COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD FINALIST

Kelly Willmott is Co-Founder and Director of GreenFox Studio, an award-winning, creative agency and social enterprise that operates Australia’s first not-for-profit graphic and digital design training studios inside prisons, detention centres, and in the community.


Meet Kelly
Kelly Willmott is no stranger to the Beyond Service Awards.

As the co-founder of a social enterprise and a not-for-profit, and the wife of a veteran, Kelly was a finalist in the Defence Family Business category of the awards in 2023.

“Being a finalist last year was fantastic,” she said. “The flow on impact was connecting with the other sector and community businesses and that supportive network.”

This year, Kelly is even more excited to be a finalist in the Community Impact Award, as she feels this award also acknowledges the hard work of her co-founder, Amanda, and their team.

Kelly and Amanda began Green Fox Studio in2018, with both a social enterprise and a not-for-profit operating under the name.

“Green Fox Studio, the social enterprise, is a full-service creative agency that works with big corporate clients as well as other social enterprises, and we donate our time to impact-led businesses to help them get up and running, which includes veteran-owned businesses,” Kelly said.

“Green Fox Training Studio, the not-for-profit, goes into prisons and youth justice centres as well as starts programs in community for people experiencing disadvantage, and we train them in digital literacy through creativity.”

Since the Beyond Service Awards last year, Green Fox Studio has continued to grow and achieve.

Kelly said one of their biggest achievements in the past year had been partnering with Serco at Clarence Correctional Centre, a prison in Grafton, running programs for both men and women.  

“Women don't usually get programs put in place in prisons because their sentences are usually shorter,” Kelly said.

“We did a big exercise with all the women that were incarcerated and the female guards, and we talked about our business, female empowerment and inclusion."

“We actually took one of our lived experience women down (who had spent time in custody). She talked about her own experience, and it was really empowering for the women, because she's now finished her law degree and has just completed her master’s in international law.

This year, Green Fox Studio has been instrumental in bringing together a collective of like-minded businesses and Indigenous elders to support young people leaving detention with positive role models and work experience in a safe and inclusive space.

Throughout the 10-week program, the young people undertake various work experience opportunities with social enterprises, including digital literacy training with Green Fox Studio.

“We’ve had our first girl come through, which was amazing,” she said.

“She’s now about to start an apprenticeship with a hospitality-based social enterprise. She has done so well that she has even inspired her mother and siblings to return to school and employment.

Kelly said this was an example of the trickle effect, where the positive impact of Green Fox Studio programs trickles down to those connected to participants.

Looking forward, Green Fox Studio plans to continue growing its programs, working with Serco and partnering with like-minded businesses to ensure an even spread of support for their clients. This includes projects such as a coffee cart to train young people and a dog washing cart to train women who have experienced domestic violence or disadvantage.