The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years: Looking Back, Reaching Forward by The Ian Potter Foundation

1964 The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years Looking Back, Reaching Forward

beyfield Society Able Australia Services Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Aboriginal Employment Strategy Aboriginal Literacy Foundation Aborigines Advancement League accare Access Arts A vanced Education Adelaide College of the Arts and Education Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless Persons Adult Deaf Society of Victoria Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) Advisory Counci ce Association Welfare Patriotic Fund Albany Youth Support Association Albury Base Hospital Albury Regional Arts Gallery Albury Wodonga Community Centre Alcheringa Home Society Al trict Community Health Centre Anglican Aged Care Services Group Anglican Church of Australia Anglican Community Services Anglican Retirement Villages Diocese of Sydney Foundation rsing Home Society Araluen Centre Ararat and District Hospital Ararat and District YMCA Youth Clubs Ararat Gallery Ararat Library Progress Association arbias Arch of Victory/Avenue of Ho Musica Australis Art Foundation of Victoria Art Gallery of Ballarat Art Gallery of New South Wales Art Gallery of Western Australia Art Museums Association of Australia Arthritis Foundatio hool Ashcare Ashwood Special School Asialink – University of Melbourne Aspire – A Pathway to Mental Health Assisi Centre Assistance Dogs Australia Directions ACT Association for Autism encies Association of Civilian Widows NSW Bursary Fund Association of Civilian Widows Victoria Bursary Fund Association of Drug Referral Centres Association of Relatives and Friends of E ntre Aunties & Uncles (Queensland) Ausdance Vic Ausglass Austin Health Austin Hospital Medical Research Foundation Austin McCallum Special Development School, Ballarat Austin Res ociation for the Advancement of Science Australian Art Orchestra Australian Association for Better Hearing Australian Association for the Mentally Retarded Australian Birthright Moveme holic University Australian Centre for Contemporary Art Australian Centre for the Moving Image Australian Chamber Choir Australian Chamber Orchestra Australian Climate Coolers Austra stralian Drug Foundation Australian More than 8,000 grants to over 2,000 organisations since 1964 Environmental Grantmakers Network Australian Exhibitions Touring Agency, South Melbourn ease Association Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian Institute of Classical Dance Australian Institute of Criminology (ACT) Australian Institute of Internatio unteers Australian Marine Conservation Society Australian Maritime College Australian Museum Australian Music Centre Australian National Academy of Music Australian National Comm und Development Fund Australian Poetry Australian Print Workshop Australian Red Cross – NSW Australian Red Cross Society Australian Red Cross Victoria Australian Red Cross WA Divisi eak Easy Association (Victorian Branch) Australian Sports Aid Foundation Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre Australian String Academy Australian String Qu mate Coalition Australian Youth Orchestra 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Gallery Bendigo CAE Bendigo Community Prepara chanics Institute and Free Library Bethany Community Support Bethlehem Public Hospital Biala Box Hill Biennale of Sydney Big Brothers – Big Sisters Australia Big Brothers Big Sisters (M ghbourhood Centre Blackwood Special Schools Outdoor Education Centre Blind and Vision Impaired Persons Network Blue Nursing Service, Bracken Ridge, Sandgate Central Blue Nursing tage Boogurlarri Community House Association Booval Community Service Boroondara Kindergarten Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority Bowraville Arts Council Box Hill Hospital Box Hill H stralia Brain Research Institute Pty Brainlink Services Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Break the Cycle No Interest Loan Scheme Breakaway Camps Bridge to Recovery, Dandenong Bridg sbane College of Advanced Education Brisbane Youth Service Broadmeadows and District Helping Hand Association Broadmeadows Community Toy Library Broadmeadows Methodist Mis trict Hearing Resource Centre Brophy Family & Youth Services Brosnan Centre Brotherhood of St Laurence Brown’s Mart Arts Brunswick Coburg Community Health Service Brunswick Spe s Management Board Bundaberg Disability Resource Centre Bundaberg Unemployed Workers Support Group Bundanon Trust Bundoora Extended Care Centre Bunyip and West Gippsland glican Village Cairns Regional Gallery Caloola Parents and Friends Association Calvary Health Care Bethlehem Camberwell Grammar School Camcare Camp Breakaway Canberra Burley Gr pport Group (Illawarra) Cancer Patients Assistance Society of New South Wales CanTeen The Australian Organisation for Young People Living with Cancer Cantemus Boys’ Choir Canterbury e Connect Care Careertrackers Indigenous Internship Program Carers’ Link Barossa and Districts Carers Queensland Careship Coorong CareSouth CareWorks SunRanges Carina Youth Ag lery and Historical Museum Castlemaine State Festival CATCH (Community Aid for Those Caring for the Handicapped) Catchment Youth Refuge Catherine House Catherine McAuley 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Community Care) Church of England Free Kindergarten Churches of Christ Community Care Churches of Christ in NS ycare Newcastle Claremont