News
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.
Following a lengthy selection process, Professor Ian Williamson has been selected from an international field of candidates to hold the inaugural Helen Macpherson Smith Chair of Leadership for Social Impact.
In this role he will head the Asia-Pacific School of Leadership for Social Impact at Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. This is the first position of its kind at the University of Melbourne and one of a few only in the world. Professor Williamson will start in the role in January next year.
The Trust is thrilled at the appointment. Trustee Frances Awcock AM, says, "The nature of Ian Williamson's work and his achievements so far shows he has all the professional and personal characteristics required to break the barriers between the more rigid elements of academia and the less structured form of philanthropy and the community sector."
In April 2008, the Trust made its largest ever grant of $1.5m to the Melbourne Business School to establish this significant position.