The Trust has a new Grants Policy Statement and Funding Guidelines which are effective from 1 February 2010. This follows extensive review during 2009 by the Trustees.
The review confirmed the following community sectors for support: Aged Persons Care & Support; Arts, Culture & Heritage; Community Support; Disabled Care & Support; Education; Employment & Vocational Training; Environment; and Health & Medical Research.
There are now three new grant streams, namely:
Small Grants: where applications are sought from eligible organisations for up to $25,000 for projects/programs across the eight community sectors:
Strands: the Trust has identified four funding priority areas and seeks applications from eligible organisations in the areas of:
Ageing: to support programs/projects, including medical research, which will lead to improved health outcomes and the quality of life for the elderly
Building Community Spirit: to support innovative, practical ideas and programs/projects which will strengthen social networks and community spirit in urban and rural communities
Belonging: to support programs/projects which aim to actively involve the most disadvantaged in the community, namely youth, disabled, indigenous and refugees, to increase their participation and feeling of belonging as part of the community through innovative opportunities in education, training and employment
Improving Youth Health: to support innovative and practical programs/projects, including medical research, which will lead to improved health outcomes for youth so that they can achieve their full potential.
Partnerships: the Trust seeks to build strategic relationships and collaborative partnerships. Partnerships may involve specific projects/program and/or to build the capacity of the not-for-profit sector to deliver improved outcomes related to the eight community sectors and/or strands.
The Trust has also reviewed the areas of grant exclusions.
Go to our Grants section of this website for a full description of the new policy and application procedures.
The Trust, along with the Myer Foundation, Portland House, Melbourne Community Foundation and the Reichstein Foundation launched a new publication Time Will Tell which showcases 11 stories of good philanthropy ranging from 1983 until 2007.
During 2009, a small working group comprising Kirsty Allen (Myer Foundation), Genevieve Timmons (Portland House Foundation), Trudy Wyse (Melbourne Community Foundation), Christa Momot (Reichstein Foundation) and Chris Wootton (Helen Macpherson Smith Trust) managed the project, identifying and selecting appropriate case studies.
Once the case studies were selected, specific individuals were identified for each case (usually representing a granting organisation, the grantee and a beneficiary of the project). A total of 38 interviews were conducted by an independent researcher, Tricia Bowen. Time Will Tell includes excerpts from each of these interviews and provides a rich tapestry and insight into each case study. The case studies included in the book also involved a number of other generous philanthropic organisations and individuals without whose support these projects would not have been possible.
Copies of the book will be distributed to all Philanthropy Australia members and additional copies can be purchased for $22 each, available from the Trust. To download a PDF version, click here
From left: Darvell Hutchinson, Chairman of the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust; Carillo Gantner, The Myer Foundation; Guang Rong Lu, NICA's Master of Circus; and Frances Awcock, Trustee, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust at the launch of Time Will Tell in December
We are delighted to present you with our 2009 Annual Report covering the activities of the Trust for the year.
Despite the challenging economic scene which prevailed during the year and impacted upon the investment values of most charitable organisations, we achieved a record of $10.5 million of grants approved for 2009 year.
The Report provides a detailed indication of the wide diversity of community needs which have been assisted by our grants during the 2009 financial year. In addition, the Trustees’ Report and the Financial Summaries which form part of our Annual Report give transparency to the public accountability obligations that the Trustees feel they owe to the community at large.
We are delighted to have been able to support so many worthwhile projects and feel certain that Helen would have been pleased to see her magnificent “lasting” legacy continue to make a difference to the lives of so many Victorians.
I hope you enjoy reading the selected stories of certain grantees in our 2009 Report, but more importantly, we thank all our grant applicants for their dedicated work towards positive change for the needy of our society. Please click on this link to download a copy.