Home for the Aged Clarence Nursing Home Association Clarendon Children’s Home Climate Action Network Australia Co operative For Aborigines Coast Shelter spital Colac Area Health Colac District Hospital Colac Senior Citizen’s Village Collections Council of Australia College of Nursing Collingwood Children’s Farm Collins Street Baptist Benevole mmuniCare Communications Law Centre Community Accommodation & Respite Agency Community Action in Carole Park Working in partnership Community Care Community Connection y Adventist Church Company B Concord School Connections Connections UnitingCare Connor Foundation Constable Care Child Safety Foundation Constitution Education Fund Australia C ociation Cooma District Nursing Home Association Cora Barclay Centre Corilong Corowa Court Corps of Commissionaires Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Corryong District Hospital Cottage by swick District Hospital Critical ident Stress Management Foundation Australia Croc Festival Crossley House, Yarram Croxton School Croydon Special Development School No 5210 CSIRO C tic Fibrosis SA Cystic Fibrosis Victoria Dallas Welfare and Youth Services Dame Pattie Menzies Centre Dancehouse Dandenong and District Hospital Dandenong Community Advisory Bure hnology Darlinghurst Theatre Company Darwin Community Arts Dawn House Daylesford District Hospital Deaf Australia Deaf Children Australia Deafness Foundation Deakin University De undation Denmark Environment Centre Department of Agriculture Department of Conservation and Land Management Diabetes Australia – Tasmania Diabetes Australia – Victoria Diabete ey Special Development School Dimboola District Hospital Dingley Elderly Persons Welfare Committee Dingley Village Community Advice Bureau DirtyFeet Disability and Aged Information use Djerriwarrh Employment & Education Services Dolphin Research Institute Domestic Violence NSW T/A Bathurst Women’s & Children’s Refuge Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victo rsing Home and Day Care Centre Doncaster Community Care and Couselling Centre Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria Dooloomai Youth Project Dowling House Arts Centre, Swan Hill Down Synd undation Dunkeld and District Historical Museum Dunrossil Parramatta Branch Sub Norman Children’s Association E Qubed E W Tipping Foundation EACH Eaglehawk Youth Options, Ballar ployment Echuca and District Youth Services Echuca District Hospital Ecumenical Migration Centre EDAR – Eastern Districts Association for the Retarded Edith Bendall Retirement Village pport Enterprise Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden Endeavour Foundation Endeavour Replica Anchors Engaged Church Environment Centre of WA Environment Defenders Office Environm h School ERMHA Essendon and District Memorial Hospital Eureka Stockade Centre Euroa Hospital European Australian Christian Fellowship Eusion Australia Eusion Australia Eva Tilley M rfield Hospital 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Centre Garoopna Uniting Care Gasworks Arts Gateway Community Health G trict Day Nursery Geelong Art Gallery Geelong Ethnic Communities Council Geelong Historial Records Centre Geelong Hospice Care Association Geelong Hospital Geelong Mentally Handic Spaces Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education Gippsland Southern Health Service Girl Guides Association Girl Guides Association of Victoria Girl Guides Local Association, Traralgon G ngollan Village for Aged People Glenloch Homes for the Elderly Glenview Community Care Global Care Australia Gold Coast Arts Centre Pty Gold Treasury Museum Goldfields Brass Band G ulburn Family Support Service Goulburn Valley Family Care Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service Goulburn Valley Sheltered Workshop Gould House Grace McKellar House, Geelong Grace S undation Green Skills Greening Australia Greening Australia Northern Territory Greening Australia Tasmania Griffin Theatre Company Griffith University Guide Dogs Victoria Guides Australi stralia Habitat for Humanity Australia (Victoria) Haemophilia Foundation Australia Hamilton and District Appeal for the Aged Hamilton Art Gallery Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital Hands o trict Hospital headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation Headway Adult Development Program Headway Victoria – Acquired Brain Injury Association Headwest Hear A Book Ser seum of Modern Art Heidelberg Training & Resource Centre Helen Schutt House Association Hello Sunday Morning Help Hand Association, Coburg Helping Hand Association for Intellectua nd Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Footscray Herald Sun Australian Bush Fire Relief Fund Here for Life Hervey Bay City Council Heyfield Bush Nursing Hospital Highlands Comm ntre Holyoake – The Queensland Institute on Alcohol and Addictions HomeGround Services Homeplus Living Home–Start National Home–Start Western Area Hope City Mission HopeStree hts Arts and Film Festival Human Variome Project International Human Ventures Hunter Home–Start Australia Hunter Region No Interest Loans Scheme Hunter Symphony Orchestra Hurl usion Melbourne Independence Australia Services Industrial Design Council of Australia Information & Cultural Exchange Inglewood Hospital Inner East Community Health Service Inner S titute of Catholic Education Institute of Cultural Affairs Institute of Early Childhood Development Institute of Social Welfare Interact Australia (Victoria) Interchange Interchurch Trade and In

