An ill or injured child needs their family close.
When a child is in hospital, family stays. And we stay with them.
Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland is an independent not-for-profit organisation that surrounds families with a community of support and resources they need to stay at the heart of their child’s care and ensure the best possible health outcomes.
We provide essential services in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, enabling families from across Queensland to stay together, stay strong and promote healing when their ill or injured child needs healthcare.
A world where every family has what they need to ensure the best health outcomes for their children.
Caring for families with children who are ill or injured.
We provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.
Our name reflects the partnership that started it all.
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in 1974, named in recognition of the support McDonald’s and its customers provided to help families stay close to their ill or injured children. That spirit of community care has shaped our mission ever since.
Today, McDonald’s, alongside its customers, crew, franchisees and suppliers, continues to be our founding and forever partner – raising vital funds, driving national awareness and helping communities support families during their most difficult moments.
As a registered charity in Queensland, we are guided by a clear vision for how we support families now and into the future. Our strategic priorities outline the direction of our organisation – focusing on expanding access to our programs, strengthening our services, and deepening the support we provide to families across South East Queensland.
Building foundations for reconciliation
Experienced leaders driving impact for family support.
Join our Brisbane and Gold Coast teams making a real difference in families’ lives.
No. Ronald McDonald House is not part of McDonald’s and is independently governed and operated. Our impact replies on the support and funding from Australians across the country, within the community, and with many partners working together.
McDonald’s does not run or fully fund Ronald McDonald House, but they are our founding and forever partner – they support us, and they help the community support us too. This collective generosity enables us to deliver our essential services, support and care for families across Australia.
We support families from a broad region. Our primary service area stretched from the New South Wales border, through South East Queensland, up to Mackay and west into regional Queensland.
While this is our main geographical catchment, we also support families from other states, territories and overseas who need to be in Brisbane for specialised treatment – particularly at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Our goal is simple: wherever a family comes from, if their child needs care here, we’re here to support them.
Ronald McDonald House Australia operates under a federated structure, meaning local Chapters work independently while sharing the same mission, brand, and national standards. Ronald McDonald House Australia is the national body, providing overall brand stewardship, national partnerships, strategy and shared resources that help connect and support all Chapters across Australia.
Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland is one of 12 Chapters across the country. We have our own local leadership and operate independently, making decisions based on the needs of families in our region. We deliver programs such as our Houses, Family Rooms, Learning Program and Hospitality Cart to support families in need.
