A Shared Vision Grants Report 2010–11
Introduction Governors and Staff
LIFE GOVERNOR
GOVERNORS
Lady Potter AC
Mr Charles Goode AC (Chairman)
Prof. Geoffrey Blainey AC
Mr Leon Davis AO
The Hon. Sir Daryl Dawson AC KBE CB
The Hon. Sir James Gobbo AC CVO QC
Mr John Gough AO OBE
Prof. Thomas Healy AO
Dr Thomas Hurley AO OBE
Mr Allan Myers AO QC
Mr Frank Nelson
Dr P John Rose AO
Prof. Graeme Ryan AC
STAFF
Chief Executive Officer Janet Hirst
Communications Avalee Weir
Finance Therese Reidy
Administration Gail Lewry Miranda Hartcher-O’Brien Sue Wilkinson
Program Management Caitriona Fay Alberto Furlan Claire Rimmer Nicole McLeod 2 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer Sarah MacNeill
Introduction Contents
Pho to: M ark S trizic (19 68)
Governors and Staff Funding Principles Chairman’s Report Chief Executive Officer’s Report Facts and Figures 2010–11
2 4 5 6 7
The Ian Potter Foundation, established by Sir Ian Potter in 1964, is one of Australia’s leading philanthropic foundations. Its Governors and staff endeavour to uphold Sir Ian’s legacy by supporting Australia’s community leaders and innovators in bringing positive change to our society. The Foundation donates nationally, supporting a wide range of projects across many sectors of the community.
Arts Community Wellbeing The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift Education Environment & Conservation
8 16 26 30 36
Healthy Communities Medical Research Science Travel Conference
42 48 52 56 62
Grants Report 2010–11 | 3
Introduction Funding Principles
Funding Principles The Ian Potter Foundation operates nine program areas: the Arts, Community Wellbeing, Education, Environment & Conservation, Healthy Communities, Medical Research, Science, Travel, and Conference. Grant-making across all program areas is underpinned by the following six principles.
A commitment to excellence
An “Innovate, Evaluate, Disseminate� strategy
We support organisations, programs and individuals who are outstanding in their field in a national and international context.
We seek to fund programs and projects that take a new approach to problems. We then support their evaluation and, where appropriate, their replication in other locations or contexts.
Partnerships
A focus on prevention
We encourage collaborations and partnerships that will benefit from sharing knowledge and resources to meet a mutual goal.
In seeking to maximise the value of our grants, we try to address the causes of problems rather than treat the symptoms. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach.
Long-term thinking
Potential for leverage
We try to fund programs that will continue to have an impact well beyond the period of our support. In making grants, attention is given to the sustainability of the project after the term covered by the grant.
Our grants have greater impact when combined with support from other sources. These might include other trusts and foundations, government, business or volunteers. We are happy to be one of a number of supporters of a program.
4 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Introduction Chairman’s Report
Chairman’s Report Each year The Ian Potter Foundation’s Annual Grants Report provides an opportunity to reflect on the Foundation’s contribution, take stock of what we have achieved over the last 12 months, and identify the areas that challenge us. Ensuring that the grants we make provide the greatest possible benefit to the community is not as simple as it may sound. The role of the Governors and staff of the Foundation is to uphold Sir Ian’s legacy and hold true to the principles he established, which remain as relevant today as they were in the beginning. In the 47 years since the Foundation was established the world has changed at a pace and on a scale that few could have imagined. And while the Foundation’s principles have not changed, the environment in which we operate and the scale and complexity of the issues faced by society clearly have. Our ongoing challenge is to identify where we can have the most beneficial impact by supporting people and ideas with the best chance of making a difference.
In the 47 years since the Foundation was established the world has changed at a pace and on a scale that few could have imagined.
Our key principles of excellence, innovation, prevention and sustainability remain central to how we meet that challenge. Leverage from our grant giving is also key. Often we try to fund in ways that provide a catalyst or incentive for other funding from government, corporations or private donors and this creates momentum for change on a much larger scale than we could achieve alone. Several of the grants featured in this year’s Grants Report illustrate this, including the $1.5 million for the Menzies School of Health Research to begin a highly innovative Centre for Child Development and Education.
The theme of this year’s report is “A Shared Vision”, and as we reach the milestone of the Foundation’s 10,000th grant, we reflect on the intent of the many people and organisations we support so as to bring about positive change and make a meaningful contribution to our community. The Ian Potter Foundation shares a vision similar to that of many of Australia’s other philanthropic foundations and trusts. We are proud to work collaboratively with them at a sector level, to promote philanthropy and build sector capacity; and at a grant-making level, to share learnings and increase the impact of our funding. As members of Philanthropy Australia and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, we actively participate in a range of committees and development programs. Janet Hirst, our chief executive officer, is a member of the Victorian Philanthropy and Government Working Group and sits as a member on several advisory boards, as do other members of our staff. This involvement is an important aspect of the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of Australia’s philanthropic sector. Philanthropy in Australia contributes more than $1 billion each year to the community and is playing an increasingly vital role in both the Australian economy and the health of many community sectors. It is important that the philanthropic sector grows and develops, and we are proud to play our part in this shared effort.
Charles Goode AC
Grants Paid 2010–11 NUMBER:
VALUE:
222
$9.9 million Grants Report 2010–11 | 5
Introduction Chief Executive Officer’s Report
Chief Executive Officer’s Report Grants
Technology
During this financial year, our Board of Governors approved grants totalling $12.4 million, bringing to $160 million the value of grants paid by The Ian Potter Foundation since its establishment in 1964.
The Foundation’s communications objectives include provision of accessible and relevant information, promoting understanding of the Foundation’s objectives and principles, and increasing two-way communication with applicants and grantees. A 2010 applicant survey confirmed that our website is the primary source of information for potential applicants and for those interested in learning about grantee projects and philanthropy.
In this year’s report we look at how our grants represent a “shared vision” – and how philanthropy can collaborate with groups in the community towards a mutually desired outcome. One example is the Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP) project, which addresses the impact of philanthropy in education. The Foundation supports the LLEAP project through a grant to the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER). In Australia philanthropy has a long relationship with education, one that we believe supports innovation, encourages new ideas and expands the educational experience. The project will document and share best practice approaches to improving educational outcomes and will explore opportunities for greater collaboration to build capacity in education and philanthropic sectors.
Good philanthropy involves more than giving grants; it is strengthened by considering new concepts, by developing and maintaining relationships with grantees and by a commitment to sharing and disseminating knowledge.
6 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Good philanthropy involves more than giving grants; it is strengthened by considering new concepts, by developing and maintaining relationships with grantees and by a commitment to sharing and disseminating knowledge. The success of the LLEAP project has been enhanced by the close working relationship between the ACER team and the Foundation, as well as our involvement in the working group and the Advisory Committee. Our Team This year we restructured our Program Management Team to better meet the needs and objectives of the organisation and enhance internal career development opportunities. Two new roles were created: that of senior program manager and that of program officer. The latter, as an introductory-level role within the Program Management Team, offers the incumbent an opportunity to gain hands-on grant management skills and knowledge while giving vital support to program managers.
To help achieve its aims, the Foundation is embracing technology, including social media. We now have a Facebook page which is providing a forum for sharing and receiving information and ideas, and we are in the process of reviewing and modernising our website to make it more intuitive and interactive and to improve the quality and accessibility of the information it provides. Our grant giving is guided by our funding principles. No matter how diverse our grants, they share a common core of attributes: inspirational leadership, a passion for making a difference in our community and a vision for the future. As ever, I am inspired and excited by the calibre of the projects we have funded and I look forward to seeing each one progress and make its contribution to a vibrant, progressive and healthy nation – a vision many of us share. My thanks as always go to the Board of Governors for their leadership and to our skilled and committed staff for their wonderful contribution to the work of the Foundation.
Janet Hirst
Introduction Facts and Figures
Facts and Figures 2010–11 Grants Approved NUMBER:
VALUE:
212
$12,403,889
Number of Grants
Note: The figures quoted in the program area reviews and grants lists represent grants approved during the last financial year. This means that the Board of Governors approved these applications for funding within the reporting period. Payment of these approved grants will be made according to the individual funding agreement made with each grantee; some grants may be paid over several years.
Value of Grants 42
$1,980,938 $2,510,605
62 4
$566,280 11
$2,133,713
8
$2,547,000 17
$479,500
2
$875,000 8
$1,039,850 38
$69,392
20
$201,611
Percentage of Total Grants (by value)
Fundraising Report In September 2010, The Ian Potter Foundation held a fundraising event at a performance by The Australian Ballet of The Nutcracker. The company’s artistic director, David McAllister AM, gave guests a private introduction to the performance. Our special guest, Darcey Bussell CBE, former principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, then spoke about the importance of partnerships in dance. The Foundation holds Deductible Gift Recipient status and is tax exempt under the income tax legislation that applies to public funds. For a charitable fund to be classed as a public fund, it must invite the public to make donations and must actually receive such donations. It is of course essential that the Foundation maintain its tax exemption status so that we can maximise our contribution to the community.
16% Arts
4% Healthy Communities
20% Community Wellbeing
7% Medical Research
5% Alec Prentice Sewell Gift
8% Science
17% Education
1% Travel
21% Environment & Conservation
2% Conference
This year donors were invited to specify whether their donation should be directed to the Foundation’s general charitable purposes or to support a regional arts program. The event raised $2,890, of which $900 was directed to regional arts as part of a $10,000 grant made to Bunbury Regional Arts Management Board for their South West Arts Incubator project. The Chairman and Board of Governors of The Ian Potter Foundation thank our donors for their generous support of the Foundation’s work.
Grants Report 2010–11 | 7
Photo: Malthouse Theatre
Arts
Number of grants:
Value:
42
$2m
8 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Arts In Review
The arts sector can be likened to a tree: each part is vital to the whole. Individual artists, as the roots, feed a strong and flexible trunk made up of small to medium arts organisations, and in turn the trunk supports and nurtures a large and lush canopy of major national institutions and professional companies and organisations. And in the arts, as with a tree, the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts. The Ian Potter Foundation’s funding model for the arts feeds in to each of these parts, seeking to make a meaningful contribution to the vitality and longevity of the whole and ultimately to the cultural life of our nation. At an individual level most of our investment is made through the separate entity of The Ian Potter Cultural Trust. For the Foundation, having made significant investments in our major institutions in preceding years, the past year has been largely focused on nourishing the strong trunk.
We are excited about the many grassroots programs we funded this year that help cultivate talent and interest and which should deliver rich rewards in the future.
The $8 million commitment to The Australian Ballet, made in the financial year 2009–10, has been extremely effective in helping the Ballet to leverage additional donations from both philanthropic and private sources. The grant was made up of two parts: a $4 million donation and a further matching grant, whereby the Foundation agreed to match each new donation to The Australian Ballet dollar for dollar to a maximum of $4 million within five years. The Ballet has used every opportunity to communicate the challenge to their donors and audiences, using it to great effect. Indeed, overall there has been an upward trend in philanthropic support for the arts, with surveys showing that private and foundation giving is poised to overtake corporate sponsorship as the biggest supporter of the sector. According to the Australian Business Arts Foundation (ABaF), private giving has risen 80 per cent in the last decade, which reflects both heightened interest in philanthropy and a change in the way many arts organisations are structuring their fundraising in response to broader economic trends and influences. In such times, adaptability and responsiveness become vital criteria for success.
Image Malthouse Theatre Education Commission 2011: Terry Yeboah and Natasha Herbert in Happiness
We are excited about the many grassroots programs we funded that help cultivate talent and interest and which should deliver rich rewards in the future. Education continues to be a prominent focus of our Arts program and we made more than 30 education-focused grants targeting students of all ages and levels of arts experience.
Some of these work to nurture the potential of promising young students at primary and secondary levels. Other education programs we funded this year seek to interest and educate children and young people in the arts and to increase their future engagement. One example of this is the “MAKE” Primary Education Program at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (featured overleaf). Complementing these initiatives, we also supported several wonderful enrichment programs that provide professional development opportunities, offering support for individuals and helping to ensure that the sector is fed with skilled and experienced talent coming up through the ranks. Regional arts are a key element of our commitment to supporting the arts nationally. This is also a strand of our funding that regularly delivers novel and creative responses to the need to provide strong, relevant and engaging arts experiences to regional Australia. One great example is Country Arts (WA) and their brilliant “Out There” Youth Arts Leadership Program. This involves the trial of a new mentoring model to help an Indigenous community in a remote area of Western Australia to develop its ability to deliver arts activities without needing ongoing support from external agencies. In terms of impact, capacity building programs of all kinds continue to be a fundamentally important component of our arts funding. Geared towards helping these organisations reach their potential are grants ranging from smaller sums such as $15,000 to Astra Chamber Music Society, to enable them to employ specialists to help them build their profile and audience, through to a multi-year grant of $81,000 to Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum to further develop and evaluate their successful education program. It is our hope that each project contributes to the development of the sector as a whole and – to return to the tree analogy – fosters strong, dynamic growth that helps the sector thrive.
Grants Report 2010–11 | 9
Arts Feature
Thinking Art THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, VIC
Contemporary art. Love it, hate it or find it slightly mystifying, it will always spark a conversation – even among nine year olds.
PROJECT: “MAKE” Primary Education Program GRANT: $75,000 over three years www.accaonline.org.au
Take Indi from Doveton Primary School who, while taking part in the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art’s new “MAKE” Primary Education Program, pondered, “I wonder how the artists got their ideas”; or her classmate, Evan, who commented, “I like it but I have never seen anything like it before.” Before their Grade 4 class visit to the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Indi and Evan, like their classmates – indeed, like most primary school students – had had little first-hand exposure to contemporary art, let alone the opportunity to explore and understand the philosophy and thinking behind it. Given the growing interest in contemporary art in Australia, ACCA identified an enormous opportunity to educate and inspire young audiences and engage them in this thought-provoking art. ACCA’s “MAKE” program provides children and their teachers with a stimulating session to explore and learn about contemporary art. A tour and a “thinking” session are followed by a special art-making workshop, which allows students to develop their understanding of the process and ideas behind art practice and develop their conceptual and practical art-making skills. The ultimate objective of all this is to remove barriers to accessing contemporary art; and, to further support this aim, the program is offered free to schools, including the bus to get there! “Children learn through play and through touch, feel and experience. This program gives them the tools to do this and encourages them to think in new ways and ask questions that they would not have thought to ask otherwise,” says Caitlin Malcolm, ACCA’s public and education program manager. “It is amazing to watch their minds open and thoughts develop over the course of a 90 minute session.”
Image above Sticky business: students from Noble Park Primary School try “razzle dazzle” Image right Art in the round: students discuss the current ACCA exhibition as part of “MAKE” 10 | The Ian Potter Foundation
As we observed a group of Grade 1 students from Melbourne Girls’ Grammar School go through the program, those thoughts and questions came thick and fast following a theory session surrounded by Nathan Coley’s works, which included an entire room painted in bold blue “razzle dazzle”. “Why did Nathan Coley want us to be IN his sculptures?” asked one. From her classmates, the theories were quickly posed: “Because he wanted us to be part of his art”; “Because he wants it to be real”; “Because he thought it would make the art be alive”; and, well, “Because he just likes it!” “Contemporary art is about thinking and ideas, and building deeper understanding,” says Caitlin. “We’re running four or five of these sessions a day at the moment and no two are the same – each response is unique. The children take the ideas home and discuss them, the teachers receive materials to use for classroom follow-up and the thinking flows over into other work they are doing. We often find that the children bring their parents back to the gallery to show them and tell them what they have learnt.” The “MAKE” workshops are designed to complement the Victorian school curriculum, making these a valuable addition to classroom activities. In 2011 ACCA expects to run at least 80 “MAKE” workshops, reaching about 2,000 children, particularly targeting schools in areas that normally have limited access to such resources. It is hoped that the number of participants will grow to 5,000 per year within three years. With those numbers, and judging by the thoughtful and focused responses of the children we observed, it seems likely that contemporary art in Melbourne can look forward to an informed and interested audience in years to come.