Access Employment Sunraysia Accessible Arts Action For Community Living Activate Australia Acts Care Adelaide Campus Life Youth Guidance Adelaide Children’s Hospital Adelaide Colleg il for Children with Impaired Hearing (Victoria) Advocacy and Rights Centre Age Concern Albury Wodonga AIDS Council of SA AIDS Housing Action Group of Victoria AIDS Trust of Australia AI lexandra Community Care Alfred Health Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Services Alkira Centre Box Hill Alzheimer’s Association of NSW, Alzheimer’s Australia Vic Anglese for Aged Care Anglicare SA Anglicare Top End Anglicare Victoria Anne Caudle Centre Cancer Council Victoria ANZ Scientific Exploration Society Apace Aid Aphids Events Apollo Bay Hostel onour Committee Ardoch Youth Foundation Arena Theatre Company Areyonga Community Arid Lands Environment Centre Armidale College of Advanced Education Armidale Neighbourhoo on of the Northern Territory Arthritis Foundation of Victoria Arts Access Society Arts Access Victoria Regional Arts Australia Arts Project Australia Artspace/Visual Arts Centre Ascot Vale S m and Allied Disorders Association for Severely Handicapped Family Relief (ASH) Association for the Blind of WA Association for Welfare of Children in Hospital Association of Children’s We Emotionally and Mentally Ill (ARAFEMI) Vic Asthma Foundation of the Northern Territory Asthma Foundation of Victoria Astra Chamber Music Society Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Asylu earch Institute Australia 21 Australia Help Australian Academy of Science Australian Academy of Tech Sciences and Engineering Australian Academy of the Humanities Australian and New ent Australian Birthright Movement, East Perth Australian Book Review Australian Breastfeeding Association Australian Breastfeeding Association NSW Branch Australian Cancer Society alian College of General Practitioners Australian Conservation Foundation Australian Council of Christians and Jews Australian Dance Council Ausdance NSW Australian Dance Council, Au e Australian Flora Foundation Australian Freedom from Hunger Campaign Australian Frontier Australian Gliding Museum Australian Greek Society for Care of the Elderly Australian Huntin onal Affairs Australian Institute of Marine Archaeology Australian Institute of Marine Science Australian Jewish Welfare Relief Fund Australian Landscape Trust Australian League of Immig mittee on Refugee Women Australian National Maritime Museum Australian National University Australian Opera Australian Opera Auditions Committee Australian Opera Fund Australian O ion Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth Australian School of Fine Furniture Foundation Australian Science and Technology Centre Australian Science Archives Project (ACT) A uartet Australian Tapestry Workshop Australian Theatre for Young People Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association Australian War Memorial Australian Wildlife Conservancy Australia Association of South Australia Autism Behavioural Intervention Association Autism Research Institute Autism Tasmania Autistic Children’s Association of Queensland Autistic Citizens Resi tal Back to Back Theatre Backtracts Bathurst Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Baker Medical Research Institute Ballam Park Primary School, Fra Nursing & Healthcare Ballarat High School Building Fund Ballarat School of Mines and Industry Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society Ballarat YMCA Ballarat Youth Centre Balletlab Asso ng Gecko Theatre Company Barking Spider Visual Theatre Barkuma Barnardos Australia Barwon Association for Youth Support & Accommodation Barwon Health Bathurst Meals On Whee ct Youth and Community Centre Begonia Park School, Ballarat Bell Shakespeare Company Bellarine Peninsula Community Health Service Belmont School Council Belmore School Counci ation Program Bendigo Home and Hospital for the Aged Bendigo Prison Education Centre Berridale Aged Hostel Enabling innovation Berry Street Victoria Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital B Melbourne) Big hART Big Issue in Australia Big Picture Company Australia Birds Australia Bishops’ Committee for Justice, Development and Peace Black Swan State Theatre Company Black g Service, Toowong Blue Nursing Service, West End Brisbane Central Boandik Lodge Queensland Museum Bobby Goldsmith Foundation Bodalla Aged Care Services Bond University Bond Hostel for the Aged Boys’ Town Engadine BoysTown Bradley House – CEMS Hostel Braille and Talking Book Library Brain Foundation of South Australia Brain Injury Association of NSW Bra gewater Police & Citizens Youth Club Bridging Industries, Kangaroo Flat Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap Community Services Bright District Hospital Brighton Grammar School Brink Pro ssion Care Centre Broadmeadows Special Developmental School Broadmeadows Technical School Building Fund Broadmeadows UnitingCare Broadmeadows Youth Shelter Foundation B ecial Developmental School Buda Historic Home and Garden Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee Bulleen Heights School Bunbury Aboriginal Progress Association Bunbury d Community Health Service Buoyancy Foundation of Victoria Burnet Institute Burnside Burwood Children’s Homes Bush Children’s Hostels Foundation of NSW Byron Youth Service CA Bro riffin Rotary Club Canberra College of Advanced Education Canberra Glassworks Canberra Institute of the Arts Canberra School of Music Cancer Awareness and Empowerment Group Can y Citizen’s Welfare Committee CARA (Christian Alternative to Remand Accommodation) Cardiac Support Group Cardinia Combined Churches Caring Care & Communication Concern – Welfa ency Carinity (formerly Queensland Baptist Care) Carinya Society Caritas Christi Hospice Carlton and Fitzroy Methodist Mission Carriageworks Carrick Hill Sculpture Park Carry On Castlem y Centre, Wembley Catholic Care Catholic Education Centre Catholic Healthcare Catholic Missions Darwin Caulfield Hospital Centacare – Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Centacare niversity Central Tablelands Housing Association Central Teaching Unit Centre for Appropriate Technology Centre for Contemporary Photography Centre for Education and Research in Envi ebral Palsy Education Centre Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland Chadstone Community Health Centre Chain Reaction Foundation Challenge Foundation of NSW Challenge Southern Hig arles Sturt University: Faculty of Education Charlton Bush Nursing Hospital Charlton High School Building Fund bestchance Child Family Care Child & Family Services Ballarat Child Abuse P tute Australia for Medical Research Children’s Cottages, Kew Children’s Hospital, Camperdown Children’s Medical Research Institute Children’s Protection Society Chiltern Athenaeum Tru