In this edition: our new website, Canberra Foundations Collaborative, Constitutional Recognition/Voice, Sydney Women's Fund, the Deadly Heart Trek, Snow Entrepreneurs, Live the life you please
JUNE 2023
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It’s almost halfway through 2023, I hope it's been good to you so far. We're pleased to share some of our great pictures and stories, including the launch of our new website!
The Canberra Foundations Collaborative received 142 expressions of interest and 71 invited applications. Over 80% applicants will be funded and we look forward to announcing these fantastic community initiatives soon.
Sydney Women's Fund continues to be an important voice for women and families, taking action to advance opportunity and equity. We spent a special day visiting four significant partners, learning more about the issues facing Sydney women and families and understanding what new funding could facilitate.
We are committed to Constitutional Recognition for First Nations and distributing accurate information with our partners Yes 23 and Uluru Dialogue. We're also delighted to be part of the philanthropy Yes Alliance declaring our funding support to the Yes campaigns. Please see below for some educational resources and recent facts.
Indigenous health - a third Deadly Heart Trek & Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Forum. We continue to strive for the end of preventable diseases like rheumatic heart disease and scabies. In March, the Deadly Heart Trek was invited to visit 22 communities in Central Australia and APY Lands, receiving 100% positive feedback. We also held an RHD forum, to discuss vaccines and community readiness.
Our Snow Entrepreneurs program continues to grow - we have committed further support (both funding and wrap-around) to the inaugural cohort of eight, and have
received a huge response to the second round, with 126 expressions of interest. We're diligently reviewing and receiving sector feedback, what a privilege to have insight into so many great leaders and their ideas for social change.
Driving impact investments in Australia
- We're pleased to join our philanthropic peers in The Foundations Impact Investors Group (FIIG), aiming to grow impact investing in Australia, enable partnerships, and unlock greater capital to help tackle social and environmental challenges. Please get in touch if you're a foundation and would like to join.
End-of-life film 'Live the life you please' What a thrill for Mike Hill, Sue Collins and Moonshine, winning two awards of excellence in the Accolade Global Film Competition, including for Best Documentary Feature. Congratulations, we enjoyed hosting the premiere in Sydney!
Enjoy the read and best wishes from our teams in Canberra and Sydney,
The Snow Foundation enjoying some time at our team off-site. Front row: Ashley Machuca, Sally Grimsley-Ballard, Megan Parsons, Georgina Byron. Back row: Alex Lagelee Kean, Carolyn Ludovici, Lucy McKee, Matt Breen.
Constitution, First Nations Recognition and Referendum education session for Canberra Airport team. Georgina Byron, Kenny Bedford, Prof. Kim Rubenstein, James Blackwell.
CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION #YES23
Soon we will be asked to decide: Should we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in The Constitution, with a Voice? In a recent poll, 83% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people support constitutional recognition through a Voice. Some of our work to date:
- Educational forums at The Hub Sydney, Canberra Airport Group and Surf Clubs
- Alliance with over 30 philanthropic organisations declaring our support for Voice with a pledge - see coverage in the AFR
- Government submission to joint select committee for the constitution alteration
Education session at The Hub Sydney. Kara Keys Yes23, Bridget Cama Uluru Dialogue and Georgina Byron
Philanthropy Yes alliance pledge - a growing group of over 30. Photo credit: AFR
Georgina Byron and Sally Grimsley-Ballard with Yes campaign members in Sydney
Ginette Snow, Georgina Byron, Kenny Bedford, Prof. Kim Rubenstein, James Blackwell at the educational session with Canberra Airport team
Georgina Byron, Sydney Women's Fund Chair, and our Partnerships Manager Sally Grimsley-Ballard at Re-Love with Founders Renuka Fernando and Ben Stammer and Sydney Women's Fund guests
SYDNEY WOMEN'S FUND PARTNER VISIT
Sydney Women's Fund (SWF) advocate for gender equity and support women and families in greatest need through 100+ partner charities.
