About · NeoNow

The problem

Two gaps, one shared solution

A funding gap in specialist education

St Lucy's School relies on government per-student funding, topped up by philanthropy and fundraising — and that philanthropic buffer is under increasing pressure.

An employment gap for disabled adults

Autistic and disabled Australian adults remain some of the most under-employed people in the country — even when willing and able to work.

NeoNow sits at the intersection: it redirects NDIS funding families are already spending into paid jobs for the disability community, and returns a share of the resulting surplus to St Lucy's — turning one transaction into two good outcomes.

Vision & values

What we hold ourselves to

Dignity of work

Every NeoNow employee is a paid worker with a real job to do — never a volunteer, a client, or a token presence.

Two people, one team

The buddy pairing is a genuine two-person crew, each with a defined role — not supervision of a vulnerable person.

No cost to the consumer

The model is built to work inside funding families already have — never by asking them to find new money.

Evidence before enthusiasm

Program design is grounded in published research on what actually helps neurodivergent adults sustain employment.

Surplus with purpose

NeoNow is not-for-profit. Surplus is split between fair pay, reinvestment, and the St Lucy's Foundation.

Somewhere to grow

NeoNow is a stepping stone, not a ceiling — every role has a genuine pathway forward.

The research behind the name

NEO Now, University of Nottingham

NeoNow's name and buddy-pairing design trace directly back to a real pilot programme: NEO Now — Neurodiverse Employment Opportunities, Now — run by the University of Nottingham's Faculty of Science, offering paid, supported placements of up to ten months to neurodivergent adults in real entry-level roles.

What the research found

Dr Debra Costley's 2025 evaluation of the programme's first eighteen months and thirteen participants found that whole-team training — not just briefing the manager — built a shared language and genuine support. Selective, well-matched placements, revisited once someone had settled in, consistently outperformed open-ended ones.

How NeoNow applies it

Every NeoNow lead worker and their regular buddy associate train together, not separately. Task matching is deliberately selective and revisited after the first few jobs — because the evidence says that's what actually works, not because it's the easiest way to run a roster.

Costley, D. (2025). 'I can finally excel as myself': exploring an employment programme for neurodivergent adults. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 30(2), 429–447.

A proven Australian model

We're not the first social enterprise to try this

NeoNow follows an established category in Australia known as a Work Integration Social Enterprise, or WISE — a trading business with a deliberate mission to employ people who face labour-market exclusion, competing commercially rather than operating as sheltered or subsidised work.

Clean Force Property Services

An NDIS-registered commercial cleaning WISE employing people with mental illness and other disadvantage. An independent Social Return on Investment study found it returns $6.10 of social benefit for every $1 invested, while winning and retaining client contracts on price and quality — not charity.

Governance

Structured to protect everyone involved

NeoNow Ltd

A proposed company limited by guarantee, seeking ACNC charity registration and Deductible Gift Recipient status, governed by an independent board that includes a St Lucy's nominee.

St Lucy's School & Foundation

A separate legal entity, connected to NeoNow through a formal partnership and revenue-share agreement — giving St Lucy's a voice in governance without assuming NeoNow's operational liability.

Want to know more?

Whether you're a family, a prospective employee, or a partner organisation — get in touch.

Contact us

Why NeoNow exists