Arts Feature
“Children learn through play and through touch, feel and experience. This program gives them the tools to do this and encourages them to think in new ways and ask questions that they would not have thought to ask otherwise.”
Grants Report 2010–11 | 11
Arts Grants Approved 2010–11
ASTRA CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY, VIC Audience + Capacity building = ASTRA into the next decade Engage a marketing specialist to conduct an audit of Astra’s communications media and systems, review existing audience sectors, identify new target sectors and prepare a marketing plan. A publicity specialist will also be engaged to review Astra’s promotions framework and, in conjunction with the marketing recommendations, prepare and trial a publicity plan for Astra concerts, scores and recordings in 2011. $15,000
CASTLEMAINE ART GALLERY AND HISTORICAL MUSEUM, VIC Castlemaine Art Gallery Community Education Program Support over three years to enable Castlemaine Museum and Art Gallery to deliver and enhance its newly developed community education program, enabling it to establish and comprehensively evaluate the program. Program innovations include a specialised program for kindergarten students and grandparents. $81,000
AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW, VIC ABR Fiftieth Anniversary Editorial Internship An intensive six month–long editorial internship for a recent Editing/ Publishing/Journalism graduate. The intern will work full-time at the ABR, working closely with the editor and deputy editor, gaining invaluable first-hand experience in all aspects of magazine production. $20,000
AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, VIC “MAKE” Contemporary Art Workshops for Primary Students Workshops that aim to engage primary school–age children in the theory, language and making of contemporary art, offering them a sensory, aesthetic and intellectual opportunity that brings them into contact with the frontier of art practice and ideas and encourages greater experimentation and adventure within their own creative development. $75,000 over three years
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR INC., VIC Australia-wide Audience Development for the Australian Chamber Choir (ACC) Building on the successful audience development activities that the Choir has carried out in Europe and Victoria, ACC will take their performances to Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and several regional centres in New South Wales and South Australia. The Choir will also work to establish partnerships with local choirs in these areas. $10,000
AUSTRALIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA, NSW
BUNBURY REGIONAL ARTS MANAGEMENT BOARD, WA
AYO National Music Camp Composition Program Training and mentoring for Australian composers aged 18 to 30. During an intense two-week period, participants will write, workshop and have their compositions performed by professional musicians from Australia’s leading orchestras. Participants will be tutored by Australian composer Paul Stanhope.
South West Arts Incubator Establish an artist-run “incubator” space at Bunbury Regional Art Galleries (BRAG) and provide the artists running it with the mentoring, training and resources they will need to manage it successfully into the future. The project comes in direct response to the needs of artists in south-west Western Australia, as discovered in an Ian Potter Foundation–funded Summit run by BRAG in 2010. (Recipient of The Ian Potter Foundation’s 2010 fundraising program.)
$20,000 over two years
ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, SA Greening of the Gallery – Re-visioning the Elder Wing Extending the scope of The Ian Potter Foundation–supported Greening of the Gallery, a project to improve lighting as part of the refurbishment of the galleries in the Elder Wing and the reconfiguration of the collection displays in these galleries. The refurbishment project celebrates the gallery’s 130th birthday. $52,500
BACK TO BACK THEATRE INC., VIC School of Performance and New Knowledge (SPANK) 2011 The artistic-associate six ensemble members of Back to Back Theatre and a series of guest artists will work with six talented young people with intellectual disabilities on the creation of a new theatre work. As the work is developed the group will present four informal showings to their families, friends, peer artists and community members. $10,000
$10,000
CHAMBER MUSIC AUSTRALIA INC., VIC Chamber Music Uncovered Trial three new education programs to expand Chamber Music Australia’s masterclass series into a more widely encompassing program that meets the needs and interests of practising musicians and interested members of the public. The project will take place during the 6th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. $20,000
COUNTRY ARTS (WA) INC., WA Out There Youth Arts Leadership Program Create opportunities for Indigenous young people in Burringurrah, Shire of Upper Gascoyne (Western Australia), to participate in arts projects and trial a three-tier mentoring model to work to develop the community’s ability and capacity to deliver arts activities on an ongoing basis without external support. $60,000 over three years
12 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Arts Grants Approved 2010–11
DECKCHAIR THEATRE INC., WA
JUST US THEATRE ENSEMBLE, QLD
MORE THAN OPERA, VIC
Deckchair Theatre’s Emerging Artist Program An opportunity for two emerging artists – designers, playwrights, directors or dramaturges – to be mentored by professional artists for a year. The artists will also be invited to develop, create and present their own work at Victoria Hall in a “creative development fortnight” with structured support and advice from their mentors.
Emerging Regional Director Development Program Pilot a new professional development model for young and emerging regional theatre directors. The key goals of the program are to develop a higher quality of theatre for regional audiences to engage with and to offer the new model for use by other regional theatre companies.
Meraviglia – The Marvel of Opera Develop, and trial in primary schools, a one-hour opera comedy for children to teach them about opera and introduce them to the Italian language. More Than Opera also proposes to develop an online VELS curriculum-linked resource to help teachers tutor their students before the session and enable learning to continue afterwards.
$40,000 over two years
LA BOITE THEATRE INC., QLD
FREMANTLE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE CENTRE INC., WA
La Boite Scratch Program A year-long program in which five carefully selected emerging artists curate ten “scratch” showings at La Boite Theatre. With support from the Theatre, they will have the opportunity to test audience reactions to a theatrical work in development. It is proposed that Scratch will feed La Boite’s Indie and mainstage seasons.
Youth Literature Day and Young Writers’ Day programs in metropolitan and regional WA (2011–2014), with a dedicated website to be established and trialled (2011–2014) Nurture the talents of young writers through creative writing workshops with Australia’s top authors of books for young adults, and establish a new interactive website where participants can publish their work, discuss workshops and literature, and post book reviews and recommendations. $72,000 over three years
GEELONG PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, VIC GPAC Education – Living and Breathing Theatre Arts A variety of workshops for primary and secondary students from across the Geelong region seeking to build deeper connections with theatre and develop theatre craft skills. The skills developed within the programs can be applied back at school or further utilised within the workforce. The program ultimately aims to promote a lifelong interest in theatre arts.
$19,000
$10,000
$20,000
MELBOURNE YOUTH MUSIC COUNCIL INC., VIC Junior Strings Program Mentoring and sectional rehearsals with 40 Melbourne Youth Junior Strings students during the program’s weekly two-hour full rehearsals. One specialist tutor will be appointed for each section of the ensemble – Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello and Double Bass – and will provide detailed instruction in instrumental technique and on the music that will be selected for students to play as part of the 2011 program. $10,000
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART LIMITED, NSW MCA Online Collection Development of a publicly accessible multi-media online database for MCA’s permanent collection. The project is part of a larger strategy to make the MCA collection available online. It will contribute to establishing the MCA as an international “learning hub” and is a crucial step in MCA’s efforts to widen physical and intellectual access to contemporary art. $50,000
NT WRITERS’ CENTRE INC., NT NT Indigenous Writers’ Professional Development Provide professional and skills development opportunities for Indigenous writers from the Northern Territory, for whom access to industry support and development programs can be difficult. This program aims to help the writers learn how the writing industry across Australia operates. It also presents an opportunity to establish important networks and contacts. $10,000
$25,000
GERTRUDE CONTEMPORARY ART SPACES INC., VIC
$18,000
MALTHOUSE THEATRE, VIC Malthouse Theatre Annual Education Commission – In 2011 this will be Happiness A new curriculum-linked initiative for Year 9 and 10 Theatre and Drama students that enables them to be engaged actively in the conception and creation of a new theatre production. $60,000 over two years
Image Participants in the Malthouse Theatre Education Commission 2011, Happiness
Photo: Malthouse Theatre
The Emerging Writers Program Support the partnering of four mentors with four young emerging visual arts writers from across Australia committed to a career in contemporary art writing and criticism. The program aims to contribute to the growth of a rich and insightful critical culture in relation to contemporary art.
Grants Report 2010–11 | 13
Arts Grants Approved 2010–11
PERTH INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS LIMITED, WA
SOUTH EAST REGIONAL TOURING OPERA COMPANY LTD, VIC
Growing Future Innovators A trial introduction of recommendations made in an extended scoping study that reviewed local, national and international policy and programs relating to arts, education and innovation, this is a three-year pilot with metropolitan and regional schools in Western Australia using the contemporary arts to educate for innovation.
Melbourne Opera Regional Touring and Young Artists’ Employment & Education Program Support for at least 12 regional performances of professional fullscale opera or concerts, incorporating a significant number of performance opportunities for young artists. In most cases, Melbourne Opera offers the only full-scale professional opera performances in these regional areas.
Photo: Bohdan Warchomij
$50,000
$200,000 over two years
SPARE PARTS PUPPET THEATRE INC., WA
OBJECT – AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CRAFT AND DESIGN, NSW
RIVERLAND YOUTH THEATRE INC., SA
Design Emergency A pilot learning program delivered in schools whereby students use design methodology to come up with creative solutions to things that they have identified as challenges in their own lives. The program aims to engage students with creative thinking skills.
Monomyth – Contemporary Theatre Workshops series The project provides disadvantaged and disengaged young people with creative learning opportunities in skills not traditionally available in the Riverland region. It aims to re-engage this group with mainstream education and work environments by creating avenues and opportunities for them – for example, through workshops and mentorships in set design, stage management and directing. The series ends with a performance that will explore heroism in contemporary youth culture.
$40,000
PROPEL YOUTH ARTS WA INC., WA The Amplifier workshop and forum series A program that aims to improve the arts business skills of young and emerging artists and arts workers to help them make their practice or project commercially viable. An expansion of a program that ran successfully in 2009, this Amplifier series offers more events and a regional workshop component to increase the number of young and emerging artists who might benefit.
FirstHand A pilot graduate development program delivered in partnership with Edith Cowan University (ECU) that will involve two ECU graduates per year being given professional training, paid work experience and individual mentoring in the art of puppetry at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. The program will be trialled over three years and will be monitored and assessed by members of ECU’s CREATEC research centre to enable it to develop and evolve under a focused research agenda. $68,510 over three years
$10,000
$14,000
QUEENSLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL, QLD Music Enhancement Program for Indigenous Students in Cape York and the Torres Strait Enhance music education for students in three schools in Yarrabah, Bamaga and Thursday Island through the delivery of a music education initiative in which they will learn about film composition with composer Peter Kaldor and through the provision of teacher resources. The project will culminate in a visit from the Queensland Youth Orchestra during QMF 2011, when students will hear a live performance by, and have the opportunity to engage with, Youth Orchestra members. $18,000 14 | The Ian Potter Foundation
TANGENTYERE COUNCIL, NT Yarrenyty Arltere Artists Deliver workshops in printmaking, textiles, watercolour and soft sculpture in Yarrenyty Arltere Town Camp, teaching residents new skills and allowing them to develop existing skills in producing beautiful art objects that are gaining critical acclaim. $10,000
Image Bird by Dulcie Sharpe, June 2011
Arts Grants Approved 2010–11
SPINAL INJURIES ASSOCIATION INC., QLD
THE NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC LIMITED, NSW
Art Extravaganza Talented artists in Townsville will work with and be inspired by Spinal Injuries Association members (people with a spinal cord injury), creating pieces and performances that will be showcased at a public event, “Art Extravaganza”. Art Extravaganza will feature music, prose, visual arts, theatre, and a youth section in which graffiti and rap artists will be featured. The project was subsequently renamed “ARTscape”.
Outreach Music Education Program Introduce up to 1,600 children in New England and the north-west regions of New South Wales to music through a program of education activities that culminate in a chamber music performance at their school. Currently these children rarely see live music performances and have limited access to music education. Also build generalist teachers’ capacity to teach music and encourage them to include music tuition in their classes on an ongoing basis.
$10,000
SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS, NSW Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 2011 Regional Outreach Program Tour a program of a cappella music to five regional centres in New South Wales and deliver singing workshops, providing access to high-quality choral music for audiences that have little access to this type of activity and an opportunity to develop local singers and singing groups’ skills and ambitions. $10,000
TASDANCE, TAS Active Audiences: Tasdance audience engagement program A holistic program that will equip audiences with the interpretive tools to help them fully connect with and enjoy Tasdance performances and will enable them to become active, engaged audiences for contemporary dance in general. The program aims to demystify contemporary dance in order to attract more people to contemporary dance performances. $10,000
$36,080
THE SONG ROOM INC., VIC Singing in Harmony Creative arts workshops targeting primary schools in socio-economically disadvantaged regions in south-east Melbourne, Geelong and regional Victoria, incorporating insights into opera singing, acting, stagecraft and music. A partnership program with Melbourne Opera. $35,000
THE WHEELER CENTRE, VIC The Wheeler Centre VCE English Program A curriculum-linked program for VCE students involving weekly afterschool sessions at The Wheeler Centre discussing texts on the VCE English curriculum. The program aims to extend students’ appreciation of the works they are studying, engaging them with literature and ideas beyond the classroom. $219,000 over three years
THE HAHNDORF ACADEMY FOUNDATION INC., SA Family Frivolities – workshops and twilight celebration Introduce an educational element to this year’s Family Frivolities event via the presentation of a week of visual art workshops for community members. Community members will participate in the construction of objects and installations that express elements of the community personality and set the scene for the Family Frivolities event. $5,000
WEST AUSTRALIAN YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INC., WA The West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO)/Jim McNeely Composition, Workshop and Performance Project Commission Jim McNeely to compose a piece for WAYJO. McNeely will rehearse and then perform the piece with West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra at five different concerts, including three concerts for school students, and will run a workshop/masterclass for WAYJO’s 60-plus players. $10,000
WESTERN EDGE YOUTH ARTS INC., VIC Identity Tales The creation of a complex, multilayered community theatre work that will engage a large cross-section of the culturally and linguistically diverse and economically disadvantaged Flemington community – mainly people living in Housing Commission flats – through a performance that explores and celebrates the cultural complexity of the community. $30,000
THE IAN POTTER CULTURAL TRUST, VIC Three grants were made to The Ian Potter Cultural Trust which were distributed to 84 emerging artists and the two The Ian Potter Music Commission Fellows. For further detail please refer to the Annual Grants Report of the Cultural Trust. $497,848
Grants Report 2010–11 | 15
Community Wellbeing
Number of grants:
Value:
62
$2.5m
16 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Community Wellbeing In Review
The projects funded through our dynamic Community Wellbeing program area are a barometer – in range and scope – of the key issues at play in the community. Collectively the hundreds of applications we receive in this area help us to gain a sense of the most promising approaches and to understand the ways in which Australia’s leading community organisations are working to address some of the nation’s most complex problems. One key purpose of our funding this year has been to empower organisations to build internal capacity to improve outcomes and increase productivity at an organisational level and a sector level.
The hundreds of applications we receive in this area help us to gain a sense of the most promising approaches and to understand the ways in which Australia’s leading community organisations are working to address some of the nation’s most complex problems.