Last month we joined a fundraising bus tour with an inspiring interested group to see first-hand four key services supported by SWF. Thank you to these grassroots, frontline programs for hosting us: 4 Voices, Re-Love, Plate it Forward and Whitelion.
Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Bo Remenyi with community members in Central Australia
THE DEADLY HEART TREK & RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE (RHD) FORUM
In March we completed our third Deadly Heart Trek to communities in Central Australia to listen, learn and provide education, diagnosis and treatment of RHD and skin infections. It truly was a huge collaborative effort with the 22 communities, educating and checking over 800 children's hearts and skin. Survey results post-visit demonstrated building trust and confidence, with 100% responses to 'community invitation to return’ and 'recommend the program to other communities'.
Recently we held an RHD Forum with a group of leading researchers into RHD vaccines with the Heart Foundation, NACCHO, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and Snow Medical. We heard different approaches for RHD vaccines, and the need to ensure community readiness and a viable and safe delivery of
vaccines to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities here in Australia. Thanks everyone for sharing your incredible work on this preventable disease.
MISSION AUSTRALIA
In one of our key regions the South Coast NSW, we're supporting Walawaani by Mission Australia, a new 10-bed residential rehabilitation centre for young people.
Through the Sir David Martin Foundation, the funding specifically covers an Aftercare worker for three years to support 16 to 24 year-olds manage their recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.
LIVE THE LIFE YOU PLEASE FILM
We hosted a full-house in Sydney to see this significant social impact film project about the physical, social, emotional and spiritual support provided to patients and their loved ones through palliative care.
It shines a light on the need for increased access to palliative care and for everyone to start important conversations about end-of-life early, highlighting the necessary services that our partners like Violet provide.
COLLABORATIVE GRANT ROUND
Now in its second year, the Canberra Foundations Collaborative received over 140 Expressions of Interest, invited 71 to submit a full application - over 80% will receive some funding. It's such a pleasure to hear about the fantastic community initiatives in Canberra, and we will be announcing the full list of grant recipients shortly, which cover the cause areas: disability, mental health and well being, disadvantage, family and domestic violence.
SNOW ENTREPRENEURS
We had a fantastic time with some of the first cohort at the Impact Investment Summit, including presenting the journeys of More Good Days, Kindship and Clean Slate Clinic, all raising impact investments within 12 months of joining our program.
We're thrilled to receive
126 expressions of interest for the second cohort of Snow Entrepreneurs.
We're currently assessing them with our peer reviewers and learning more about the many inspiring leaders and their initiatives for social change. The next cohort will be announced in September.
MEET OUR PARTNERS: Q&A
This week, we get to meet Robyn Martin (pictured on the right with Lorraine Johnson, former Snow Foundation member). Robyn is a proud Kamilaroi woman and CEO of Beryl Women Inc. We are long-time supporters of Beryl and we are long-time admirers of Robyn.
How would you describe Beryl Women Inc?
At Beryl, we do whatever it takes and have the flexibility as a small specialist service to work therapeutically and reduce inter-generational trauma and disadvantage. As a specialist domestic violence service, we know that Domestic Violence does not occur in isolation and there are many intersecting complexities that impact women and children.
This is where Beryl stands out in our community, as we walk alongside women and meet them where they are at in crisis, as well as ongoing outreach support in whatever form that may take.
What do you think are some of the misconceptions surrounding domestic and family violence?
Domestic Violence is about an “abuse of power”, and comes in many forms including physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc. We have been talking about preventing violence against women and children for years. Has anything changed? Really…. What works in theory and works in reality varies depending on individual circumstances.
Early intervention and prevention has a place in the variety of responses. The community as a whole needs to be re-educated about healthy and respectful relationships and healthy conflict resolution processes.
Our kids need healthy adult role models across the board to become adults who respect themselves, respect their peers, respect their elders, and respect other human beings.
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