MAKING an IMPACT GRANTS REPORT 2011–12 Introduction Governors and Staff
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MAKING AN IMPACT GRANTS REPORT 2011–12 IntroDUCTION GOVERNORS ANd StaFF LIFE GOVERNOR GOVERNORS Staff Lady Potter AC Mr Charles B Goode AC (Chairman) Professor Thomas Healy AO Chief Executive Officer Program Management Communications Reception and Personal Janet Hirst Caitriona Fay Avalee Weir Assistant to the Chief Professor Geoffrey Blainey AC Dr Thomas Hurley AO OBE Finance Manager Alberto Furlan Aoife O’Connell-Whelan Executive Officer Mr Leon Davis AO Mr Allan Myers AO QC Lee Anne Harris Claire Rimmer Administration Sarah MacNeill The Hon. Sir Daryl Dawson AC KBE CB Mr Frank Nelson Nicole McLeod Gail Lewry The Hon. Sir James Gobbo AC CVO QC Dr P John Rose AO Sue Wilkinson Mr John Gough AO OBE (retired) Professor Graeme Ryan AC Left to right: Back row, left to right: Lee Anne Harris, Claire Rimmer, Aoife O’Connell-Whelan, Sir James Gobbo, Mr Frank Nelson, Dr Thomas Hurley, Caitriona Fay, Janet Hirst, Gail Lewry, Nicole McLeod, Mr Charles Goode, The Hon. Sir Daryl Dawson, Avalee Weir, Alberto Furlan, Sarah MacNeill, Sue Wilkinson. Dr P John Rose Front row, left to right: Prof. Thomas Healy, Prof. Graham Ryan, Lady Potter, Mr Allan Myers, Prof. Geoffrey Blainey Absent: Mr Leon Davis, Mr John Gough (retired) THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION IntroDUCTION Contents THE IAN Potter FoUNDation, estaBLISHEd by SIR IAN Potter IN 1964, IS NOw 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 to bRING positiVE CHANGE to OUR SOCIETY. THE FoUNDation donates nationallY, SUpporting A wIDE range Of proJects across MANy sectors Of THE commUNITY. Contents Governors and staff Inside front cover The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift 18 Introduction 1 Education 20 Sir Ian Potter Funding principles 2 Environment & Conservation 24 (1902–1994) Chairman’s report 3 Health & Disability 28 CEO’s report 4 Medical Research 32 Facts and figures 5 Science 36 Arts 6 Travel 40 Community Wellbeing 12 Conference 44 GRANTS REPORT 2011–12 | 1 IntroDUCTION FUNDING principles THE IAN Potter FoUNDation operates NINE program areas: THE Arts, COMMUNITy WELLBEING, EDUcation, ENVironment & A commitment AN “INNOVate, CONSERVation, Health & DisaBILITY, to EXCELLENCE EVALUate, Disseminate” MEDical Research, SCIENCE, We support organisations, programs strategy TraVEL, ANd CONFERENCE. and individuals who are outstanding We seek to fund programs and projects in their field at a national and that take a new approach to problems. Grant-MAKING across ALL international level. We then support their evaluation and, where appropriate, their replication in program areas IS uNDERPINNEd other locations or contexts. By THese SIx principles. A fOCUS ON PartnersHIPS PREVENTION We encourage applications from FUNDING In seeking to maximise the value organisations that are working with of our grants, we try to address the others in their field, and indeed in Principles causes of problems rather than treat other fields. the symptoms. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach. Potential LONG-TERM THINKING FOR LEVerage We try to fund programs that will Our grants have greater impact when continue to have an impact well combined with support from other beyond the period of our support. In sources. These might include other making grants, attention is given to trusts and foundations, government, the sustainability of the project after business or volunteers. We are happy the term covered by the grant. to be one of a number of supporters of a program. 2 | THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION IntroDUCTION CHAIRMAN’S report CHAIRMAN’S REPORT CHANGE bRINGS wITh IT both CHALLENGE ANd opportUNITY, In 2011, five out of the eight communities his resignation from the Board of Governors evaluated in a region of the Northern Territory in November 2011 after 18 years of service. ANd THIS past yEAR broUGHT consiDeraBLE CHANGE to THE showed that the prevalence of active trachoma John was an active governor who contributed PHILANTHropic sector ANd THE FoUNDation. in children had dropped below 5 per cent, in a great deal of time and brought forward a sharp contrast to a range of 20 to 80 per cent in range of excellent initiatives, including being New regulations were introduced for public We are proud to be collaborating with other 2009. Across Western Australia there has been closely involved in the initiation and monitoring ancillary funds (PuAFs), of which The Ian Potter funders to support a number of highly innovative a 40 per cent reduction in the incidence of of important projects at the National Gallery Foundation is one, setting minimum standards projects through our Education program. trachoma since the program began. of Victoria, the National Portrait Gallery, the for the governance and conduct of a PuAF and One example is an ambitious project by the Treasures Gallery at the National Library of The Indigenous Eye