ers’ Foundation for Charitable Works Christian Community College, Portland Christ’s Church Anglican Church Chronic Illness Alliance Chunky Move Church of all Nations, Carlton Church of SW Community Care Churchill Senior Citizen’s Village Circus Monoxide Citizen’s Advice Bureau City Art Institute – Ivan Dougherty Gallery City Life City of Nunawading Ladies Benevolent Soc r Cobden and District Nursing Hospital Coburg Community Health Centre Coburg Special Development School No 5261 Coffs Harbour Police & Community Youth Club CoHealth Cohuna Dis ent Society, Urban Seed Colony 47 Combined Churches Caring Melton Come Out Children’s Festival Committee for Economic Development of Australia Common Ground Adelaide Commong ns Community Farm Community Food SA Community Life Batemans Bay Community Link and Network Community Living Association Community Music Victoria Community Services of th onsumer Credit Legal Centre NSW Contact Continuing Education Bendigo (CEB) Continuing Education Centre Albury Wodonga Cooinda – Nhill and District Intellectual Handicapped Person y the Sea, Queenscliff Council for Christian Education in Schools Council on the Ageing Country Arts Craft ACT Craft & Design Centre Cranbourne Information & Support Service Creativity A Cultural Infusion Cure Cancer Australia Foundation Currawong House, Hamilton Curtin University of Technology CWS Drummond Street Centre Cystic Fibrosis Australia Cystic Fibrosis Que eau Dandenong Palliative Care Services Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service Dandenong Ranges Music Council Dandenong Valley School Daniel Gunson Homes Darling Downs Ins eakin Village, Tongala Deal Communication Centre DEBRAA (Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of Australia) Deckchair Theatre Delta Society Australia Deniliquin Nurs es Australia, East Perth Diabetes Counselling Online Diabetes Australia – Queensland Diabetic Children’s Welfare Fund Dialysis Escape Line of Australia Diamond Valley Community Hospit n Service Disability Attendant Support Service Disability Opportunities Victoria Disaster Fund – South Australia Bushfire Appeal Discovery Science and Technology Centre Ditchley Founda oria Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Foundation Don Bosco Youth Centre Donald Ambulance Station Donald District Hospital Donald Nursing Home Society Doncaster and Templestowe Comm drome Association of Victoria Down Syndrome South Australia Doxa Youth Welfare Foundation Dress for Success Sydney Drug Arm Australasia Drug Users and Parent’s Aid (DUPA) Duchen rat Earthwatch Institute East Bentleigh Community Health Centre East Burwood Centre East Gippsland Hospital Eastern Palliative Care Association Eastern Volunteers Resource Centre E e Edith Cowan University Edmund Rice Camps Edmund Rice Education Education Centre for Deaf Children Education Foundation Eloura Homes Embroiderers Guild Emergency Accommod ment Victoria Environmental Defender’s Office Epilepsy Association Epilepsy Association of South Australia and the Northern Territory (EASANT) Epistle Centre, Fitzroy Epworth Hospital E Memorial Home Eventide Homes for the Aged, Stawell Exodus Foundation Experimenta Media Arts Express Media Expressions – The Queensland Dance Theatre Fairfield Community Reso ia Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria Federation of Western Australian Police and Citizens’ Youth Clubs (PCYC) Federation University Australia Fernhill Hostel for the Aged Fer ble Solutions Fiona Lodge – Ronald McDonald Beach House $200 million in grants First Bruthen Scout Group Fisheries and Wildlife Department Fisheries and Wildlife Research Trust Fitte f Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool Flemington Community Health Centre Flinders Medical Centre Foundation Foodbank NSW Foodbank of South Australia Foodbank Queensland Foodb al and Regional Renewal Four Flats Youth Service Four Winds Concerts FPWA Sexual Health Services Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Arts Council Frankston Community Hospital Fra s of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Trust Fund Furlong Park School and Pre School for Deaf Children Furlong Park School and Pre–School for Deaf Children Fusion Australia Future ateway Social Support Options Gateways Support Services Gawler East Primary School Building Fund Geebung Kindergarten and Preschool Geelong Adult Training and Education (GATE) G apped Children’s Welfare Association Geminiani Chamber Orchestra Genesis Genetic Support Network of Victoria Genomic Disorders Research Centre Geoscience Australia Gertrude Con Girrawheen Community, Brighton Gisborne and District Hospital Gladswood Home Glastonbury Community Services Glendonald School for Deaf Children Glenelg Family Care, Warrnambo Good Beginnings Australia Good Shepherd Hospital for the Chronically Ill, Townsville Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service Gosnells District Information Centre Goulburn Accommodatio Secondary School Graduate School of Dance WA Graham St Special School Grail Education Centre Grassmere Youth Services Green Cross Australia Green Cross Projects, Melbourne Gree a Guildhouse Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services Aboriginal Corporation Guthrie House Cooperative, Enmore Gwennap Home for the Aged Gympie and District Landcare Group Habitat fo on Learning Australia Handspan Visual Theatre Hanover Welfare Services Harmony Foundation Victoria Harrison Community Services Harrison House Youth Hostel Hartley Lifecare Hastin rvices, Tasmania Hear and Say – Centre for Deaf Children Heathcote District Hospital Heatherlie Homes, Warrnambool Heatherwood School Hedland College Hedley Sutton Nursing Home ally Disabled Foundation Brighton and Districts Branch Helping Hand Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Brighton Helping Hand Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Eppin munity Centres Hills District Youth Service Historic Houses Trust of NSW HIV Assistance Association Hobart Police and Community Youth Club Hobart YMCA Youth Services, Camberwell H et Hornsby Ku–ring–gai Hospital Horsham Regional Art Gallery Hospice Care Association NW Tasmania HotHouse Theatre Housing for the Aged Action Group Howard Florey Institute HPA H lingham Hospital Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation IHOS Illawarra Community Centre, Geelong Immunodeficiency Foundation of WA Inala Youth & Family Support Service Incite Youth South Community Health Service Insight Education Centre for the Blind and Vision Impaired Scholarship Fund Inspire Foundation Institute for Aboriginal Development (Aboriginal Corporat ndustry Mission Interest Free Loans (IFL) Program International Art Space Pty International Diabetes Institute International Festival of Young Playwrights (in’–ter play) International Retinitis