Image Helen Morse and the Tivoli Lovelies in KAGE’s Sundowner
As the Foundation strives to fund for maximum impact, we have prioritised funding for a range of capacitybuilding and benchmarking programs. A notable example is a major project being managed by MacKillop Family Services, which is undertaking a sectorwide benchmarking study to identify best practice “back of house” support services within the not-for-profit sector. Encompassing 14 partner organisations, including Berry Street and the Brotherhood of St Laurence, this study will assess seven areas of administration and support services identified as holding the highest potential for cost savings and efficiencies at a sector level. The findings will also be published nationally, allowing the wider sector to access the information and be equipped to make better business decisions. At an organisational level, as another example of the effectiveness of timely capacity-building grants, a grant was made to the Victorian Women’s Housing Association, which provides low-cost housing to women and families in crisis. The grant will assist in employing a property manager to manage the association’s increasing portfolio of properties. The role will be self-funding within two years – effectively achieving that most desirable yet elusive outcome: sustainability. We continue to be inspired and excited by the rise of social enterprises and their success in achieving both independence and sustainability while bringing tangible and measurable benefits to participants and the broader community. Although the concept of social enterprise is not new, the sector seems to be reaching a critical mass, attracting more investors and support from a range of sources, both private and government.
Among the social enterprises supported by the Foundation this year, Project Respect is a truly innovative community enterprise that provides specialist support, training and employment for women who have been caught up in the sex industry, including many who have been subjects of sex trafficking. The concept recognises the significant disadvantage and discrimination that these women face in trying to move out of the industry and provides pathways for them to gain experience and skills. The establishment of a food catering service enterprise has given the women opportunities for hands-on training and learning in a range of hospitality and business skills. The service uses a Foundation-funded delivery vehicle to transport the food to businesses around the Melbourne CBD. The enterprise is expected to be sustainable within a few years. This year we have supported several other social enterprises, including The Social Studio, which supports young refugees; and an exciting multi-partner social enterprise being directed by a new organisation, E Qubed. The latter is planning a new Centre for Innovation and Enterprise Excellence in the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows designed, constructed and managed by a cohort of disengaged local youth. The prevention of homelessness continues to be a key focus for grants, with more than 40 per cent of our total Community Wellbeing funding directed towards it this year. We are striving to identify catalytic programs that address the causes of homelessness and put a spoke in the wheel of inter-generational disadvantage that feeds the problem. The relatively new process of Expression of Interest has been fruitful and beneficial as we work with key organisations to find best practice programs and the most productive funding opportunities. One project funded this year is Melbourne Citymission’s Pathways program, a promising initiative that is the subject of our feature story (overleaf). In addition, our Community Wellbeing program area continues to support a raft of other worthwhile grassroots projects, each not only fulfilling a distinct need in the community but also helping the Foundation to meet its own objectives of encouraging community volunteering and helping to alleviate disadvantage.
Grants Report 2010–11 | 17
Community Wellbeing Feature
18 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Community Wellbeing Feature
A Better Path MELBOURNE CITYMISSION, VIC PROJECT: Education Pathways for Young People GRANT: $194,300 over three years www.melbournecitymission.org.au
“Pathways helps to connect the dots for them, gives them options and helps them set and reach achievable goals.”
You certainly sense that something pretty special is going on when you see the faces of the young people taking part in the Pathways program as they work in their new multi-media room, totally engrossed in what they are doing. They barely look up when a group of strangers walks into the room. Pathways is a holistic support program targeting young people aged 16 to 21 years who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. It provides a raft of support programs, including crisis and medium-term accommodation and accredited education programs. What makes this initiative unique is what Steve Maillet describes as a “continuum of support”. The Pathways model keeps going where others may stop, and the participants in the program have ongoing stepping stones, so there is always an answer to the question “Where do I go from here?” “I think it is the ongoing care that makes the difference: the consistency of a friendly face, the trust that’s developed and the links that are maintained even if people move away from the program for some reason.” Vanessa Arcadi-Rendina, the youth social worker who coordinates the program explains “We keep in touch and they can always come back”.
Image Pathways participants try the new technology in the sound studio
Not surprisingly, most of them stay. The program has a new purposebuilt “precinct” in Fitzroy that houses crisis accommodation, medium-term accommodation, offices, meeting rooms and the jewel in its crown: the Multimedia Education Room. This is where we met a small group of Pathways participants, some working at the bank of shiny new Macs set up against the wall and others acting out and filming sequences for their group project, a film. The Creative Industries (multi-media) program, which is accredited within the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), is an exciting, flexible solution for these young people who, for any number of reasons, can’t re-integrate into a mainstream classroom setting at this stage of their lives. Among the group, 19-year-old Toni stands out as a pint-sized ball of energy and enthusiasm. Initially, she started in the Pathways program through a prevocational training program component known as Wheels, which teaches literacy, numeracy and driving skills. As she has progressed, Toni has blossomed and is taking on greater challenges. Asked what it is she likes about the program, she says thoughfully, “It’s just kinda cool.
It’s fun, I can’t wait to get here in the mornings and I am always here early. I like being with the others, there is a great atmosphere, and even the teachers … sometimes we teach each other – it’s like two-way learning.” Toni now aspires to a career in media, probably film, and recently acted as MC at a schools’ film competition, something that was previously unimaginable for her. “All the kids in the program have multiple, complex barriers,” explains Steve Maillet. “They have experienced homelessness, suffered family breakdown and lacked educational pathways, which means their individual potential has never been tapped. “Pathways helps to connect the dots for them, gives them options and helps them set and reach achievable goals. Little successes like completing a coffeemaking course, or bigger ones like getting a learner permit, build confidence and help them work up a CV. From there, doors start to open and they see possibilities for employment or further education. We work at a pace that suits each individual and take ‘soft steps’ towards engagement.” MCM also works with and relies on an array of corporate partners, mentors and supporters to fulfil the many components of the program, as well as partnering with other youth support organisations such as St Kilda Youth Service. The Ian Potter Foundation’s grant has assisted with some equipment costs and the employment of a Pathways facilitator. “It is the collaborations, layers and range of options that lead to success”, says Steve, “so we can always answer the question: ‘What’s next?’” Pathways’ longer-term intervention model is delivering real outcomes and MCM’s team has great hopes for its continued growth and evolution, including expansion into Melbourne’s outer growth corridors. “We can’t do it on our own,” says Steve, “Pathways would not be what it is without the partnerships we have now, and this will continue to be vital as we expand to help more young people to find their individual path.” Grants Report 2010–11 | 19
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
BRISBANE YOUTH SERVICE INC., QLD Square Pegs: Brisbane Youth Service in a Changing City Square Pegs is a collaboration between young people, youth workers and a filmmaker to tell the stories of young people living in Fortitude Valley. The result will be an hour long documentary film plus short films which will be used to raise awareness of homelessness. It will also help Brisbane Youth Service’s young clients to reflect on their struggles and, with the help of youth workers, identify the appropriate strategies to meet their complex needs. $30,000
ADELAIDE DAY CENTRE FOR HOMELESS PERSONS INC., SA Housing Stabilisation Program for Homeless and Those at Risk of Homelessness Support for homeless people moving into accommodation to ease the transition and help to stabilise “at risk” tenancies. Grant money will be used to purchase furniture, household items and food which, along with donated items, will be given to homeless families or individuals moving in to accommodation. Outreach services to families or individuals will be provided to help avoid recurrence of homelessness. $48,000
ADULTS SURVIVING CHILD ABUSE (ASCA), NSW Enhancement of ASCA’s national 1300 telephone service ASCA provides a national 1300 telephone information/support service for adult survivors of child abuse and their supporters. This project will develop a formal ASCA telephone supervision service for healthcare professionals. $21,000
BERRY STREET VICTORIA INC., VIC My Life – Our Community: Stage One Scoping Study of the needs of young people most at risk of homelessness after leaving care A scoping study of the complex needs of young people exiting care. The project seeks to establish answers and actions for early intervention approaches for those young people with the most complex needs to help prevent homelessness when they leave care. $35,000
20 | The Ian Potter Foundation
BERRY STREET VICTORIA INC., VIC Youth Mentoring Accreditation Initiative Support for the first year of a three-year project to develop standards and an accreditation system for youth mentoring services. Resources and support will be provided to organisations in order to attain the standards, gain accreditation and maintain best practice. $35,000
CARDINIA COMBINED CHURCHES CARING INC., VIC Setting up a second “House of Hope” Crisis Accommodation Establishment of a crisis accommodation supported house to combat homelessness. Cardinia’s housing worker will help residents deal with the issues that have led them to homelessness and assist them in securing permanent accommodation. $17,500
CENTRE FOR MULTICULTURAL YOUTH, VIC Next Generation Media Young people from migrant backgrounds will undertake a four-to-five month creative media program that includes media skills training as well as mentoring from professional media producers, leading to producing and presenting their own weekly one-hour radio program at SYN radio. $29,200
CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION SERVICES (SYDNEY) INC., NSW Family Wellbeing Program An intensive family support project aimed at improving the overall wellbeing of disadvantaged families identified as “high need”. The program will combine evidence-based parent education sessions (including “Triple P” and “Tuning in to Kids”) with face-to-face counselling, volunteer mentoring and the provision of support groups. $15,000
CHILDREN’S PROTECTION SOCIETY INC., VIC Stronger Families: A blueprint for family support intervention and evaluation (to be known as Stronger Families) This study aims to identify and trial effective models of intervention for vulnerable families and support them to make lasting changes that will improve developmental outcomes for their children. $50,000
COLLINS STREET BAPTIST BENEVOLENT SOCIETY INC. (AKA URBAN SEED), VIC Mental Health Capacity Building Project Professional development and training for staff and volunteers in mental health first aid to help improve the mental health of the homeless and marginalised people with whom they work. $31,000
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
COMMUNITY MUSIC VICTORIA INC., VIC
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCE CENTRE VICTORIA, VIC
Victoria Makes Music – Initial Phase Helping the establishment of openaccess music-making groups within the wider community and the implementation of a comprehensive Victoria-wide online database of these music-making opportunities, enabling Victorians to locate group music-making activities in their areas.
Supporting children and mothers experiencing family violence Funding will facilitate the research, writing, design and publishing of online and print material to help families understand the effect of family violence on children and to support them with prevention strategies. $8,750
FARESHARE AUSTRALIA INC., VIC One Million Meals FareShare is now collecting from supermarkets, farmers and markets 2,000 kilograms of fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat each day. Last year volunteers cooked 457,000 meals using this food. This grant will support expansion of Fare Share’s kitchen facilities to help them achieve their aim of one million meals each year. $50,000
$17,510
E QUBED INC., VIC CONNECTIONS INC., QLD
FINDING WORKABLE SOLUTIONS INC., SA
Healthy Minds at Work Project: Mental health is everyone’s business Connections will work with local businesses and organisations to offer information sessions to support development of specific workplace strategies to improve the mental health of staff.
“Kids Out Of Learning and Earning” Social Enterprise (KOOLE-SE) Funding is sought to support the planning stage of the Centre for Innovation and Enterprise Excellence in Broadmeadows/Dallas. The centre will provide education and employment opportunities for disengaged youth in metropolitan Melbourne.
$25,000
$50,000
$43,000
CRANBOURNE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT SERVICE INC., VIC
EDMUND RICE CAMPS INC., VIC
FOODBANK QUEENSLAND LTD, QLD
Ending the Stopgap: Establishing an evidence base for generalist case management in Emergency Relief Services The project will report on the effectiveness and need for generalist case management of clients, volunteers and agencies in the emergency relief sector. These services have been funded short-term by the federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FAHCSIA). The applicants will provide credible data about the outcomes and value of these services to advocate for ongoing funding.
Indigenous Kids Cultural Exchange Camp A camp for 25 Indigenous youth aged 8 to 12 years staffed by young volunteers. Indigenous elders will conduct activities that include a Welcome to Country ceremony, “Walk on the Land”, to point out how the natural landscape was used by previous generations, traditional stories and paintings, and sessions in traditional bush tucker cooking.
Development of an Australian version of the US-based Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Education Program This funding will be used to Australianise the CISM education courses. The adaptation will also offer an opportunity to include lessons learnt from the Victorian bushfires and Queensland floods. CISM provides support for emergency relief services personnel.
To assist with freight costs (following the floods in Queensland) Queensland flood victim support. $10,000
$5,190
FAMILY LIFE, VIC
$27,445
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA, VIC
Heathfield Salvage and Save Nursery As part of the Heathfield Salvage and Save social enterprise this grant will support the establishment of a plant nursery that will provide jobs, training and skills development for highly disadvantaged job seekers.
Image Working side by side in Family Life’s Chelsea YouthWorx Program
YouthWorx and PeopleWorx – Replication The establishment of a socialenterprise upmarket opportunity shop in which at-risk young people and adults receive work experience, training in Certificate II in Retail Operations, personal support from trained adult volunteers, supported pathways to employment, and case-management. $50,000
$40,000
Grants Report 2010–11 | 21
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
GATEWAY COMMUNITY HEALTH, VIC
KEVIN HEINZE GARDEN CENTRE INC., VIC
Regional Food Share Project The Regional Food Share Project in north-east Victoria will improve coordination of emergency food relief and food rescue across the region. It will also establish a hub for volunteering and a multi-faceted social enterprise that will underpin the project’s sustainability and provide training and jobs for people experiencing multiple barriers to employment. Funding will help employ a project manager.
Ageing in My Garden: Continued Independence at Home with Volunteer Gardeners The grant will support the development and promotion of a pilot program in which an individual “garden partner” works with an elderly person in their home garden to help obviate the need to move out of home because of the garden’s required maintenance. $30,000
$49,000
GATEWAY SOCIAL SUPPORT OPTIONS INC., VIC Food Delivery Vehicle Funding for the purchase of a refrigerated mini-van to deliver food, including perishables, to more local agencies and help more people in need five days a week.
HOPESTREET – URBAN COMPASSION, NSW
$35,000
GOOD SHEPHERD YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICE, VIC School Support for Newly Arrived Children and their Families The project aims to assist St Joseph’s Primary School in the inner Melbourne suburb of Collingwood to develop strategies for greater inclusion of newly arrived migrant students and a referral network of support agencies. This project follows the results of a Foundationfunded scoping study of the needs of the Sudanese community.
INCLUSION MELBOURNE INC., VIC
Women’s Space The expansion of outreach and case management programs for women working in the sex industry in Kings Cross, Sydney. Night outreach and open house programs will engage women who require help to make lifestyle changes.
Increasing volunteer support for people with a disability To support the implementation of a new electronic volunteer management system that will expand the organisation’s capacity and allow more people with an intellectual disability to engage with their local community.
$50,000 over two years
$35,000
HUNTER REGION NO INTEREST LOANS SCHEME INC., NSW
INSPIRE FOUNDATION, VIC
Hunter Region No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS®): General Loan Pool Funding will support the increment of the NILS® lending pool.
Building ReachOut NEXGn This funding will support the redesign of the ReachOut.com website. The website is a key resource for youth seeking advice and support relating to mental illness.
