Shark tank with purpose: how 10x10 Adelaide funds the city's social challengers

10x10 Adelaide is back for another round of its shark-tank style pitch night, and this one lands on Thursday 29 October 2026 at the Marnirni-apinthi Building, Lot Fourteen, on North Terrace. It's not a gig or a play, but it belongs in the diary of anyone who cares about how Adelaide's arts and social scenes actually get funded and supported behind the scenes.

The format is straightforward and, by all accounts, effective. Attendees pay $100 to secure a ticket, and that money goes directly to three early-stage non-profit organisations working on social challenges across South Australia. The three NFPs for this event are still to be confirmed, but past beneficiaries in Adelaide have included The Reily Foundation, Lighthouse Youth Projects and Food On The Table, so the calibre of organisation is well established.

On the night, each guest receives two $50 pledge tokens on arrival. After networking, food, drinks and nibbles, the three NFPs pitch their case, and a panel dubbed the 'Sharks for Good' grill them on mission, business model and sustainability. Then it's the audience's turn to ask questions before voting with their tokens for the organisation that resonated most. There's also further fundraising on the night through raffles and auctions, for anyone keen to dig a little deeper into their pockets.

It's a genuinely social occasion as much as a fundraising one. The room is pitched at values-aligned professionals, and the venue itself, the Marnirni-apinthi Building at Lot Fourteen, adds some architectural interest to what could otherwise be a fairly standard pitch-night setup.

What's worth noting is the donation is tax deductible, so there's a practical incentive sitting alongside the feel-good factor. All up, this isn't charity in the passive sense of writing a cheque and forgetting about it. Attendees get to see, in real time, where their money lands and why.

10x10 as an organisation focuses on not-for-profits under seven years old with revenue under $3 million, using innovative approaches to tackle issues such as homelessness, addiction and mental health. It's volunteer-led, which gives the whole enterprise an unpretentious energy that suits Adelaide's grassroots social innovation scene.

For those who can't make the night itself, there are other ways in: donating via the event's Humanitix link, volunteering for the next committee, or sponsoring the event outright. Enquiries can be directed to events@10x10philanthropy.com.

It's a different kind of night out, but one that fits neatly alongside the city's broader cultural calendar, an evening where the pitch is the performance and the applause comes with a price tag that actually does some good.