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years Looking Back, Reaching Forward Every day across the country, in almost every walk of life, Australians benefit from the generosity and foresight of philanthropy – although not many would be aware of it. Working largely behind the scenes, philanthropy enables the realisation of ideas, encourages creativity, innovation and learning, helps to solve problems, and works to benefit the community. This book celebrates the 50th Anniversary of one of Australia’s significant philanthropic organisations – The Ian Potter Foundation – and some of the achievements of the thousands of organisations it has supported over the past half century.

Sir Ian Potter

William Ian Potter was born in Kogarah, a south-Sydney suburb on Botany Bay, on 25 August 1902. His father was a charming wastrel, who lost his wife Louisa’s inheritance on a series of failed business ventures. Young Bill (as his family always called him) was educated at a local primary school and at Cleveland Street Intermediate High School in Redfern, but left school at the age of 14. By 1924 he had enough money to pay his university fees and enrolled at the University of Sydney, where he studied economics and graduated top of his year. In 1929 Potter moved to Melbourne to work for stockbrokers Edward Dyason & Co. In spite of the onset of the depression, he did well, and in 1933 became private secretary to Federal Assistant Treasurer Richard Casey, spending two years gaining knowledge of government finance and building many contacts in politics and the federal bureaucracy. In 1935 Potter set up his own stockbroking firm, Ian Potter & Co., and rapidly established himself as a daring and resourceful underwriter of new issues. It was during World War II that Potter rose to prominence, with his firm challenging JB Were for the title of Melbourne’s leading stockbrokers, and his behind-the-scenes involvement in the establishment of the Liberal Party and the Institute of Public Affairs. While many feared the end of the war would bring a return to economic depression, Potter saw that the exponential growth of Australian manufacturing, combined with a strong rise in incomes, meant that the economy would boom in the postwar years. However, the Australian financial system was poorly adapted to provide the capital required for postwar construction and industrial expansion. One of Ian Potter’s greatest achievements was to open up new sources of capital to make possible Australia’s rapid economic growth in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953 he established the Australian United Corporation (the first Australian-owned merchant bank) and in the 1960s he oversaw the massive capital raisings for the mining projects that transformed the Australian economy. In 1967 Potter retired from Ian Potter & Co. He remained active in business, as a director of several major public companies including Boral, Email, TNT and McIlwraith McEachern and of the Australian subsidiaries of Nestlé, Atlas Copco and ASEA, but increasingly his interests turned to the arts and philanthropy. A keen patron of the arts, Potter’s financial acumen was vital to the establishment and growth of many major cultural institutions. He worked closely with his friend ‘Nugget’ Coombs in setting up the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1954, and later became president of the Trust, which was largely responsible for the establishment of the Australian Opera, The Australian Ballet, the Old Tote Theatre Company and the Australian Marionette Theatre as well as giving encouragement and support to many other artistic companies. While heading The University of Melbourne’s Finance Committee he made possible the formation of the Union Theatre Repertory Company (now the Melbourne Theatre Company), and as treasurer of the National Gallery Society he played a key role in developing Melbourne’s Arts Centre on St Kilda Road.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Ian Potter was always interested in education, science and medical research. He served on The University of Melbourne Council for 22 years and was a long-standing supporter of the Australian Academy of Science, being elected a Fellow of the Academy in 1978 – a rare honour for a non-scientist. In the early 1960s he worked with Derek Denton and Kenneth and Baillieu Myer to set up The Howard Florey Institute at The University of Melbourne. The Myer brothers and Potter gave large sums of money for the Florey, and Potter was instrumental in gaining funding from the federal government, writing directly to his friend Robert Menzies, then prime minister, and receiving the memorable reply in the prime minister’s own hand: ‘Dear Ian, That will be all right, Bob’. Ian Potter’s business skills made him wealthy, but he had little interest in the accumulation of money for its own sake. Inspired by the Myer Foundation, and with a desire to ‘give something back to Australia’, in 1964 he set up The Ian Potter Foundation with an initial, non tax-deductible gift of £1 million. The tax concession he subsequently negotiated with the tax department was a vital step in the growth of philanthropy in Australia. Handsome, blue-eyed and with a full head of silver hair, Ian Potter moved with ease and confidence in the highest circles of business and politics in Australia and overseas. Cordial, considerate and generous, he was a master at putting people at ease. All who met him found him charming and impressive, although many felt that he was impenetrable and few got to see behind his public mask. Many saw him as shy, although it might be more accurate to say that he was reserved and intent on preserving his privacy. Ian Potter’s services to the community received widespread recognition. He was knighted in 1962 for public services in the field of finance. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from The University of Melbourne, and the Swedish honour of Knight Commander of the Polar Star (First Class). He was an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Stock Exchange, an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The Australian Ballet Foundation, the Australian Opera and the National Gallery of Victoria, a member of the Royal Society of Victoria, a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Ian Potter died at his home on 24 October 1994, aged 92. He was survived by his wife, Primrose (Lady Potter), two daughters from earlier marriages – Robin Potter and Carolyn Parker Bowles – and two grandchildren. Dr Peter Yule Author, Ian Potter – A Biography

Sir Ian Potter Portrait for The Bulletin Magazine.

Teenage Ian Ian Potter c. 1918.