$10,000
$50,000
$40,000
© Ruth F. Perry 2011
INTERACT AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA) LIMITED, VIC
INTERACT AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA) LIMITED, VIC Shed 22, Nambour Community Men’s Shed The project will establish the first Community Men’s Shed in the Nambour region (Qld). The project will offer opportunities for hobbies, skill development and socialising, as well as providing regular information sessions on men’s health issues. $19,964
Image The IDHP project team: Hazel Westbury, Maureen Buck and Ken Young
Intellectual Disability and Homelessness Project (IDHP) A demonstration project to provide permanent supported accommodation for homeless people with intellectual disabilities. The project also trains accommodation providers in the needs of this demographic and will provide relevant evidence-based advice and best practice approaches to government and others. $240,000 over two years
INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE AUSTRALIA, VIC In the Best Interests of the Child: International children’s rights capacitybuilding project ISS Australia will develop and deliver training on international child rights and protection to domestic organisations that work with refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, people with inter-country relationships and bi-national families. $40,000
22 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
KAGE PHYSICAL THEATRE INC., VIC Sundowner A dance theatre production from KAGE, Sundowner is a collaboration between a group of high-profile artists and people suffering younger-onset dementia and their carers. Funding supported the development and presentation of the production and the process of community involvement in the work. Sundowner aims to put the issue of younger-onset dementia in the national spotlight.
Image Helen Morse and Gerard Van Dyck in KAGE’s Sundowner
$20,000
KYABRA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION INC., QLD
MELBOURNE CITYMISSION INC., VIC
NATIONAL AGEING RESEARCH INSTITUTE, VIC
Kyabra Saver: a matched savings program Funding will provide a matched savings plan to assist and encourage Kyabra clients to save as a means to reach financial goals. To help establish a savings discipline, incentives are built in to save for smaller financial targets multiple times.
Education Pathways for Young People This ambitious project will offer crisis and medium-term accommodation, as well as accredited education programs, to young people at risk of leaving school early. The project draws together several successful Melbourne Citymission programs (for example, Wheels, Life Skills Education, and Employment Services) into one well-structured Pathway program that will offer disengaged youth the support they need to reconnect with education and employment.
Enhancing staff–resident communication in residential care: pilot of staff training material This project aims to improve the care experience for older people by building awareness and enhancing the communication skills of aged-care professionals. An existing draft training package will be piloted and evaluated in 20 residential care facilities.
$10,000
LINK COMMUNITY TRANSPORT INC., VIC Friends with Disabilities Going Places Together A new bus configuration will enable the transportation of two people in wheelchairs at the same time. The new two-wheelchair bus will enable friends or family members with disabilities to enjoy activities together through the volunteerbased Out and About Community Transport Service. $5,500
MACKILLOP FAMILY SERVICES LIMITED, VIC Sector Benchmarking A sector-wide three-year benchmarking study of best practice in “back of house” support services within the not-for-profit sector. The findings from the project will be applied to all project participants and the savings directed back into the provision of community services. $25,000
$194,300 over three years
MEMORY BANK CULTURAL MEDIA INC., NSW Pioneers of the Fringe...Postcode 2179 An oral history documentation and education model that aims to train volunteer residents to engage with their ageing pioneering migrant elders. The program will also develop an accessible digital database for storage of oral documents and for the community to facilitate intra-generational transmission of knowledge. $10,000
MICAH PROJECTS INC., QLD Brisbane Common Ground Project Cost–Benefit Analysis A clinical trial to calculate the costs and benefits of a 146-unit supportive housing development in South Brisbane. The housing project is designed to end chronic homelessness for its residents.
$35,000
PRAHRAN MISSION, VIC Voices Vic This project will support the establishment of 15 new Hearing Voices peer support groups for people who experience auditory hallucinations as part of a psychotic disorder/mental illness. $45,000
PROJECT RESPECT INC., VIC Community enterprise to train and employ women from the sex industry, including trafficked women Through a social-enterprise catering service, Project Respect will set up a pathways program to train, employ and support women who are survivors of the sex industry. Funding will be applied to capital expenses, including a delivery vehicle. $23,700
$50,000 over three years
Grants Report 2010–11 | 23
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
THE SOCIAL STUDIO INC., VIC Microfinance Program for Social Studio staff and students A financial literacy skills program for the students of The Social Studio, the project aims to prevent poverty through the development of long-term savings and financial literacy plans, leading to business development for students and staff who aspire to starting up their own businesses.
QUEENSLAND POLICE–CITIZENS YOUTH WELFARE ASSOCIATION (ASHMORE PCYC), QLD Strategies To Assist Youth (STAY) Providing targeted welfare assistance and support services to disadvantaged young people. A youth worker will provide case management support to local young people and their families. $50,000 over two years
$50,000
QUEENSLAND POLICE – CITIZENS YOUTH WELFARE ASSOCIATION (CASTLE HILL PCYC), QLD Castle Hill/Food for Thought Community Garden Project To establish an educational community garden at the Castle Hill PCYC. The garden will demonstrate to the community of Townsville the healthy lifestyle benefits of sustainable gardens. $25,000
SOUL THEATRE INC., VIC Steve Waters’ The Contingency Plan Funding will support the production and staging of Steve Waters’ theatrical production The Contingency Plan, a show that aims to inform and provoke conversation on the issue of climate change. The program will promote free or low-cost suggestions on how to reduce greenhouse emissions. $10,000
ST JOHN’S COMMUNITY SERVICES LIMITED, NSW Rough Edges Education Program The Rough Edges Community Centre’s Urban Walk, an initiative within its Urban Exposure Program, facilitates interaction between homeless individuals and the wider public, particularly secondary school students. St John’s disadvantaged clients will acquire new skills by learning how to share their stories and facilitate an accompanied tour of the area around Kings Cross. In turn, the students will have first-hand insight into issues of poverty, status, cultural power, mental illness and homelessness. Both will benefit from a meaningful and prejudicefree interaction. $18,907
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY, QLD Queensland flood appeal Support for the victims of the Queensland floods. $20,000
SWAGS FOR HOMELESS LIMITED, VIC
THE TRUSTEES OF THE SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL, NSW
Emergency Relief: Backpack Beds for street-sleeping homeless people The grant will equip 105 street-sleeping homeless individuals in regional New South Wales with a Backpack Bed. Distribution of the Backpack Bed will be via Swags for Homeless partnering with existing homeless and emergency relief charities in regional areas.
Northern Illawarra St Vincent de Paul Society NILS® Funding Program This project will enable the No Interest Loans Scheme to continue via existing structures and procedures.
$10,000
SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: TAFE, VIC Innovative Engagement and Retention Team (INVERT) Coordinated by Swinburne, INVERT is a community partnership between schools, education providers, police andyouth services in the cities of Port Phillip and Stonnington. INVERT’s goal is to create a shared, long-term, wholeof-community response to re-connect disengaged young people aged 10 to 19 years in appropriate education, employment and support opportunities. $33,400
THE KATHERINE WOMEN’S CRISIS CENTRE INC., NT Therapeutic support services for children affected by trauma This program will help traumatised children develop emotional and operational life skills to build up their resilience and capacity to function independently, thus reducing their risk of falling into homelessness. $160,000 over two years
$10,000
THE YOUNG WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (YWCA) OF CANBERRA, ACT Breaking the Cycle This program will provide specialised support to children within homeless families and respond to issues such as trauma, family violence, mental health and substance abuse. The program aims to mitigate the adverse effects of homelessness on children and prevent the inter-generational transfer of homelessness. $173,722 over two years
TULGEEN GROUP, NSW Art Connect This grant will support the expansion of the “Art in the Garage” Project with the fitting of two new art studios – one for ceramics and the other for printmaking. The fit-out will allow the new facility to become fully operational and accessible to a broader section of the community. $40,317
TYPO STATION LTD, VIC Young Women’s Program An early-intervention program for at-risk young women experiencing difficulties at home, at school or in their community. The project consists of a four-week residential and expedition program at Typo Station in rural Victoria, followed by two years of case management support. $50,000
24 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Community Wellbeing Grants Approved 2010–11
UNITINGCARE WODONGA, VIC UnitingCare Wodonga No Interest Loans Scheme (UCWNILS) The funds will be used to provide no-interest loans to people on low income who would otherwise not have access to credit at an affordable rate. $10,000
VICTORIAN WOMEN’S HOUSING ASSOCIATION (VWHA) LIMITED, VIC Maintaining and Strengthening the Organisational Capacity of VWHA This grant will maintain and build VWHA’s core operational infrastructure to increase the affordable housing rental stock for disadvantaged women and their children. $60,000
WELLINGTON COLLINGWOOD INC., VIC
WINDERMERE CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES INC., VIC
Women’s Mentoring Program (Pilot) Funding will help to bring together expert consultants to finalise, evaluate, disseminate and assist with publicising The Wellington Women’s Mentoring Program (WMP). WMP is a unique twoyear crime prevention and rehabilitation support project in which volunteer mentors are trained and supported to assist women who have been charged with a criminal offence throughout the legal process.
KIDS On Track – Connecting marginalised youth in the growth corridor A preventative program for young people who are at risk of disengaging from the community due to their anti-social behaviour. The program will involve youth in personal growth workshops and recreation-based sessions in the community.
$30,000
WINDERMERE CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES INC., VIC
WESLEY MISSION BRISBANE, QLD Art From The Margins (AFTM): Art Van Pilot Project A research project to evaluate the financial benefit of creative arts programs delivered over 18 months by 12 agencies to people experiencing homelessness or social and economic disenfranchisement through chronic or acute mental health issues. This is the first research in the world to include a cost–benefit analysis of the impact of effective intervention in the health and emergency services sector.
$50,000
International Travel Grant: Scoping tour of women and children welfare organisations in Cambodia This study tour to Cambodia will allow the applicant to gain first-hand knowledge of culturally appropriate methods that can be used to improve approaches to working with the Australian Cambodian community. $3,200
$30,000
YOUTH OFF THE STREETS LIMITED, NSW Community Development (Outreach Program) Narrandera The Outreach Program will engage at-risk youth in their local environment, starting with low-key activities and building up to more structured specific activities as trust and acceptance grow. The outreach barbecues and activities create an environment in which family and community participation can develop. $20,000
Image Playing ball games at the Youth Off The Streets outreach program
Grants Report 2010–11 | 25
Number of grants:
4 $560k Total value:
The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift 26 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Photo: John Tsiavis
The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift In Review
Alec Prentice Sewell (1909–2003) bequeathed a large part of his estate to The Ian Potter Foundation and expressed a wish that it be used for the “maintenance, education, welfare and benefit in life of needy children”. The Foundation upholds Alec Sewell’s wish by making grants in his name to benefit children and young people, defining “needy children” as those who are disadvantaged by virtue of their economic, social, physical or geographical circumstances. Grants made through the The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift are intended to create opportunities for children’s personal development and remove barriers for participation in activities that support education and learning, especially programs that encourage interest in the environment and literature.
We are particularly excited about the grant made to Zoos Victoria for the new Growing Wild precinct. At $450,000 this represents the largest grant ever made through The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift. Growing Wild will be a tactile, hands-on education precinct at Melbourne Zoo to foster children’s early connections with nature and animals.
This means that the programs supported through the gift are quite diverse and – as evidenced by this year’s grants – work across a range of different sectors and interest areas, reaching children of various ages and situations and helping to overcome hurdles such as access to arts, access to technology tools, and reading skills development.
Image Close encounters with wild creatures in Melbourne Zoo’s new Growing Wild precinct Grants Report 2010–11 | 27
The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift Feature
ZOOS VICTORIA, VIC
Close Encounters for Children
PROJECT: Growing Wild GRANT: $450,000 over three years www.zoo.org.au
A space in which children can come face to face and toe to paw with animals.
The Melbourne Zoo is already one of the largest “learning sites” outside of the classroom for Victorian students. Evidence shows that early childhood experiences play a crucial role in igniting and fuelling a life-long connection with wildlife and wild places. The new Growing Wild precinct, devoted solely to nurturing a love of nature in children aged three to eight years and their families, will provide a space in which children can come face to face and toe to paw with animals in three zones: Ground, Trees and Water. Stage One of the program aims to provide spaces within the Melbourne Zoo that allow children and young people to engage more closely with animal species – including meerkats – and learn about the importance of habitat protection and reasons for particular animal behaviours. This first stage will concentrate on ground-dwelling animals, with stages two and three dedicated to tree and waterdwelling animals respectively. This precinct will fulfil a need in the zoo to provide a dedicated learning and children’s space that allows zoo educators and classroom teachers to work with their students and provide access to resources, animals and staff.
P h o to: J ohn T siavis
Image A close encounter in Melbourne Zoo’s new Growing Wild precinct
28 | The Ian Potter Foundation ation
The site will also be geared towards families, allowing parents and carers to share the education experience with the children or allow the children to engage in educational play while the adults relax. The education programs for the site have been developed in partnership with expert early childhood environmental educators and the Victorian Department for Education and Early Childhood Development (taking into account the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and Early Years Learning and Development Framework). The Growing Wild Ground zone is expected to open to the public in late 2012.
The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift Grants Approved 2010–11
ART GALLERY OF BALLARAT, VIC Artlink – Schools Access Program Artlink will develop the gallery’s education program, with input from four young regional artists, and provide access to the program for 8,000 students from 50 economically disadvantaged schools within a 40 kilometre radius of Ballarat. The project’s key goal is to develop pathways for more students, schools and families to engage with the Art Gallery of Ballarat. $20,000
EXODUS FOUNDATION, NSW
ZOOS VICTORIA, VIC
Indigenous Online Literacy and Peer-to-Peer Support Program A technology-based program that seeks to assist Indigenous school children who have failed to learn to read by the usual methods in the first few years of school.
Growing Wild The Growing Wild educational precinct aims to foster early connections between children and wild places. Solely devoted to nurturing a love of nature in children aged three to eight and their families, Growing Wild will provide a space in which children can come face to face, and have a tactile experience, with animals in three zones: Ground, Trees and Water.
$49,000
$450,000 over three years
THE FLINDERS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, SA From Learning to Read to Choosing to Read: engaging disadvantaged children and their parents in using libraries for choosing and reading “just right” books. This pilot project aims to close the literacy gap for Years 3–4 students in two disadvantaged schools, equipping students with the reading skills to help them reach their potential, close the achievement gap and prevent schooling problems that can arise in the later years because of poor reading skills and habits and a lack of engagement with texts. $47,280
Grants Report 2010–11 | 29
Education
Number of grants:
Total value:
11
$2.1m
30 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Education In Review
Education is a challenging sector to fund effectively and for maximum impact. The Ian Potter Foundation continues to grapple with the issue of how best to find and support success in this area. It’s a challenge we share with many other philanthropic funders, who are also actively working to find the best ways to improve educational outcomes in our communities.
Community support and engagement are crucial to successful education outcomes.
In recognition of the challenges funders face in identifying and supporting good education programs, the Foundation has teamed up with the Australian Council for Education Research’s Tender Bridge service to undertake a major study that will help fill this knowledge gap. The program, entitled “Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP)”, seeks to examine the impact of philanthropy in education both from a funders’ viewpoint and from the perspective of schools. The three-year project will explore whether the full potential of funding and partnerships available to Australian schools is being achieved. The first year of the LLEAP study is already well progressed and the philanthropic and education sectors have shown great enthusiasm and support for the work. First results will be published by the end of 2011. Research-based funding was also the focus of our largest Education grant this year, made to Menzies Centre for Health Research in Darwin to help them establish a Centre for Child Development and Education (CCDE). The CCDE aims to provide a much-needed evidence base for effective early-years education that can be used to inform government policy and agency programs and work to reduce the enormous gap in education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. An interview with Professor Sven Silburn, director of CCDE, is the focus of our Education feature story (overleaf). At the heart of the Menzies program is the knowledge that community support and engagement are crucial to successful education outcomes, and this premise certainly seems to apply to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike.
