A legacy of care since 1898
Helping SA Health patients access financial assistance when they need it most.
For over 125 years, the Louisa DaCosta trust has been supporting eligible South Australians by providing practical financial support when patients are at their most vulnerable.
How We Help
Learn who the Foundation supports and the practical and financial assistance available.
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Health Professionals
Information for clinicians and allied health workers making a referral on behalf of a patient.
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Donate
Support South Australians experiencing unexpected and chronic illness with a gift today.
Learn MoreHow It Works
A simple, supportive process from referral to assistance.
Submit a Referral
A health professional submits a referral on behalf of an eligible patient.
Assessment
Our team reviews the referral against eligibility criteria.
Practical Support
Approved patients receive practical financial assistance.
Recovery with Dignity
Patients focus on recovery, supported with hope and dignity.
Our Impact
For more than 125 years, the Louisa DaCosta Trust has stood beside South Australians facing illness and hardship by offering practical financial relief and compassionate support when people need it most. From modest beginnings built on Louisa's enduring bequest, that legacy of care continues to grow, reaching further into our communities and touching more lives each year.
125+
Years Supporting South Australians
Thousands
Of Lives Assisted Since 1898
Ongoing
Financial Practical Support
Growing
Network of Healthcare Referrers
Real Stories, Real Impact
For over 125 years the Louisa DaCosta Trust has been helping South Australians when they are most vulnerable.
Support during treatment
After emergency surgery, Mary faced weeks of daily hospital visits and no way to cover the travel costs. The Trust stepped in to help.
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Financial support after emergency surgery
A sudden medical emergency left Jon unable to work and supporting his family alone. The Trust helped bridge the gap.
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Help covering an unexpected ambulance cost
A chronic illness led to an unplanned ambulance trip for Bruce. The Trust helped cover the cost so he could focus on his health.
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Louisa DaCosta
A Legacy of Care Since 1898
On 14 September 1898, Miss Louisa Mendes DaCosta, sister of Adelaide merchant Benjamin DaCosta, left her real estate in Adelaide in trust to establish a Samaritan fund for convalescents connected with the Adelaide Hospital. The bequest, entrusted to the Governor of South Australia, was created to help poor patients recover with dignity once they left hospital care but still needed support.
What became known as the DaCosta Samaritan Fund was administered by a small board of trustees, who each year reviewed the accounts and the number of convalescents assisted. From its earliest years, the fund provided practical and financial relief to a large number of patients from the Adelaide Hospital who had nowhere else to turn during their recovery.
For over 125 years, the Louisa DaCosta trust has been supporting eligible South Australians by providing practical financial support when patients are at their most vulnerable.