Circle of influence Harry Pitt, Ian Potter, Robert Menzies and Sir Norman Brookes at Kooyong, December 1954 (above). Photo courtesy of Herald & Weekly Times.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Truly happyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sir Ian and Lady Potter, early 1980s (left).

Sir Ian Potter

Chairman’s Foreword

Sir Ian founded The Ian Potter Foundation in 1964. He was in his early sixties then, and a successful financier with a strong desire to assist the people of the country in which he made his fortune. He was determined that the money he had made should provide the maximum benefit to Australians. Accordingly, he spent many years negotiating with the Commonwealth Government to make donations to a philanthropic trust tax-deductible. To assist in the passing of the necessary legislation he agreed to make his initial contribution to The Ian Potter Foundation a capital sum of £1 million comprising Australian United Investment Co. Ltd shares, on a non-tax deductible basis.

Charles Goode

The Foundation was one of the first charitable foundations to be formed in Australia during the life of the benefactor; similar foundations to that date had been established by testamentary disposition of the benefactor. The legislation allowing the establishment of the Foundation was the precursor to the current legislation for Public Ancillary Funds and Private Ancillary Funds. As a successful financier, Sir Ian Potter had an international perspective. He was a leading figure in the business, political, and economic life of Australia in the years following World War II. His aim was to modernise the Australian financial system to meet the demands of a rapidly growing economy. He advised prime ministers and treasurers (both publicly and privately), played an important role in the formation of Australia’s immigration policy and was also an active and far-sighted director of a number of industrial companies. He had a passion for the shipping industry and was quick to see the benefits of containerisation. In the 1960s he played a central role in financing the development of Australia’s mining resources. Sir Ian was a cultured man, interested in the arts – music, opera, ballet and theatre. He was also a private person and during his lifetime did not wish to have buildings or facilities named after him or the Foundation. There were, however, two notable exceptions: a laboratory at the Howard Florey Institute, and the Potter Farmland Project. In more recent years the Foundation has agreed to the suggestion to recognise Sir Ian’s philanthropy by naming Foundation-funded activities or buildings after him. The Foundation’s aim being to draw the community’s attention to the contribution philanthropy can make, and encourage others to enter the field of philanthropy. It is also hoped that this increased awareness of the Foundation will lead to an increase in the number of quality applications being received. Sir Ian arranged for the Foundation to be directed by a Board of Governors made up of eminent Australians rather than have it operate as a family trust. The first Governors were Sir Ian Potter (Chairman), Sir Roger Darvall, Sir Sydney Sunderland, Sir Ian Wark and Mr Roy McArthur. Sir Ian did not seek to unduly influence the direction of grants made by the Foundation, taking the view that he had appointed a Board and that he could rely on their collective wisdom. In constituting the Trust he set down clear criteria for the appointment of future Governors. The Deed also requires that donations be made only to charities operating in Australia.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Sir Ian passed away in 1994. Over the first 30 years of the Foundation he contributed around $30 million, with the retained income and appreciation of the investment portfolio adding a further $20 million, making a corpus of $50 million. In his will Sir Ian left around $50 million to the Foundation, increasing its corpus to $100 million. The average amount given in grants each year in the Foundation’s first decade was $130,000, in the second decade $435,000 and the third, $1.65 million. In its first 30 years the Foundation made grants totalling $22.3 million. Today, the Foundation has grown to make a larger contribution to the Australian community than even Sir Ian may have envisaged. The capital of the Foundation now exceeds $500 million and in its first 50 years it has distributed around $200 million. In 2014 alone, the Foundation will distribute over $20 million. The Foundation, over its history, has made both large and small grants across a broad spectrum of our society. There are many small grants given each year, particularly Travel grants and Cultural grants. The largest recipient of the Foundation’s grants has been the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine (now the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health). The two largest individual grants to date are a $15 million grant to the National Gallery of Victoria associated with the construction of a gallery of Australian art at Federation Square, and $15 million in support of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, which is currently under construction. Over the 50 years, broadly: 28 per cent of grants have been to the Arts; 22 per cent to Medical Research; 15 per cent to Community Wellbeing; 10 per cent to the Environment & Conservation; and 8 per cent to Education. The other areas covered have been Health & Disability, Science, Travel and Conferences, and Cultural grants. For its first 30 years, the Foundation operated with one employee, Ms Patricia Feilman, who had been Sir Ian’s personal assistant. In 1996 the Foundation moved to its own premises on the third floor of 111 Collins Street and started to expand its staff, which now comprises 13 employees or the equivalent of 11 full-time staff. In addition there are around ten consultants who are employed on a contract basis to provide advice on the grants made by the Cultural Trust. The Governors have a policy of containing the Foundation’s annual administration costs to 7.5 per cent of the grants paid or 0.3 per cent of the corpus. The Board of Governors sees its primary tasks as building on Sir Ian’s legacy by making donations that make the greatest contribution to the Australian community, managing the investments of the corpus to maintain its value in real terms and to generate sufficient income for 4 per cent annual distributions, and appointing the chief executive officer. The investment corpus is handled by the Governors and is mainly in two listed investment companies – Australian United Investment Co. Ltd and Diversified United Investment Ltd – and in a portfolio of shares in leading Australian companies. The performance over the last 50 years has broadly been around 2 per cent per annum better than the Australian All Ordinaries Index. In the last year, the Governors have placed, for the first time, around 10 per cent in total of the corpus under outside management to provide exposure to investments in the small capitalisation company sector, in a concentrated equity portfolio, an international portfolio and a specialist infrastructure fund.