For a few years now, the Foundation has been examining the feasibility and success of holistic education programs that put schools and education at the heart of the community and embrace a whole-of-life approach to improving outcomes for individuals, families and communities. The need to garner community and family engagement to deliver sustainable improvements in education outcomes is both the challenge and the opportunity in disadvantaged communities, where inter-generational cycles of disengagement make such approaches so important yet much harder to implement. Last year the Foundation funded the Benalla Education Program, which set out on an ambitious path to address the community’s education tailspin and reverse the trends of declining social engagement and wellbeing. Little more than a year down the track, the Benalla Education Program team has made significant inroads and here at the Foundation we continue to learn from their experiences and marvel at the power of a community responding to its own needs. It is not just the larger grants that have been directed in this way. One smaller grant this year funded Ardoch Youth Foundation to develop a pilot primary schools program that aims to identify ways to support transitions into school for disadvantaged families and their children and to provide them with access to community programs. While we wait with anticipation for the outcomes of the LLEAP study, we are excited and optimistic about the ambitious community-based education programs we are currently funding and the opportunities presented when families and communities work together with government and agencies, and put the interests of the child at the heart of what they do.
Image Mrs Janet Hirst, Professor Geoffrey Blainey AC and Dr Michelle Anderson at the launch of the LLEAP project Grants Report 2010–11 | 31
Education Feature
MENZIES SCHOOL OF HEALTH RESEARCH, NT PROJECT: Centre for Child Development and Education GRANT: $1.5 million over three years
Towards a New Status Quo for Indigenous Education “Despite a few notable exceptions, there is a humanitarian crisis progressively unfolding in remote Northern Territory Indigenous communities,” says Professor Sven Silburn of the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.
www.menzies.edu.au “On almost every indicator the situation for Indigenous Australians is worsening, and a business-as-usual approach will not change this. Indigenous health, family services and education are in crisis due to the lack of rigorous, up-to-date evidence needed to inform policy and practice.”
On almost every indicator the situation for Indigenous Australians is worsening, and a business-as-usual approach will not change this.
An Indigenous child in the Northern Territory is more likely than any other Australian child to be born to young parents, have low birth weight, live in a socio-economically disadvantaged household, have involvement with the child protection system and live in a remote community where housing and nutrition needs may not be met. He or she is likely to start school already disadvantaged and not ready to learn, and this is likely to result in low levels of educational achievement flowing onto lack of employment prospects and the associated problems. It is a bleak picture and one that is compounded by the unique challenges of working in remote areas and a range of other complex population-specific issues. In a bid to change the status quo, the Menzies School of Health Research has launched an ambitious initiative to open a Centre for Child Development and Education (CCDE) with the aim of identifying proven, effective ways to improve the life chances of Indigenous children. Education and health are, in many ways, two sides of the same coin, both intrinsically linked to individual and community wellbeing. Menzies’ plan is to bring the power of high-quality research and applied science to support policy and services in a sector that has traditionally relied on qualitative information. “We need major reform and policy change,” says Sven Silburn. “To do this we need to provide standards of evidence that prove that something is making a difference to the education and wellbeing outcomes of Indigenous children.”
Image A range of education programs will be assessed and evaluated for impact 32 | The Ian Potter Foundation
The approach of the CCDE is based on the proven knowledge that investment in the early years of life – including the months before birth – is the most effective way to reduce intergenerational disadvantage and improve a child’s life prospects. The Centre’s focus is firmly on the early stages of a child’s life and the value of investment to improve the window of opportunity available in the early years – the period of maximum brain and skill development in a child’s life. “The Aboriginal leaders we are working with are very interested in the information we have been sharing with them about human development and the vital importance of a child’s early years. We are getting strong support from them as they re-orient themselves around what they can do to address the issue,” explains Professor Silburn. “It’s about putting the child at the heart of the family and strengthening community action for children as a catalyst for better outcomes for everyone.” According to Sven, phenomena such as the Stolen Generation and the breakdown in Indigenous families and communities over decades have diluted traditional knowledge and community understanding of the critical importance of the early years. The programs being examined by CCDE are specifically designed to rebuild this knowledge at a grass-roots level in communities and to co-develop practical and culturally relevant ways of addressing the specific local challenges. Sven is upbeat and positive as he fires off story after story about the strides the Centre’s initial programs are making and the impact they appear to be having in the first communities to come on board with some of the new Indigenous education approaches. He speaks of hours of community consultations that take the form of storytelling and open discussion as the Menzies team works with parents and community elders in the knowledge that, without this buy-in, the programs have little chance of success.
Education Feature
The programs that are being implemented and evaluated start at pre-natal education and run through to a range of school-readiness programs, parenting skills workshops, school engagement and learning programs before culminating with preparation for parenthood programs and sexual health programs. Their impact is also being measured against population level indicators including birth weight, the Australian Education Development Indicators (AEDI), NAPLAN test outcomes and Years 10–12 work and further education outcomes. The scope and scale of this research require a coordinated approach and the involvement of multiple partners and collaborations. “The CCDE has a heavy-weight Board, including Professor Tom Healy from The Ian Potter Foundation, and representatives from the Indigenous community.” explains Sven. “The centre also has the full support of the Northern Territory Government. We work in collaboration with Charles Darwin University and research partners such as the Centre for Community Child Health in Melbourne. Our aim is to bring together all the necessary elements – including the service providers working at the grass roots and of course the communities – and build evidence-based practices for improving children’s life trajectories in health, education, employment, wellbeing and participation.”
Image The ultimate aim is to close the gap in education outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous children
Grants Report 2010–11 | 33
Education Grants Approved 2010–11
ARDOCH YOUTH FOUNDATION LIMITED, VIC Stonnington Primary School Project The Stonnington Primary School Project will help identify needs and support development of strategies to form the basis for Ardoch Youth Foundation to deliver programs that address student needs, incorporating the transition from preschool to primary school. These support programs ensure that children in early childhood centres and the school can fully participate in activities and increase their short-term and long-term learning opportunities. $50,000
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH LIMITED, VIC Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP) Enabling the first year of a three-year research program that will examine the relationship between philanthropy and education in Australia with the aim of improving knowledge and outcomes for both parties. An Ian Potter Foundation partnership project. $174,734
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, QLD Building Productive Communities for Gifted Education in Queensland This project will provide gifted young children with enrichment programs and parents with support workshops on a regular basis. It will offer training to teachers and schools interested in catering for gifted children. $10,000
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY, VIC Handheld Technology in Schools: a learning tool for the next generation The project will allow groups of up to five pre-service teachers to visit a school frequently over a school term. The trainee teachers will work with small groups of disengaged students using software associated with Apple iPad and iPod to improve outcomes in literacy or numeracy. The aim of the project is to allow pre-service teachers to examine innovative uses of technology in a classroom setting. $7,269
MENZIES SCHOOL OF HEALTH RESEARCH, NT Centre for Child Development and Education Funding to establish the Centre for Child Development and Education at the Menzies School of Health Research. The Centre will undertake research needed for policy and practice to address the poor health, education and social circumstances of Indigenous children. $1,500,000 over three years
QUEENSLAND BAPTIST CARE, QLD Glendyne Lifeskills Project Funds to employ a counsellor at Glendyne Education & Training Centre to support disadvantaged students who would benefit from additional life skills support and counselling. $50,000 over two years
SOCIAL VENTURES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VIC Celebrating Women Changemakers: an event to mark International Women’s Day A donation towards an International Women’s Day event lunch and speakers’ forum, celebrating the role of women changemakers in the community. $3,500
STRIDE FOUNDATION LIMITED, VIC Mentoring Through Music, Springvale Mentoring Through Music, Springvale, is an educational engagement project for children at Springvale Rise Primary School. The project matches children from disadvantaged culturally diverse backgrounds with music mentors and aims to increase their connection to their education and school community. $20,000
34 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Education Grants Approved 2010–11
SOCIAL VENTURES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VIC The School for Social Entrepreneurs Funding to increase the intake of participants at the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Melbourne, which provides practical learning programs to enhance the effectiveness of our community’s social entrepreneurs and their social ventures. $300,000 over three years Image Social Entrepreneur of the Year Laura Egan, right, with participants in her NT Enterprise Learning Project
WINGECARRIBEE HEADQUARTERS BUSHFIRE BRIGADE, VIC
WORLDSKILLS AUSTRALIA INC., VIC
Advanced Resuscitation Training Resources Rural Fire Service volunteers and cadets currently receive basic first aid training but there is a need to provide more volunteers with such training at an advanced level. This donation assisted the purchase of an Oxygen Reviva system, which will make it possible to offer advanced first aid training to volunteers.
2011 Team Australia – the Skillaroos A donation to support a team of Australia’s best young tradespeople participating at the 2011 Worldskills competition in London. $10,000
$8,210
Grants Report 2010–11 | 35
Environment & Conservation
Number of grants:
Total value:
8
$2.5m
36 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Environment & Conservation In Review
Funding for meaningful impact in the complex area of environmental sustainability is especially challenging. Against a background of shifting policy and politics, and at a time when we are at a tipping point for decisive change in environmental management, The Ian Potter Foundation seeks to contribute by supporting those key individuals and organisations that are providing vision and leadership through the maze.
When you work to build a healthier environment you are also working to build healthier communities.
Australia boasts some of the world’s leading environmental scientists. As a country we consistently punch above our weight in terms of research. This is evidenced by the impressive membership of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. The Foundation is supporting the Wentworth Group’s efforts to contribute to Australia’s important policy thinking on carbon and environmental accounting. A carbon economy presents opportunities for Australia to improve landscape outcomes for our native biodiversity, but this does require planning, research and the support of governments and private landholders. We believe The Wentworth Group is well placed to lend a significant and credible voice to this important conversation. Certainties are rare in the area of environmental conservation, but we have learned at least one fundamental: nothing is achieved without community support. Since the transformative Potter Farmland Plan began working in the 1980s with landowners and local communities to test and demonstrate ecologically and economically sustainable farming in south-west Victoria, we have seen the power of community-driven change. The learnings from this program continue to inform our grant-making today and will take on new relevance as we move towards a carbon economy. There are very few programs the Foundation supports that do not demonstrate a level of community ownership.
This year, our grant to Greening Australia to support their work with local landowners and communities in Tasmania’s Midlands is a particularly good example of the need for diverse stakeholders to work together. This project seeks to protect critically endangered areas of valuable native grasslands, many of which rely on the support of private landholders. It is another fine example of the restorative power of collective effort towards a shared goal. The full story is featured overleaf. Improving environmental outcomes for communities and across landscapes requires the involvement and commitment of a variety of different stakeholders, and the same is true for environmental grant-making. Less can be achieved when trusts and foundations try to go it alone. In recognition of the need for greater collaboration among funders, the Foundation is proud to support the work of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN). The AEGN is working successfully to grow environmental philanthropy in Australia while also providing networking opportunities, strategic support, and workshops and forums that bring together funders with an interest in the environment. The AEGN also provides the space for funders to gather to hear from local and international environmental leaders, expert researchers and philanthropists. What shines through in our funding in the Environment & Conservation program area is that, regardless of the size of the grant, when you work to build a healthier environment you are also working to build healthier communities.
Image An AEGN field trip takes members to western Victoria to observe outcomes of sustainable farming practices Grants Report 2010–11 | 37
Environment & Conservation Feature
38 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Environment & Conservation Feature
GREENING AUSTRALIA, TAS
Positive Connections
PROJECT: Strategic restoration to conserve, buffer and link remnants in the threatened bioregion of the northern Midlands, Tasmania
With less than 3 per cent of native grasslands remaining in Tasmania’s northern Midlands region, this internationally recognised “biodiversity hotspot” is facing a crisis.
GRANT: $450,000 over three years www.greeningaustralia.org.au
Averting this crisis is a high priority for Greening Australia’s Tasmanian operation, which is working with other stakeholders in the region to implement a new plan to transform degraded landscapes. The program involves “buffering”, linking and connecting existing native vegetation remnants and conserving biodiversity on a landscape scale in order to protect this threatened bioregion. The northern Midlands bioregion is home to a high concentration of rare and endangered species and threatened communities. Inaction could lead to loss of species and whole communities of unique vegetation, as well as habitats for a range of wildlife. Greening Australia (GA), working closely with landowners and other natural resource management agencies, has devised an ambitious plan to strategically restore and conserve the remaining pockets of native grasslands and grassy woodlands. With a shared goal of protecting and promoting a healthy and productive environment, the scheme has real potential to turn the tide. The northern Midlands has been an important region of agricultural production since first settlement and application of European farming practices over 200 years reduced native vegetation to about 35 per cent of its original incidence. Many landowners have realised that loss of native vegetation is having an impact on farm productivity, aesthetics and perceptions of sustainability and are keen to find ways to redress the imbalance in the knowledge that areas of healthy native vegetation can improve overall farm productivity and the long-term resilience of the landscape.
Image above Seven months’ growth: plants thriving in Dungrove regeneration program
The project funded by The Ian Potter Foundation will allow GA to identify the most strategically important grassland and grassy woodland remnants using digital mapping tools. These tools allow GA to develop the optimum pathway for re-establishing native vegetation.
The digital mapping project is being undertaken in collaboration with the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and Environment and Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) and provides GA with a scientific framework for their discussions with landowners about the optimal areas for this restoration work. The Foundation-funded project will allow GA to conduct restoration over 200 hectares, only a fraction of the 300,000 hectare area that is at risk. This is, however, a vital starting point. “This program is catalytic,” says Jonathan Duddles, CEO of Greening Australia in Tasmania. “It will allow us to develop the science, improve practices and develop the mechanisms we need to conduct restoration cheaply on a broad scale, improving GA’s chances for successful engagement with landowners. We are learning all the time. “We need scale to have real impact and we need scale to keep costs down. This introductory phase is crucial in growing momentum and experience so that we can work with more landowners and on larger tracts of land.” The restoration program has additional flow-on effects, including employment opportunities for the local communities. “One of the exciting things here has been the employment of former forestry workers in the re-planting programs,” says Duddles. “They are fantastic workers, and their knowledge and understanding of the forestry industry are directly applicable to restoration, so their involvement has been of real benefit to our program.” At this stage GA has contracted 15 forestry workers, but Jonathan Duddles believes that, in the longer term, there is potential for hundreds of jobs. GA acknowledges that there is a long way to go. While metrics for carbon storage in woodlands have been calculated, scientists are still working on the carbon value for grasslands and on accounting for the value of biodiversity.
Image left Plan in action: Greening Australia worker planting seedlings at Dungrove Grants Report 2010–11 | 39
Environment & Conservation Feature
“There is a lot of work being done on this and as it all comes together it feels like we are on the verge of fundamental and positive change that will further boost the momentum of this program,” says Duddles.
“The beauty of where we are now is that we have finished talking and now we are doing. It’s time for real action on the ground. We will measure, assess and learn as we go, and this will give us the tools to go well beyond the 200 hectares and knowledge we can share with organisations and communities across south-eastern Australia that are facing similar challenges.”
The program has the potential to restore and revitalise this important bioregion while providing resources for research in ecology, carbon sequestration and climate change. At the same time it is building positive links in the community, which adds up to a strong fit with the Foundation’s objective of supporting land management practices that encompass a landscape-scale approach to protecting areas of high conservation value.
