It started in a corporate office in Perth city, travelled through Australia’s outback and the Amazon, and ended up on a windswept paddock on the Hill of Uisneach, Ireland. An idea that enduring outcomes for nature are best delivered by those that live in those places, the stewards of those lands - and my own passion for shifting power through direct action, innovative markets and wraparound enabling policy.

Hi, I’m Melinda Macleod, founder of Sprout Collective.

Almost 15 years ago I was in a corporate office in Perth presented with an opportunity to test a model to turn ‘fortress conservation’ on its head - to directly fund the Traditional Owners of a vast area of Australia’s outback with culture-first principles and then let the environmental outcomes emerge. That successful partnership was the grounding model I shared though my next job in philanthropy, and it flowed across Amazon cloud forests, snow-covered boreal, and coral reefs in the Pacific.

I started this consultancy to support those at the front-lines of creating community-led solutions to the rapidly unfolding climate and biodiversity crises. Recognising the paradox of needing to act urgently, but always creating partnerships at the speed of trust, Sprout is here to catalyse actions when it’s time to sprint, or take a load off while you’re patiently co-creating the future.

And as for that paddock in Uisneach with views to all corners of Ireland, where I found myself battered by winds and later warmed by fire displays, let’s have a chat - I’ll share how that planted the seeds for Sprout Collective and I’d love to hear what sparks you into action!