Health Project is also a very requiring them to distribute at least 4 per cent Australian Research Alliance for Children and Australia, the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, good example of the importance of multi-year of the market value of their net assets (as at Youth (ARACY) that will test and develop an Lizard Island Research Station, The Australian funding and the need for long-term vision for the end of the previous financial year). The Australian model of intensive home visiting to Ballet, and Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne projects of such scope. Foundation will be complying with these support disadvantaged families and nurture and Cranbourne. John was also a valued member regulations beginning with the 2012–13 financial the learning abilities of their children. The Our commitment to supporting significant long- of several committees within the Foundation. year. Internally, the past 12 months saw the Foundation’s grant of $600,000 will support term projects saw us make a grant of $15 million I would like to thank John for his wise counsel retirement of one of the members of our Board, development of guidelines and assist the broad over six years to the Victorian Comprehensive and significant contribution to the Foundation changes among our staff and a number of dissemination of the model to local and state Cancer Centre being built on the triangular block over many years and wish him the very best for amendments to the objectives of grant-making governments for the benefit of families and of land adjacent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. his retirement. program areas. communities across Australia. This is a major project for Australia in cancer During the year Therese Reidy, the Foundation’s treatment and research, and this grant is equal to For all this, the 2011–12 year was a strong and Often it can take years to see the true impact finance manager, left after seven years of the largest we have ever made. We look forward positive one for the Foundation. We distributed of projects that we fund. In 2008, the Foundation dedicated service. We thank her for her to the opening of this important Centre in 2016. $10,850,000 to 207 organisations around committed $1 million over five years to support competent and considerable contribution Australia and the Board approved some very the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Eye The Foundation’s involvement in a number of and we wish her well in her new endeavours. large new grants, particularly in the area Health Project, led by Professor Hugh Taylor AC, other visionary projects is part of the legacy Mr Charles Goode AC of medical research. The Foundation also the Harold Mitchell Chair of Indigenous Eye left by Mr John Gough AO OBE, who tendered committed to some highly significant grants in Health. Following earlier trips by other Foundation Chairman other program areas, and we expect these will governors, in April I had the opportunity to deliver considerable benefits to the community travel with Professor Taylor and one of our Grants paid 2011–12 over the coming years. governors, Professor Graeme Ryan, to Mutitjulu in the Northern Territory to observe the project, One of these grants was for $700,000 to Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision, in action FareShare, a worthy organisation dedicated to and gain greater understanding of the issues the provision of cooked meals for the hungry facing implementation of its recommendations. and homeless. This grant will help pay for a new Although conditions in the Mutitjulu community kitchen and assist FareShare to reach its goal are still difficult, the project itself has made of distributing one million meals a year – an Mr Charles Goode AC significant inroads in the treatment and achievement made possible largely due to the VALUE: prevention of trachoma, and there is little doubt NUMBER: involvement of volunteers. This grant continues that the project protocol is highly effective in the our ongoing commitment to the recycling and areas it has reached. provision of food to those in need, and we 207 applaud the willingness of the organisations $10.8m working in this space to cooperate to reach shared goals. GRANTS REPORT 2011–12 | 3 IntroDUCTION CEO’S Report organisation the Council on Foundations. The focus of the conference was on learning about and debating the critical issues for philanthropy and on understanding the need “ThIS yEAR saw A great to collaborate, work with government, develop DEAL Of CHANGE, both strong relationships with other funding bodies, INSIDE ANd OUtsiDE THE share best practice and acknowledge the FoUNDation, ANd ONE importance of showing bold leadership in Of OUR CHallenges philanthropy. The conference highlighted the IS to maintain need for long-term commitments, the importance of leadership programs, the need to share funding FOCUS ON OUR core models and data and the importance of knowing principles whILE the needs of a community.