In making grants the Governors have developed a number of guiding principles, favouring applications that: – are from outstanding individuals and organisations; – have a significant volunteering element in the delivery of community services; – provide leverage to further grants from other philanthropic organisations, individuals or government; – are of a preventive nature rather than being designed to ameliorate a current problem. (This policy, for example, favours medical research programs rather than grants to hospitals. It is about building the fence at the top of the cliff rather than providing the ambulance at the bottom.); – are innovative in their approach. For example, there have been many grants for pilot programs in areas such as children’s welfare and to assist young people at risk of dropping out of the education system. These grants have been made in the hope that a program, when shown to be successful, may then be rolled out through the community by a government agency. The Foundation has the capacity to take more of a risk than a government organisation and thus can support projects at an experimental stage.; – encourage a vibrant, creative society. This is particularly relevant for grants in the arts; and – involve co-operation or partnerships between organisations, such as sharing equipment or joining with other philanthropic trusts to fund a project. The donations that particularly come to my mind as being the most significant are: in medical research, the original and continuing support of the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, which has developed into the largest neuroscience centre in the Southern Hemisphere; in the arts, the support of regional galleries, sculpture and music, The Australian Ballet and the expansion of the National Gallery of Victoria to Federation Square; in the environment, the Potter Farmland Plan, which was the forerunner of Landcare Australia, the Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, the Australian Garden at Cranbourne and research on the Great Barrier Reef

carried out at Lizard Island; in community wellbeing, the support for the rescue of food by Foodbank, SecondBite and FareShare. Many of these are featured in this book. The Foundation is expected to follow its present guidelines and continue to make both small and large grants across a broad spectrum of charitable activities in the Australian community. Although it is not easy to look into the future, it is likely the Foundation will in coming years: – not show the same growth in its corpus that it has in the past. Being a Public Ancillary Fund, it is now required to distribute annually 4 per cent of the market value of its net assets, which is approximately equivalent to its annual income from investments, and therefore growth in the corpus will come from capital appreciation of the investments; – undertake, with outside assistance, more evaluation of the outcomes of its grants so as to learn from past successes and mistakes; – focus on a particular issue for a year or two with a view to making more of a difference; for example, in community wellbeing the focus may be placed on homelessness, family breakdowns, or hearing or sight problems; – support more private sector social venture projects; – have staff spend more time seeking areas of particular need that are being neglected, in addition to assessing applications that are received; and – have staff become more actively involved in the management of a particular project that the Foundation is funding. The Board and staff are very proud of the contribution the Foundation has made to the Australian community over the last 50 years and look forward to this continuing in the future. This book aims to provide an insight into the range of grants the Foundation has made over its first 50 years and convey some idea of the benefit these grants have brought to the community. Charles Goode AC

Major investment Sir Daryl Dawson, Mr Charles Goode, The Hon Peter Dutton MP, Federal Minister for Health, The Hon David Davis MLC, Victorian Minister for Health, Mrs Janet Hirst and Professor Graeme Ryan tour the site of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Parkville.

Chairman’s Foreword

Contents

Sir Ian Potter

Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foreword

Life Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Message

Tribute

Board of Governors

Timeline

The Art of Philanthropy

Chapter 1: Excellence

Chapter 2: Innovation

Chapter 3: Prevention

Chapter 4: Leverage

Chapter 5: Long-term Thinking

Chapter 6: Partnership

Program Areas

The Arts

Community Wellbeing

Education

Environment & Conservation

Health & Disability

Medical Research

Science

Travel and Conference

50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants

Reaching Forward

Index

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Life Governor’s Message

In 1964 when my husband established The Ian Potter Foundation as a means for his personal philanthropy, his goal was to ‘make a difference’ and to give something back to Australia, where he had been so successful. Fifty years on I know that he would be very pleased at the results of his legacy. At the time of the Foundation’s establishment, there were no laws allowing gifts to charitable trusts to have tax-deductible status, and as trusts at that time were mostly testamentary, they could only give grants in the state where the will was proven. Ian Potter gave his benefaction within his lifetime, starting with a gift of £1 million that was not tax-deductible. He saw this tax situation as a deterrent to charitable giving, and after lengthy negotiations with the taxation department, and with support from then-Treasurer Harold Holt, the laws changed to allow this type of giving to be tax-deductible and Australia-wide. These tax laws have paved the way for many other philanthropists. Ian had an extremely broad range of interests that were, and still are, reflected in the innovative and impactful grants of the Foundation to the arts, medical research, science, education, community wellbeing and conservation. He firmly

Commemoration dinner Lady Potter and Charles Goode at a dinner to mark the anniversary of Sir Ian’s 100th birthday. (above).

Life Governor’s Message

believed that the welfare of Australians was a necessary part of the nation’s economy and future. His own fortune started with a small bequest from his godmother and a scholarship to the University of Sydney, where he gained a degree in economics. He was particularly interested in helping young people to reach their potential by providing them with small grants at the start of their careers. He used to say, ‘Give them the rod, not the fish.’ Many of those who received those smaller ‘startoff’ grants are now leaders in their professions, both in Australia and globally. I believe the name of The Ian Potter Foundation is known and respected across the whole charitable spectrum, and I feel very proud that its reputation speaks for itself. Personally, in my role as Life Governor of the Foundation I have found great satisfaction in seeing the benefits it has brought. I hope it will continue to make a difference to Australia and further my husband’s dream, and I wish the Foundation every possible success. Lady Potter AC, OMRI

Lady Potter in 2012 (top).