Image Planting mounds at Dungrove: part of Greening Australia’s regeneration program in north-west Tasmania
40 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Environment & Conservation Grants Approved 2010–11
VICTORIAN NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION INC., VIC Community Engagement Project – Capacity Building and Social Marketing Trial Funding to undertake a capacity assessment analysis across three regions of Victoria to examine the current capacity of environment groups operating in the catchment and what they need in order to enhance their ability to attract volunteers (particularly young ones) to their organisations and to host and retain them. $20,000
AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTMAKERS NETWORK (AEGN), VIC Leading Supporters Program Supporting the further establishment and development of the AEGN in order to grow environmental philanthropy in Australia. $150,000 over three years
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER’S OFFICE (WA), WA
KIMBERLY FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WA
Law Factsheets Update Funding to update fact sheets available through the EDO website to take account of changes in the law since the last major revision of the fact sheets, and to rewrite and re-format the fact sheets to make them more relevant and accessible.
Chair in Kimberley Rock Art at the Centre for Rock Art Studies, University of Western Australia The project involves the establishment of a Chair in Kimberley Rock Art within the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Rock Art Studies (CRAS), creating a focal point for research and conservation activities into Indigenous rock art in the Kimberley.
$17,000
AUSTRALIAN MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY INC., QLD Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide Online Support towards the development of Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide Online – the first Australian website to offer consumers a tool to choose their seafood wisely. $10,000
CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP, VIC
GREENING AUSTRALIA, TAS Strategic restoration to conserve, buffer and link remnants in the threatened bioregion of the northern Midlands, Tasmania Support to Greening Australia to transform degraded landscapes in the northern midlands of Tasmania by linking existing native forest remnants to improve connectivity and biodiversity on a landscape scale. $450,000 over three years
$1,500,000 over three years
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC., SA Landscape Reconstruction in the Grampians National Park: Phase 1 Supporting efforts to consolidate the reintroduction of the brush-tailed rock wallaby to the Grampians National Park, Victoria, where it plays a vital role as an umbrella species. $300,000 over three years
CSL Organisational Capacity Grant To provide support to CSL to further develop their business model and secure ongoing corporate and philanthropic support from their online and leaders programs. $100,000 over two years
Grants Report 2010–11 | 41
Healthy Communities
Number of grants:
Value:
17
$480k
42 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Healthy Communities In Review
The Foundation’s Healthy Communities program area operates at the community level to help deliver life-enhancing programs in response to clear community-based needs. Better health outcomes, health education and prevention are the key elements. Our challenge is to identify the programs and people in the community who are best placed to deliver innovative but practical programs with the greatest chance of making a real difference.
It takes time and patience to see the outcomes of these projects but once there is a successful concept in place it can often be adapted and replicated by others.
One project we supported this year is Cystic Fibrosis Australia’s Quality of Care program. A campaign and evaluation program, it is designed to ensure that all cystic fibrosis (CF) clinics throughout Australia are following the established quality-of-care guidelines for management of the disease. This will help ensure that all people with CF have equitable access to best practice healthcare and will streamline and support introduction of systems and standards with the potential to improve quality of life and life expectancy for people living with the disease. The evidence gained from this evaluation process will also assist the clinic’s staff or local CF organisations to apply for increased resources where necessary. This is a practical program that should result in better health outcomes for people living with CF throughout Australia. The Ian Potter Foundation has long prioritised prevention, especially in the area of health; and we strive to support ideas that really do have the potential to change outcomes on the ground. Sometimes it takes time and patience to see the outcomes of these projects but once there is a successful concept in place it can often be adapted and replicated by others.
This long-term approach is exemplified by the work being done by the Northern Gulf Resources Management Group in the development of the Karumba Market Garden Project in Queensland’s remote Gulf of Carpentaria. The people in this region tend to have poor nutrition, a situation compounded by lack of access to affordable, good-quality produce, particularly during the wet season. A simple, well-planned project to develop a large organic plot in which to grow fresh fruit and vegetables all year round, it supplies local requirements while providing employment opportunities and revenue streams for local people. The Foundation’s funding will pay for the establishment of a particular type of compost which will enhance the productivity of the garden. In the long run, the availability of quality, fresh produce is expected to help the community reduce the incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Healthy Communities supports a wide and varied range of community-based programs that share a common theme: they are all life-enhancing initiatives designed to bring better health and wellbeing to individuals throughout Australia, but particularly those with disabilities and those at risk of, or suffering from, illness and disease.
Image Participants in Yooralla’s Stroke-a-Chord choir Grants Report 2010–11 | 43
Healthy Communities Feature
TELETHON SPEECH & HEARING CENTRE FOR CHILDREN WA INC., WA
Tuning in to New Opportunities
PROJECT:
Cochlear implants can, quite literally, be life-changing for profoundly deaf children, who otherwise would never have access to the world of sound and speech and the opportunities and experiences it makes possible.
Cochlear Kids GRANT: $45,000 www.tsh.org.au
Opening up these opportunities is the focus of Western Australia’s Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre, which works to support children who suffer from all levels of hearing loss – from mild to profound. It is the children in the profound category who are in greatest need of a cochlear implant to realise their full potential in the hearing world. “Children with profound loss have only one option: a cochlear implant,” explains Lara Shur, manager of audiology services at Telethon Speech & Hearing. “We work with families on a range of early intervention therapy programs to support listening and speech/language development, but some children reach a point where they just can’t progress further. For these children, hearing aids alone are not effective. Unless they can access a cochlear implant their speech and language will be affected for life.”
The child may not have had language before and everything they know is now experienced differently.
A cochlear implant is not, however, a magic wand that works instantly. For the children and their families the time surrounding the decision and the surgery can be very stressful, and the whole process of habilitation to achieve full function of the device can take up to two years. The Ian Potter Foundation is supporting the implementation of a new program at Telethon Speech & Hearing called “Cochlear Kids”, which provides the child and his or her family with vital, intensive support and therapy throughout this period.
Images Hailey is a participant in Telethon Speech & Hearing’s Chatterbox early intervention program – part of the Cochlear Kids initiative 44 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Before surgery the child and family undergo intensive testing and assessments and after surgery there is usually a two- to three-week period before switch-on. Then follows a process of fine-tuning the signal to establish the child’s auditory pathways, which can take up to eight months. This is a time of tremendous adjustment for the child and their family. “It’s not like getting a pair of glasses – put them on and off you go!” says Shur. “The child may not have had language before and everything they know is now experienced differently. The family unit needs support and information to be able to get the best outcomes and the child needs intensive auditory–verbal therapy.” The program’s success will be gauged by each child’s individual progress post-implant and the change in their understanding, language and behaviour. At this stage Telethon Speech & Hearing is expecting to support twelve children and their families each year through the Cochlear Kids program, which will be fine-tuned and working effectively before expanding to take more children in the future. Children who do go through the program ultimately have a world of new prospects available to them, including participation in mainstream schooling, university and employment. “When a child gets an implant during infancy, and then you see them at eight years old participating fully in life, you simply would not know that they had been born with profound hearing loss,” says Shur. “With the right support programs, the impact of the implants on these children and their families is huge!”
Healthy Communities Feature
Grants Report 2010–11 | 45
Healthy Communities Grants Approved 2010–11
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY INC., VIC
CYSTIC FIBROSIS AUSTRALIA, NSW
Website Redesign and Reconstruction To strengthen current services, establish an online community and better serve arthritis sufferers in remote and isolated areas and people who are house-bound due to chronic arthritis conditions.
Upgrading the ACFDR for Compliance with Hospital Electronic Medical Records To upgrade the current Australian Cystic Fibrosis Data Registry (ACFDR) software so that it is compatible with the standard hospital electronic medical records (EMR) system.
$5,000
ASSOCIATION FOR PREVENTION AND HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS AUSTRALIA, VIC Problematic Use of Pharmaceuticals (POP) Program To develop and deliver an innovative professional development program for health professionals to address the increasingly problematic use of prescription pharmaceuticals. $30,000
Quality of Care Review A peer review program to ensure that high-quality healthcare delivery is standardised at all major cystic fibrosis clinics in Australia, resulting in better health for Australians with cystic fibrosis. $50,000 over two years
Speak Out A community-based program that focuses on increasing healthy eating, physical activity and healthy weight in order to prevent Type 2 diabetes by building the capacity of community volunteers to run information sessions.
DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA, VIC Measuring the Ordinary Magic of Resilience: Family Peer Support Evaluation Project To evaluate and better deliver a statewide, whole-of-life peer support network for families of people with Down syndrome.
NORTHERN GULF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GROUP LTD, QLD Karumba Market Garden Project To establish a compost manufacturing plant that produces bio-vital compost to support supply of a reliable, continual and affordable source of fresh, nutritional produce to the residents of the Northern Gulf region.
Image A specialised composting machine will help to get things growing at the Karumba Market Garden 46 | The Ian Potter Foundation
$20,000
INDEPENDENCE AUSTRALIA, VIC DIABETES AUSTRALIA – QUEENSLAND, QLD
$20,000
$50,000
2011 Arts & Disability Performing Arts Project A mentoring program that engages the services of a nationally acclaimed, specialised artist to teach new performing arts skills and foster creative pathways to improve the quality of life of people with disability.
$9,500
$40,000
CYSTIC FIBROSIS AUSTRALIA, NSW
INCITE YOUTH ARTS, NT
Next Generation of Support: Young Carers for Young People A program to promote part-time caring among university students to ensure that young people with a disability have access to youth-centred activities. $20,000
MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA, VIC So I have MND: What happens now? A communication program designed to help people diagnosed with MND to understand the disease and the impact it will have and the services and support available. $15,000
Healthy Communities Grants Approved 2010–11
ROYAL DISTRICT NURSING SERVICE LIMITED, VIC A Nurse-led Program of Positive Dementia Practice A one-year project to develop and refine a consultant community nurse model to help identify dementia in the community and provide appropriate management.
© RDNS 2011
$113,000
POLIO AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, VIC Late Effects of Polio (LEOP) SelfManagement Residential Program A three-day intensive program that provides support to individuals and their carers living with polio. $10,000
TELETHON SPEECH & HEARING CENTRE FOR CHILDREN WA INC, WA Cochlear Kids A project that provides crucial multidisciplinary therapy to cochlear implant recipients aged under three years. $45,000
SPINA BIFIDA & HYDROCEPHALUS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC., SA Memorial Garden for Horticultural Therapy Program To construct a garden at the Association’s headquarters that caters for the functional, cognitive and social needs of people with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus. $10,000
THE FLINDERS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, SA Building the capacity of health care professionals to support young refugee women in Australia This project seeks to build the capacity of nurses and midwives to deliver culturally safe sexual health care services to young refugee women in Australia.
VICTORIAN AIDS COUNCIL, VIC Tuckerbag Meals Project A community-based (home visit) nutritious meal program for groups of clients referred by the Royal District Nursing Service. $10,000
YOORALLA, VIC Stroke-a-Chord Documentary: Inspiring personal stories to raise awareness and educate about stroke and aphasia To film and present a documentary using inspiring stories from the Stroke-a-Chord choir to raise awareness and educate the community about improving the life of stroke survivors. $20,000
$12,000
Grants Report 2010–11 | 47
Medical Research Number of grants:
Value:
2
$875k
48 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Medical Research In Review
The Medical Research program area has been a cornerstone of The Ian Potter Foundation’s grant-making since it was established in 1964. Since that time more than 400 grants totalling $38 million have been distributed to Australia’s leading research institutes, universities and teaching hospitals. The formula for successful Medical Research proposals is quite simple: it involves a combination of high-calibre organisations, researchers and research teams who have the capacity to make a significant impact in their area of work. Ultimately it is about supporting excellence and investing in Australia’s most promising scientists so that we retain talent, continue to improve the standard of research, and encourage the return of researchers who have ventured overseas.
The funding also injects fresh momentum into the project itself and gives the researchers the wherewithal to aim high and be ambitious.
Leverage is another principle playing a key role in the Foundation’s medical research funding; we will fund only those projects in which the applicant organisation itself has a financial stake that adds to the potential to attract additional philanthropic or government funds. Only two medical research grants were made this year – both excellent examples of the fulfilment of our funding criteria. Equipment and facilities are basic building blocks for research, but they also provide a range of flow-on effects, including the capacity to attract good people. A grant of $750,000 to the Burnet Institute to help fit out a specialised lab that will be used for the development of a malaria vaccine has already provided Burnet’s team with leverage that has attracted additional funding interest. The physical space and equipment that the grant will provide are essential to the success of the malaria program but, according to the director of the project, Dr James Beeson, the funding also injects fresh momentum into the project itself and gives the researchers the wherewithal to “aim high and be ambitious” (see full story overleaf).
The other grant we made this year has potential to improve the health outcomes of patients with neurological diseases, including stroke, brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease. The funding assisted Melbourne Health with the purchase of hardware that will allow sodium imaging to be performed using a sophisticated MRI machine. This equipment will be of great benefit to the understanding of metabolic cellular responses in the brain. Sodium is a key indicator of the health of brain tissue so the benefits of this imaging for stroke patients, for example, could be significant. As one of the researchers explained, the imaging process using sodium MRI can quickly and accurately identify brain tissue that is at risk, giving doctors the opportunity to treat it with “rapid reperfusion”, which can actually save the brain tissue. Some of the Foundation’s earliest grants were directed to supporting significant medical research institutions and the talented people within them. The fundamental principles of the approach first taken by Sir Ian Potter and the expert advisors on the Foundation’s original Board are still relevant today and remain at the core of the Foundation’s approach to medical research grants.
Image A post-doctoral research scientist examines malaria parasites under a microscope in the existing Burnet Institute lab Grants Report 2010–11 | 49
Medical Research Feature
BURNET INSTITUTE, VIC
New Hope in Fight to Beat Malaria
PROJECT: Lab fit-out for development of a bloodstage malaria vaccine GRANT: $750,000 www.burnet.edu.au
Malaria remains one of the most virulent and deadly diseases in the world, claiming the lives of around one million people every year. Predominately affecting young children and pregnant women, the disease is caused by a parasite that is spread via the bite of infected mosquitoes. While mass distribution of mosquito nets and large-scale spraying programs have had some effect on the incidence of malaria, these measures tend to be unsustainable in the long term and the mosquitoes have proven extremely resilient. Medical researchers around the world are working towards the development of an effective vaccine that will finally gain the upper hand over this most resistant and devastating parasitic disease. Dr James Beeson is an Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council Research Fellow and head of the Malaria Clinical and Translational Research Group in the Centre for Immunology at the Burnet Institute. He believes that it is only a matter of a little time – and quite a bit of money – before an effective vaccine is developed for trial. “We already have fantastic insights and we are well on our way to something tangible,” he enthuses. “There is a great deal of excitement globally, and renewed optimism that the knowledge we have now is taking us closer and closer to success. I am optimistic that we are only a few years away from pre-clinical trials of a bloodstage* vaccine. The challenge from there will be funding to get it through to phase-one and phase-two clinical trials.” A recent grant from the Foundation towards the fit-out of a specialised lab for development of a malaria vaccine at Melbourne’s Burnet Institute has given Dr Beeson and his team much-needed space and new facilities to undertake research that will bring them closer to realising their goal. “The new facilities give us a real boost – and the opportunity to aim high and be ambitious, backed by the resources to progress research programs more quickly and efficiently,” he explains.“We needed capacity for large-scale analysis involving thousands of samples – this lab will provide that.”
