdemosfoundation.org to learn about current opportunities.
Our partner crisis line is open 24/7 — call 0800-SAFE-NOW or text "SAFE" to 85258. All calls are confidential and survivor-led. If you're in immediate danger, please call your local emergency services first. We can also be reached via the contact form below.
We partner directly with schools and parent groups. Reach out via the contact form and our family liaison team will connect you with the closest partner school, assistive-device clinic, or in-home therapist on our network — usually within five working days.
We partner with corporations, local authorities, and nonprofits who share our mission. Partnerships can include co-funding, volunteering, in-kind support, or strategic collaboration. Reach out via our contact form to start a conversation.
Yes. The Adam Demos Foundation is a registered charity (No. 1234567) and all donations are eligible for Gift Aid in the UK. We'll send you a receipt for your records after your donation is processed.
Contact
Get in Touch
Let's Talk
Have a question or want to get involved? We'd love to hear from you.
Address123 Foundation Way, London, EC1A 1BB
Emailinfo@adamdemosfoundation.org
Phone+44 (0) 20 7946 0958
Office HoursMon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM