ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 We Give Life-Changing Scholarships CONTENTS Public Education Foundation 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 Contents Public Education Foundation OUR MISSION AND VALUES 02 OUR PURPOSE 03 The Public Education Foundation is a CHAIR’S REPORT 04 charity dedicated to providing life-changing scholarships to young people in public EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT 05 education, their teachers and principals. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2020 06 The Foundation works in collaboration with schools, communities, the private sector and LAPTOP RECIPIENTS 11 the government to help students achieve their full potential at a public school, while OPTUS DYD PROGRAM 12 enhancing the value and reputation of public school education. MINISTER’S AND SECRETARY’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2019 13 ALUMNI PROFILES To find out more about our work please visit 15 our website: OUR TEAM 18 publiceducationfoundation.org.au 2019 – 2020 FINANCIAL REPORT 19 YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 23 The scholarship has been a tremendous BOARD OF DIRECTORS 24 help by removing the financial burden which has allowed me to focus solely on my studies. DONORS AND SUPPORTERS 25 “ IMPACT REPORT 26 Karen Capangpangan – 2018 scholarship recipient AND 02 Public Education Foundation OUR MISSION / OUR VALUES OUR PURPOSE Public Education Foundation 3 PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION OUR PURPOSE OUR MISSION The Public Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing life-changing The mission of the Public Education Foundation is twofold: scholarships to young people in public education and enhancing the value and reputation of public schools across Australia. Identifying and supporting potential, Promoting and advocating a based on need, and individual high quality, widely respected The Foundation achieves this by pursuing the excellence in students and educators public education system following goals: in the public education system; and a) To provide scholarships for students and teachers 1 2 in public schools b) To provide funding for enhanced educational Our student scholarships address factors contributing to disadvantage: opportunities, outside of the normal core provision of public education, for public education students, but especially for students with a Students from low socio-economic Students in rural and remote areas particular education need backgrounds c) To conduct educational programs and provide Students living with a disability educational opportunities supplementary to the Indigenous students core services of public education for the benefit of students with a particular educational need and to fund programs of professional development Our annual scholar Students from refugee backgrounds for teachers survey results showed d) To raise funds for the support of public educational that over 90% of programs additional to the core provision of public “recipients believed that education and to conduct business on its own their scholarship gave OUR VALUES account through such activities as from time to them the resources they time authorised by the Board needed to achieve their e) To undertake research in the field of education academic potential, and The values that underpin the work and publish results that the amount they of the Public Education Foundation, f) To do all such acts, matters and things including received was enough to internally and externally, are: the funding of scholarships, training and the like make a difference to their whether in Australia or elsewhere and to enter schooling. Equity Respect Sustainability Opportunity into and make such agreements as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of any purposes David Hetherington Fairness and equitable for people, internally of our relationships for individuals to fulfil of the Company whether as agent or otherwise. access for all and externally and resources their potential VALUES GOALS 4 Public Education Foundation CHAIR REPORT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT Public Education Foundation 5 CHAIR’S REPORT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT What a difference a year makes. No student, teacher or principal in It is an immense privilege to present the Annual Report Australia – really, the world – could ever have imagined a year like of the Public Education Foundation for 2019-20. 2020. On any score, the hardest year to be in the school system that any of us can recall. Nonetheless, the resilience of public education during establishment of GO-PEF technology scholarships That this has been a year like no other is now a well- their academic potential, and that the amount the challenges of the pandemic shone through. The and expansion into South Australian public schools. worn observation, but makes it no less true. To adapt they received was enough to make a difference Foundation focused its attention on teachers in the We partnered with Australia for UNHCR to offer to the disruption of COVID-19, PEF needed to rapidly to their schooling. public system. Our Building Great Australian Lives refugee scholarships at the Australian Film Radio reconfigure its support to public school students. Despite these results, we know that there is more campaign titled was an important shot in the arm and Television School and with the Harvard Club of Some of these changes brought forward previously demand for our scholarships than we are able to for all our teachers who were in the front line and Australia to support 17 principals at the inaugural planned initiatives; others required new innovations fill so we are always working hard to expand our also adapting to technological delivery of classes HGSE Australian Principals Program, held at Sydney and practices to be designed and implemented scholarship offer. This year, we were delighted and stewardship. University. In addition, the Aurora Foundation in real time. to offer a range of new scholarships, including with partnered with us to offer high achievement prizes at Despite all the challenges expected to philanthropy With the generous support of donors and partners, the Australia for UNHCR Beddie Scholarships, comprehensive, selective and regional high schools. and operating expenses, the Foundation had another we were able to distribute hundreds of laptops and the Jack Brockhoff Victorian Indigenous Scholarships strong year of growth both in terms of our schools The Public Education Foundation leadership team, SIM cards to students lacking technology access in and Royal Bank of Canada Secondary and Tertiary and geographies reached, as well as the number of headed by Executive Director David Hetherington, the wake of school closures. Our staff and volunteers Scholarships. students and teachers we are able to support with deserves a huge amount of praise in steering us spent days driving to students’ homes delivering In closing, I wish to record my deep gratitude to all our life-changing scholarships. through the difficulties of 2020. We cannot imagine phones, printers and desk chairs. those donors, volunteers and partners who underpin how hard it has been for them working remotely In 2020 we distributed $812,339 in scholarship All of this occurred over and above our normal our support for public school students and educators while administering more scholarships than any payments. This represents a growth of 35% over scholarship activity. In 2019-20, we again offered a – without you, hundreds of students would miss out other year in our history. Ali Matheson and Karen 2019. Over and above this cash support, our partner record number of scholarships to students, teachers on basic education essentials. The PEF staff and board Griffiths have managed finance and scholarships with organisations helped us to offer laptops to those and principals in public schools. We distributed leave no stone unturned to ensure that every last great aplomb. Craig Nhobbs transitioned our events in need as part of our scholarship offers. During scholarships to 398 students and 27 educators. drop of available support is delivered to students in seamlessly to an online format. New to the team also the COVID-19 period, this made a demonstrable need – on behalf of our scholars, I thank them. are Miriam Valero, our Philanthropy and Partnerships Our annual scholar survey results showed that difference. We also established a pilot mentoring Manager, and Jannine Miguez Shaw our Mentoring over 90% of recipients believed that their scholarship David Hetherington program and, with the help of the Jack Brockhoff Program Coordinator. gave them the resources they needed to achieve Executive Director Foundation, launched an indigenous scholarship program in Victoria. Final thanks to the NSW Department of Education for its long term support of the Foundation and to our Our work would not be possible without the generosity Board. Chris Ryan, our former Chair, left us from the and goodwill of our partner organisations and start of the year but two new board members, Liliana individuals. It is only with their support that we are Mularczyk and Cheryl Kennedy joined us. able to assist increasing numbers of students facing disadvantage, showcase the talents of our public As we all look to a more stable 2021, we thank school students and provide performance recognition everyone associated with the Foundation for all for students and leaders in public education. the support and encouragement given to public education and the great people involved in it. During the year we deepened our strategic partnership with the GO Foundation, including David Friedlander Chair REPORTS 6 Public Education Foundation SCHOLARSHIP