* The point at which the parasite moves from its incubation phase in a person’s liver and into the bloodstream, where it starts to do real damage. 50 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Dr Beeson’s Immunology team is studying natural immunity against malaria: why some people are immune, how they become immune and how that knowledge can aid the development of a vaccine that will induce the same response in others. His team of Australian and international students, post-doctoral researchers and scientists is part of a wider program at Burnet tackling the malaria challenge from a variety of perspectives, including biological, epidemiological and population studies. The Burnet Malaria Program team also collaborates with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, as well as Melbourne, LaTrobe, Monash and Deakin universities and international groups and field researchers, forming what Dr Beeson describes as a “critical mass” of malaria research in Melbourne. “There is a great culture of unity and commitment amongst these teams, and we work closely towards our shared goal,” says Dr Beeson. His team is also collaborating with a team headed by Professor Michael Good at Griffith University in Queensland whose research has made promising progress towards development of a different type of vaccine. Internationally, other researchers have had some success with a vaccine that targets malaria in the liver (initial stage) but the efficacy of this vaccine is below what is needed to reach the goal of malaria elimination. Nevertheless, this development has provided an important step and renewed belief in the scientific community that a vaccine is possible. “It is exciting but we need to go further and either build on that vaccine so it is more effective or investigate totally different approaches that will give us a result that is 90 per cent effective, not 50 per cent,” says Dr Beeson. “We are learning all the time, and more and more pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.”
Medical Research Grants Approved 2010–11
Around the globe 2.5 billion people are at risk of contracting malaria, so the scale and scope of the task are enormous. Dr Beeson and his teams have worked in the field in Africa, Asia and Papua New Guinea and have seen and experienced the human toll of this disease. “It can feel overwhelming,” says Dr Beeson. “I try to focus on making a contribution. Even saving one child is an achievement, so you need to hold on to that perspective. Once an effective vaccine is developed the implications for health outcomes in malaria zones will be manifold.” And as you listen to James Beeson speak and hear the excitement in his voice, you have to believe that development may not be so far away.
“We are learning all the time, and more and more pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.”
Medical Research Grants Approved 2010–11 0 11 BURNET INSTITUTE, VIC
MELBOURNE HEALTH, VIC
Lab fit-out for development of a blood-stage malaria vaccine To fit out and equip newly built laboratories at the Burnet Institute to accommodate major expansion in worldleading research, particularly aimed at the development of novel approaches to malaria vaccine development.
Sodium Imaging for Translational Neuroscience Research The purchase of sodium imaging equipment to improve the health outcomes and quality of life of patients diagnosed with neurological diseases.
Image above A malaria parasite (green) in human blood cells, as seen under a microscope Image left Dr James Beeson in the malaria lab
$125,000
$750,000
Grants Report 2010–11 | 51
Number of grants:
8 Value:
$1m Science
Photo: Ken Ryan 52 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Science In Review
A central focus of The Ian Potter Foundation’s Science program area is to support exceptional scientists with the aim of making a long-term contribution to thinking and knowledge in Australia.
Scientific endeavours supported by this program are extremely wide and varied and provide a fascinating glimpse into the array of academic studies that are building understanding and knowledge of the world around us.
Our grants strategically fund opportunities for promising early-career researchers and the initiatives that will help them get “runs on the board” here in Australia. This is often a critical point in a researcher’s career and pivotal to their chances of going on to the next level, especially if they are to attract Australian Research Council grants. Over the years, the Foundation has had the opportunity to support hundreds of scientists through funding of research programs, fellowships and equipment grants, making a long-term contribution to the nation’s intellectual capital and providing an incentive for early-career researchers to remain in Australia. The scientific endeavours supported by this program are extremely wide and varied and provide a fascinating glimpse into the array of academic studies that are building understanding and knowledge of the world around us. This year’s grants were no exception. On the one hand we assisted a project at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Engineering to develop digital signal processing techniques for use with mobile phones; these will be used to facilitate low-cost foetal monitoring for remote areas. On the other hand we assisted a study being conducted by the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies into the ecological significance of a remarkable light-harvesting protein that enables cells to obtain energy from the sun.
Another priority for our science funding is to support high-quality research that enhances understanding of Australia’s biodiversity and ecological sustainability. Several of our larger science grants this year reflect this. A grant to support the Dolphin Research Institute will help it re-engineer its core program, including the introduction of new data-analysing software and new survey methodologies and the development of volunteer programs, greatly improving the efficacy of the Institute’s work. Another grant will assist further planning work to be conducted by the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia as it works towards the exciting and ambitious development of a Conservation Ark Centre for Wildlife Health. This will be a zoo-based inter-agency partnership through which universities, government agencies and NGOs can work together to create a model for promoting better wildlife health, bringing with it a range of benefits for many environmental science disciplines. Investment in exciting scientific endeavours such as these helps the Foundation to uphold its commitment to supporting innovation, excellence and long-term thinking. In particular, it promotes our aim to find ways in which our funding can provide leverage for further or future funding, which is essential if Australia is to have standing on the international scientific stage.
Image Coloured perspex arrays on the annual sea ice at Cape Evans, Antarctica. Four different colours were used to understand the ecology of the recently discovered light-harvesting bacteria Grants Report 2010–11 | 53
Science Feature
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS & DOMAIN TRUST, NSW
Banking on Biodiversity
PROJECT:
The Ian Potter Foundation provided this grant to support the development of PlantBank, a world-class plant research, education and conservation facility and research hub that will help preserve the biodiversity of Australian plant species through seed banking.
PlantBank GRANT: $750,000 over three years www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/annan
PlantBank Project Manager John Siemon explains the scope, scale and potential of this vitally important investment and its role in safeguarding Australia’s precious flora for the future.
our precious plants. Visitors will also be able to take behind-the-scenes tours, participate in lectures, seminars and training programs, and be inspired to take their own part in plant conservation.
PlantBank is part of a global project aimed at harvesting, storing, preserving and researching seed collections across the globe. What is Australia’s role in this global initiative? Which other Australian institutes are participating?
How many species will the Australian PlantBank store? Are they all indigenous to Australia?
The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, through its NSW Seedbank, is a key partner in the Australian Seedbank Partnership. The Australian Seedbank Partnership brings together expertise from leading Australian botanic gardens, state environmental organisations, academic institutions and non-government organisations to safeguard Australia’s flora.
From the first day the public will be able to step inside PlantBank and see scientists at work testing, researching and seed banking our precious plants.
The partnership contributes to global plant conservation initiatives through a nationally cooperative seed banking effort to collect and store seed in secure seed banks as a long-term insurance against loss of biodiversity. In addition the partners will research ways to improve conservation and restoration outcomes from seed banking, train and build Australian expertise to support the conservation and restoration, and share knowledge about Australian flora and our work. Are there any unique features or challenges within the Australian project? How does it compare with international counterparts? Australia has over 25,000 native plant species, of which 1,700 are threatened plant species and plant communities at the brink of extinction. We all know Australia is vast but to manage the threats over 7,700,000 square kilometres of land is an immense challenge. By way of comparison, the United Kingdom has a mere 2,300 total native plant species. What happens once the doors are open? While the PlantBank building will be completed in late 2012, the challenge has only just begun. PlantBank will extend the opportunity to collect, conserve and research Australian flora. From the first day the public will be able to step inside PlantBank and see scientists at work testing, researching and seed banking
54 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Our current seed storage facility, the NSW Seedbank, holds collections from all over Australia and a few international collections but has a focus on the flora of New South Wales. Currently the collection encompasses more than 10 million seeds, representing 40 per cent of New South Wales’ seed-bearing flora and 36 per cent of our New South Wales’ threatened flora. Collectively the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan has representatives of 26 per cent of the Australian flora, either in our amazing living collection or preserved within the NSW Seedbank. Our current design suggests that our existing seeds would take up a mere 5 per cent of our proposed seed “vaults” in PlantBank, with the design allowing the flexibility for further expansion should we require it in the future. The new facility will bring the Trust’s facilities up to world-class standard, incorporating a new cryogenic storage facility. This cryogenic store allows our seeds to be stored in liquid nitrogen at a chilly –196oC instead of the current 4oC to –20oC range. The liquid nitrogen technique will be used to store those problematic species that aren’t amenable to conventional seed banking techniques. How do you see PlantBank material and knowledge being used in the future? What is the potential? PlantBank is the ultimate insurance policy. Think of the seeds we will store in PlantBank like currency. We all like to save for a rainy day, not knowing when we will need some extra funds. Our seed repository isn’t locked away never to be used; instead it is an active research hub where researchers or restoration practitioners can come to study or rehabilitate species, communities or landscapes that have been damaged or degraded through a variety of threatening processes.
Science Grants Approved 2010–11
DOLPHIN RESEARCH INSTITUTE LTD, VIC Re-engineering of the Dolphin Research Institute’s Core Research Program The project seeks to re-engineer the Institute’s core research program to provide a stronger long-term capacity to respond to the conservation management needs of Victoria’s cetaceans and their ecosystem, which will help achieve greater and more sustained partnerships and outcomes. $100,000 over two years
RMIT UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND HEALTH, VIC Establishment of an Advanced Multimode Absorbance, Fluorescence and Luminescence Plate-reader Facility This instrument will significantly contribute to a project developing nano-vehicles for cancer therapy applications, through which RMIT is working on nano-capsules that can precisely deliver highly toxic anti-cancer drugs to cancer tissues, minimising the side-effects of chemotherapy. $45,000
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS & DOMAIN TRUST, NSW PlantBank: plant research, education and conservation facility To support the development of PlantBank, a world-class plant research, education and conservation facility focused on preserving the biodiversity of Australian plant species through seed banking. $750,000 over three years
TAG FOR LIFE, VIC Bringing Sharks To Life: research and education outreach Facilitating a research program into juvenile white sharks in eastern Australia and delivering the information to the public in informative and interactive displays promoting shark conservation at partnering public institutions. $10,000
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC., SA
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, VIC
Centre of Excellence for Wildlife Health – Stage 2 Funding towards the second phase of development planning of the Conservation Ark Centre for Wildlife Health (CACWH), a zoo-based, interagency partnership through which universities, government agencies and non-government organisations will pool their resources and expertise to provide a comprehensive and integrated wildlife health sector for the benefit of animals and humans.
Mobile phone screening for foetal wellbeing This project is developing a low-cost and non-invasive abdominal phonogram device using a mobile phone to assist the screening of foetal wellbeing for application in remote areas and in developing countries.
$75,000
$30,000
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE, VIC Investigating new and emerging herpes viruses in Australian marsupials This project will investigate new and emerging herpes viruses in populations of Australian marsupials that are particularly vulnerable to disease. $20,000
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, TAS
Image Concept drawings show the airy, contemporary style of the planned PlantBank facility
Light-harvesting bacteria in Antarctic sea ice In 2000, a remarkable new form of metabolism was discovered in marine bacteria: a light-harvesting protein called proteorhodopsin (PR) which enables cells to obtain energy from the sun. This research project will gain a unique insight into the ecological significance of PR using Antarctic sea ice as a model habitat. $9,850 Grants Report 2010–11 | 55
Travel
Number of grants:
38 $69k Value:
56 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Travel In Review
Travel grants are an important way in which The Ian Potter Foundation works to promote excellence and support individuals who are outstanding in their field. Over the years, more than two thousand talented academics and researchers, supported by our grants, have travelled to all corners of the globe to pursue an array of opportunities in every conceivable discipline. The list of beneficiaries features the names of many individuals who have gone on to make very significant contributions to the community and, ultimately, to building Australia’s intellectual capital. The list even includes one of the Foundation’s Governors, Dr Thomas Hurley AO, OBE, who, as a physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1969, received a grant of $500 to attend a meeting of the International Committee on Sarcoidosis in Prague. The Travel program area is highly competitive and offers outstanding early-career researchers the chance to present their work at international conferences and to benefit from the knowledge exchange and professional development opportunities offered by these forums. The Foundation’s small grants help recipients take an important step in their career development and use their specialised knowledge to make important contributions to their field and wider society. The following two examples are an illustration of the rich opportunities available internationally for Australia’s early-career researchers and the great potential that is being fostered by Australia’s leading academic and research institutions.
Case study: Dr Kelvin Wong RMIT University’s Dr Kelvin Wong received a grant of $1,000 to help him attend the 3rd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technology (ICBBT) in Sanya, China, in March 2011. Dr Wong is part of a team at RMIT whose ongoing research has resulted in a cardiac flow analysis platform based on quantitative flow parameters to test stent designs in aneurismal structures. Dr Wong’s travel and attendance at the conference allowed him to promote his research findings to the scientific community and gain feedback for improvement of his work on stent optimisation. His presentation was well received and he served as the session chair during the second day of the conference. Dr Wong was then invited to deliver a formal 60-minute speech as a keynote speaker. Attending this conference gave Dr Wong an opportunity to learn about the work of other biomedical experts and students and provided an excellent platform for discussion, feedback and future collaboration. Since attending the conference several researchers from various universities have requested an invitation to collaborate with RMIT on cardiac flow research.
Image right Dr Kelvin Wong, front row second from right Image left Dr Carolina Tallon from The University of Melbourne at the International Congress on Ceramics, Japan Grants Report 2010–11 | 57
Travel In Review
Case study: Dr Mario Alvarez-Jimenez Orygen Youth Health Research Centre put forward a request for $2,200 for support for Dr Mario Alvarez-Jimenez to attend the International Early Psychosis Association 7th International Conference on Early Psychosis in Amsterdam, 29 November – 1 December 2010. Dr Alvarez-Jimenez’s presentation of two projects at the conference allowed him to network with prestigious researchers and to develop international collaborations in the increasingly important area of psychological interventions in first episode psychosis. Researchers worldwide have since contacted Dr Alvarez-Jimenez asking for more information about his work and to explore potential future collaborations. One of his projects presented at the conference, Horyzons, has since attracted significant competitive funding as well as media interest.
58 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Travel Grants Approved 2010–11
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT, ACT Dr Kaori Ikeda, John Curtin School of Medical Research, to attend the Annual Meeting for the Society of Neuroscience, San Diego, USA, 13–17 November 2010. $1,950
CENTRE FOR EYE RESEARCH AUSTRALIA LIMITED (CERA), VIC
LUDWIG INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH LTD, VIC
Dr Ryo Kawasaki, Retinal Vascular Imaging Centre, to attend the 25th APAO Congress – A Joint Meeting of the Asia–Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2010, Beijing, China, 16–20 September 2010.
Dr Tracy Putoczki, Colon Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, to attend Cytokines 2010: Cytokines in Infectious Diseases, Autoimmune Disorders, and Cancer Conference, Chicago, USA, 3–7 October 2010. $2,500
$1,667
BAKER IDI HEART AND DIABETES INSTITUTE, VIC Dr Darren Henstridge, Cellular and Molecular Metabolism Laboratory, to attend the Keystone Symposia Conference: Type 2 Diabetes, Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Dysfunction, Keystone, Colorado, USA, 12–17 January 2011. $2,243
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF ARTS, LANGUAGES AND CRIMINOLOGY, QLD Dr Debra Porch, Queensland College of Art, to participate as artist-inresidence at the Art and Cultural Laboratory (International Res-artis studio program), Yerevan, Armenia, 17 October – 28 November 2010. $1,200
BURNET INSTITUTE, VIC Dr Anna Hearps, Centre for Virology, to undertake a period of intensive study and training with Professor Alan Landy, Rush University Medical Centre, Chicago, USA, mid-March to mid-June 2011. $2,578
BURNET INSTITUTE, VIC Dr Stephanie Day, Centre for Immunology, to attend the Keystone Symposia Conference: New Frontiers at the Interface of Immunity and Glycobiology, Alberta, Canada, 6–11 March 2011.
JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, QLD Dr Stephen Whalan, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, to attend the VIII World Sponge Conference, Girona, Spain, 20–24 September 2010. $1,576
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, NSW Dr Katherine Barry, Department of Biological Sciences to attend the Entomological Society of America Conference, San Diego, USA, 12–15 December 2010. $1,000
MONASH INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, VIC Dr Niamh Mangan, Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, to attend Cytokines 2010: Cytokines in Infectious Diseases, Autoimmune Disorders, and Cancer Conference, Chicago, USA, 3–7 October. $2,500
MONASH UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF MEDICINE, NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES, VIC Dr Julianne Bayliss, Medicine (Alfred Hospital), to attend the 10th International Symposium on NeuroVirology, Milan, Italy, 12–16 October 2010.
$2,500
$2,700 $
M MONASH UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF MEDICINE, NURSING AND O HEALTH SCIENCES, VIC H JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY: ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR CORAL REEF STUDIES, QLD Dr Natalie Ban to attend the 2nd International Marine Conservation Congress and pre- and postconference workshops, Victoria, Canada, 11–19 May 2011.
D Sanjaya Kuruppu, Department Dr of Biochemistry and Molecular o B Biology, to attend the 23rd Meeting of the International Society of o Hypertension, Vancouver, Canada, H 2 26–30 September 2010. $1,500 $
M MURDOCH CHILDREN’S RESEARCH IINSTITUTE, VIC
$2,500 D Beverley Eldridge to attend the 64th Dr Annual Meeting of American Academy A o of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM), Washington, DC, M U USA, 22–25 September 2010. $1,500 $
Grants Report 2010–11 | 59
Travel Grants Approved 2010–11
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE: FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, SA Dr Rachel Roberts, School of Psychology, to attend the American Cleft PalateCraniofacial Association’s 68th Annual Meeting and Pre-conference Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 4–9 April 2011. $2,504
THE WALTER AND ELIZA HALL INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, VIC Dr Wai-Hong Tham, Infection and Immunity Division, to attend the 2010 (21st) Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting, Massachusetts, USA, 12–16 September 2010.
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE: FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, SA Dr Jennifer Bonham, Geographical & Environmental Studies, to attend the Bicycle Politics Symposium and Workshop, Lancaster, UK, 16–17 September 2010. $990
$1,750
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: CENTRE FOR NEUROSCIENCE, VIC Dr Junhua Xiao to attend the 9th Biennial Meeting of the Asia–Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN), Phuket, Thailand, 18–20 October 2010.
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES, NSW Ms Sarah Jane Rennie to undertake a study exchange with Museums Galleries Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, 25 October – 12 November 2010. $3,000
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AUSTRALIA, NSW Dr Jenny Wong, Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, to attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting: Neuroscience 2010, San Diego, USA, 13–17 November 2010. $1,800
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AUSTRALIA, NSW Dr Leonora Long, Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, to attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting: Neuroscience 2010, San Diego, USA, 13–17 November 2010. $1,086
ORYGEN YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE, VIC Dr Mario Alvarez-Jimenez to attend the International Early Psychosis Association 7th International Conference on Early Psychosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 29 November – 1 December 2010. $2,200
60 | The Ian Potter Foundation
THE FLINDERS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, SA Dr Mayumi Kako, School of Nursing and Midwifery, to attend the International Perspectives in the History of Nursing Conference, Surrey, UK, 14–16 September 2010.
$1,000
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, VIC Dr Carolina Tallon, Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, to attend the 3rd International Congress on Ceramics, Osaka, Japan, 14–18 November 2010.
$2,000
$2,100
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, QLD
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, VIC
Dr Kathryn Fairfull-Smith, School of Chemistry, to attend the 2010 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem), Honolulu, USA, 15–20 December 2010.
Dr John-Paul O’Shea, Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, to attend the 5th Core-to-Core Young Researchers Workshop on Particle Technology, Kyoto, Japan, 23–26 November 2010. $1,707
$1,500
RMIT UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND HEALTH, VIC Dr Kelvin Wong, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, to attend the 3rd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technology (ICBBT), Sanya, China, 25–27 March 2011. $1,000
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, VIC Dr Elizaveta Forbes, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, to attend the Australia–Japan Colloid and Interface Science Symposium, part of the International Conference on Nanoscopic Colloid and Surface Science, Tokyo, Japan, 19–22 September 2010. $1,600
Travel Grants Approved 2010–11
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA: INSTITUTE OF MARINE & ANTARCTIC SCIENCE, TAS
THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, QLD
Dr Catriona Macleod, Tasmanian Aquaculture & Fisheries Institute, to attend the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference 2010, Nantes, France, 20–24 September 2010.
Dr Joshua Edwards, School of Biomedical Sciences, to attend the Biophysical Society 55th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, USA, 5–9 March, and to visit peers in Milwaukee and Chicago, 10–12 March 2011. $1,000
$1,282
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, COMPUTING AND MATHEMATICS, WA Dr Guillaume Watson, School of Mechanical Engineering, to attend IX COPS 2011: 9th International Symposium of the Characterisation of Porous Solids, Dresden, Germany, 5–8 June 2011.
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: VICTORIAN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS AND MUSIC (VCA), VIC
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA: AUSTRALIAN MARITIME COLLEGE, TAS
Dr Katrina McFerran, School of Music, to attend the American Music Therapy Association National Conference, Ohio, USA, 17–21 November 2010.
Dr Jonathan Binns, to attend the 20th Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposium, Annapolis, USA, 20–21 March 2011. $1,895
$2,700
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: FACULTY OF ARTS, NSW Dr Anna Boucher, School of Social and Political Sciences, to attend the 6th European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 25–27 August 2011.
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA: FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE, TAS
$2,300
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY: INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION, VIC Dr Bo Zhu to work as a visiting scientist with Professor Dongyuan Zhao, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, 15–29 October 2010. $750
Dr Quynh Le, Department of Rural Health, to attend the 8th Asia–Pacific Medical Education Conference (AMPEC), Singapore, 26–30 6 30 January 2011. $1,895
$2,500
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: FACULTY OF MEDICINE, NSW Ms Annette Burgess, Central Clinical School, to attend the 8th Asia–Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC), Singapore, 26–30 January 2011. $1,800
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND: FACULTY OF EDUCATION, QLD Dr Margaret Baguley (right) to attend the 2011 International Conference on Narrative, Arts-based, and “Post” Approaches to Social Research (NAPAR), Tempe, Arizona, 20–23 January 2011, and to interview the international artist Judy Chicago, New Mexico, USA, January 2011. $1,119
Grants Report 2010–11 | 61
Conference
Number of grants:
20 Value:
$200k 62 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Conference In Review
The sharing, exchange and dissemination of knowledge are important aspects of The Ian Potter Foundation’s commitment to excellence and its aim to help build capacity within Australia’s not-for-profit sector. Our Conference program area supports a range of community and research organisations to bring keynote speakers of international renown to Australia. The speakers bring their knowledge and expertise – and usually a little extra spark of inspiration – to their peers in Australia, where they present new ideas, approaches and information at symposia and conferences. Conference grants are a great example of the potential for relatively small grants to have a big influence by delivering a ripple effect throughout the community. Often Conference grants will lead to additional speaking or publicity opportunities for the guest speaker as well as the development of collaborations and network connections that may not have happened otherwise.
Case Study: Deaf Australia Deaf Australia received $10,000 to bring Mr Markku Jokinen (President, World Federation of the Deaf, Finland) to give a keynote presentation to the Deaf Australia National Conference, Hobart, May 2011. Inviting the president of the World Federation of the Deaf to make keynote presentations at Deaf Australia’s 2nd National Conference brought an international perspective on how deaf Australians fare by comparison with deaf people in other developed countries. The organisers aimed to encourage conference delegates to work with Deaf Australia to achieve further human rights milestones for deaf people in Australia.
Case Study: La Trobe University’s Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering La Trobe University’s Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering was granted $21,000 towards bringing Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer (CERN, Switzerland), Dr Tim Fuller-Rowell (University of Colorado, USA) and Professor Bruce Allen (Max Planck Institute, Germany) as keynote speakers to the 19th Australian Institute of Physics Congress incorporating the 35th Australian Conference on Optical Fibre Technology, Melbourne, December 2010. This grant funded the attendance of speakers at the 19th Physics Congress. The conference was highly successful, attracting an excellent turnout of more than 800 people. Participant feedback was very positive. Additional publicity opportunities for the speakers helped build awareness of the congress and extend the benefits of the speakers’ participation. Rolf-Dieter Heuer was interviewed on Melbourne radio and on television as well as receiving significant newspaper coverage in the Melbourne Age and the Brisbane Times. Professor Bruce Allen also presented a public lecture held in the main lecture hall of the Melbourne Convention Centre.
Participants reported that Mr Jokinen’s presentations at the conference were inspiring and motivating. Deaf Australia received excellent feedback, including a comment from a young deaf woman that she feels inspired to progress some ideas she has for academic research. Deaf Australia has also been asked by a major service provider to collaborate on an issue of concern as a result of the conference. While in Australia, Mr Jokinen was also the main speaker at a community forum, held meetings with government ministers, attended a reception hosted by the Finnish Consul and met with two major deaf services organisations.
Grants Report 2010–11 | 63
Conference Grants Approved 2010-11
AUSGLASS (THE AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF GLASS ARTISTS) LIMITED, VIC To bring curator Juli Cho Bailer (USA), as keynote speaker, and artists Dana Zamecnikova (Czech Republic), Marian Karel (Czech Republic), Daniel Clayman (USA), Jennifer Elek (USA), Stephen Dee Edwards (USA) and Anjali Srinivasan (India) to the “Peripheral Vision”, 15th Biennale Ausglass Conference, Sydney, 21–23 January 2011, and to pre-conference and post-conference workshops (17–21 January 2011 and 25–29 January 2011 respectively).
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF EDUCATION, NSW To bring Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop (University of Strathclyde, Scotland), Dr Sally Peters (University of Waikato, NZ) and Professor Beth Graue (Wisconsin Centre for Education Research, USA) as keynote speakers to the Starting School: Research, Policy and Practice Conference, Albury, October 2010. $7,500
CYSTIC FIBROSIS AUSTRALIA, NSW
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, VIC To bring Professor Alexander Potts (University of Michigan, USA) as a keynote speaker to the 14th Australasian David Nichol Smith Seminar in Eighteenth Century Studies, Melbourne, 4–8 July 2011. $2,500
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, VIC
To bring six keynote speakers to the 9th Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Conference, Melbourne, 20–23 August 2011.
To bring Dr Chloe Chard (UK) as a keynote speaker to the 14th Australasian David Nichol Smith Seminar in Eighteenth Century Studies, Melbourne, 4–8 July 2011.
$20,000
$2,500
To bring Professor David Foxcroft (Oxford Brookes University, UK), Associate Professor Kate Crawford (University of New South Wales), Professor Patrick McGorry (Orygen Youth Health), Professor Penelope Hawe (University of Calgary, Canada), and Professor Iain McGregor (University of Sydney) as keynote speakers to the 6th International Conference on Drugs and Young People, Melbourne, May 2011.
DEAF AUSTRALIA INC., QLD
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING, VIC
$20,000
To bring Professor Oliver Ramsbotham (UK), Professor Avraham Sela (Israel), and Professor Karim Makdisi (Lebanon) as keynote speakers to The Obama Middle East Peace Initiative: Practical Roadmap or Irrelevant Posturing? workshop, Melbourne, June 2011.
$10,000
AUSTRALIAN DRUG FOUNDATION INC., VIC
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ACT To bring Dr Anne Schodde (US Center for Citizen Diplomacy) and Professor Jan Melissen (Netherlands Institute of International Relations) as keynote speakers to the Symposium on Public and Citizen Diplomacy, Canberra, June 2011.
To bring Mr Markku Jokinen (President, World Federation of the Deaf, Finland) as a keynote speaker to the Deaf Australia National Conference, Hobart, May 2011. $10,000
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, VIC
To bring Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer (CERN, Switzerland), Dr Tim FullerRowell (University of Colorado, USA) and Professor Bruce Allen (Max Planck Institute, Germany) as keynote speakers to the 19th Australian Institute of Physics Congress incorporating the 35th Australian Conference on Optical Fibre Technology, Melbourne, December 2010. $21,000
$12,000
$5,000
CHARGE SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALASIA, WA To bring David Brown (California Deaf– Blind Project, USA), Dr Tim Hartshorne (Central Michigan University, USA), Kasee Stratton (Central Michigan University, USA) and Dr Jeremy Kirk (Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, UK) as keynote speakers to the “B” in CHARGE Conference, Fremantle, October 2010. $7,762
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF EDUCATION, NSW To bring Assistant Professor Anne Kinsella (University of Western Ontario, US) as a keynote speaker to the symposium – The Embodied Profession(al): The Body in Professional Practice, Learning and Education, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 5 December 2010. $9,600
64 | The Ian Potter Foundation
Conference Grants Approved 2010–11
MONASH UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, VIC To bring Professor Otto Glatter (University of Graz, Austria) and Professor Martin Malmsten (University of Uppsala, Sweden) as keynote speakers to the 18th International Symposium on Surfactants in Solution, Melbourne, November 2010. $12,000
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF ARTS, NSW To bring Professor Pierre Briant (Collège de France) and Professor Joachim Friedrich Quack (Ruprecht-KarlsUniversität Heidelberg, Germany) as keynote speakers to Ptolemy I Soter and the Transformation of Egypt 405–282 BC, Sydney, 21–23 September 2011. $7,500
MONASH UNIVERSITY: FACULTY OF ART AND DESIGN, VIC To bring artist Mr Heri Dono (Indonesia), Professor Johanna Drucker (University of California, US), Professor Paul Coldwell (University of the Arts London, UK) and Professor Teal Tiggs (University of the Arts London, UK) as keynote speakers to the International Multi-disciplinary Printmaking Conference, “IMPACT 7: Intersections & Counterpoints”, Melbourne, 27–30 September 2011.
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: FACULTY OF EDUCATION, QLD
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: FACULTY OF ARTS, NSW
To bring Professor Mavis Reimer (University of Winnipeg, Canada) as a keynote speaker to Fear and Safety in Children’s Literature: the 20th Biennial Congress of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature, Brisbane, 4–8 July 2011.
To bring Professor Hans Rupprecht Goette (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut) and Jean-Charles Moretti (University of Lyon, France) as keynote speakers to the Death of Drama or Birth of an Industry?: the Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC Conference, Sydney, July 2011.
$5,000
$8,950
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: FACULTY OF ARTS, VIC
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY: INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION, VIC
To bring Professor Roger Goodman (University of Oxford, UK) as a keynote speaker to the Biennial Conference of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA), Melbourne, 4–7 July 2011. $9,772
$13,527
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, NSW To bring Professor Cameron Carter (University of California Davis, US) as a keynote speaker to the 11th Biennial Australasian Schizophrenia Conference, Sydney, September 2010. $10,000
Printed on Monza Recycled Satin which is Certified Carbon Neutral by The Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI) following the standards set by the global Greenhouse Gas Protocol. It is also FSC certified. Designed by magneticdesign.com.au
To bring Professor Jerry Lin (Arizona State University, US), Professor Toshino Tsuru (Hiroshima University, Japan) and Professor Wanqin Jin (Nanjing University of Technology, China) as keynote speakers to the 3rd International Symposium on Inorganic Membranes, Melbourne, November 2010. $7,000
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