Australian Ballet Lady Potter with principal artists of The Australian Ballet in 2009 (bottom). Photo: Jess Bialek.

Tribute

It is a privilege and a pleasure to present a heartfelt tribute to The Ian Potter Foundation on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. Simply put, the Foundation is one of the true icons of the Australian philanthropic scene, a model to be admired and, if possible, imitated because it espouses the finest principles and upholds the highest standards in this important facet of Australian life. My own association with the Foundation goes back to the very beginning. As it happens, Sir Ian Potter was a close friend of the President of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), Sir Colin Syme.

Sir Gus Nossal

Sir Colin introduced me to Sir Ian in 1962 and, as Deputy Director of the Institute, I was not slow to benefit from Sir Ian’s outstanding generosity, even before the Foundation was created. This seeking of grants continued and intensified from 1964 on via the Foundation. Of particular value was the Foundation’s capacity to fund expensive items of scientific equipment essential to medical research in these competitive days. Though not strictly tied to the Foundation, one interaction with Sir Ian is worth recalling. He looked after the Australian business interests of the reclusive and rather eccentric American billionaire, Daniel K Ludwig, who had decided to give his whole vast fortune to cancer research. Intrepidly, I asked Ian Potter whether he might introduce me to Ludwig. An appropriate date was found in New York City and we were ushered into the presence of the great man in his surprisingly spartan Madison Avenue office. Realising that time was limited, I had prepared a magnificent summary of all the cancer research the Hall Institute was doing. However, halfway through my five-minute presentation Ludwig said, ‘Yes, that’s fine. Now Ian, how is business down in Australia?’ The rest of our hour saw me quietly fuming while the two business Titans chatted away! But no harm was done, and several years later the magnificent Ludwig Institute under Anthony Burgess was founded in close association with WEHI.

As Patron of Philanthropy Australia, I particularly want to comment on the Potter Foundation’s unflinching commitment to excellence. Furthermore, the focus on prevention – attacking the causes of problems rather than just treating symptoms – appeals to my instincts as an immunologist, since vaccines are history’s most cost-effective public health tool. Still in the medical and scientific research space, I am pleased at the Foundation’s emphasis on early career researchers and at its generosity in offering them travel opportunities. These are often very difficult to fund otherwise, and provide essential occasions for networking and high-level information exchange. As a former President of the Australian Academy of Science, I extol the Foundation’s support of the Academy, not only with respect to its Ian Potter House building in Canberra, but also its promotion of primary school science education. Though I claim no expertise in art, as a Melbournian I deeply value the two distinct Ian Potter galleries, the larger Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square being part of the National Gallery of Victoria that showcases modern art, particularly Australian art; and the smaller Ian Potter Museum of Art at The University of Melbourne, housing that old institution’s surprisingly large and rich art collection. Finally, in health the Foundation does not support research alone but has also made a remarkable contribution to patient care. My own special interest here is in the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre adjacent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which when completed will be one of the world’s finest. These examples illustrate the rich diversity of the Foundation’s interests and achievements. There is so much to be proud of in the last 50 years. I have little doubt that the next 50 will be just as productive, remarkable and successful. Happy anniversary and thanks for being the great group that you are! GJV Nossal AC, CBE Professor Emeritus The University of Melbourne. Opening of the Nossal Laboratories, 1998 Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Professor Suzanne Cory AC, Lady Potter and Sir Gus Nossal. In 1996, the Foundation awarded a grant of $750,000 to WEHI to support the Leadership Fund for fellowships for outstanding research.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Board of Governors

Founder, benefactor and Chairman Sir Ian Potter, KNO1kl

Professor Thomas Healy, AO

1964–1994

Professor Geoff rey Blainey, AC

Sir Roger Darvall, CBE

1990–2014

1964–1998

Lady Potter, AC, OMRI (Life Governor)

Professor Sir Sydney Sunderland, CMG

1990–current

1964–1993

Appointed 1993

Mr Roy McArthur, CBE

Mr Neil (‘Nobby’) Clark, AO

1964–1983

1994–2007

Sir Ian Wark CMG, CBE

Mr John Gough, AO, OBE

1964–1986

1994–2011

Professor Raymond Leslie Martin, AO (alternate Governor)

The Hon Sir Daryl Dawson, AC, KBE, CB

1972–1977

Dr P John Rose, AO

Dr Thomas Hurley, AO, OBE

2000–current

1978–current

The Hon Sir James Gobbo, AC, CVO

Mr Frank Nelson

2001–current

1979–2012

Mr Allan J Myers, AO, QC

Mr Hugh Morgan, AC

2004–current

1985–1993

Mr Leon Davis, AO

Mr Charles Goode, AC (Chairman)

2007–current

1987–current

Mr Anthony Burgess

Professor Graeme Ryan, AC

2013–current

1987–current

Professor Richard Larkins, AO

1997–current

2013–current Anniversary celebrations Members of the Board of Governors with The Hon. Alex Chernov AC QC, Governor of Victoria, Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, and CEO of the Foundation Janet Hirst at a reception at Government House, July 2014 (left).

‘Potter placed great weight on the position of the Governors of the Foundation. They had to meet strict criteria of public prominence to qualify the Foundation as a public fund, but beyond that Potter believed high-quality Governors were crucial to the Foundation’s success.’ EXTRACT FROM IAN POTTER – A BIOGRAPHY

Celebrating success The Board of Governors at a dinner to commemorate the anniversary of Sir Ian Potter’s 100th birthday in 2002 (left).

Board of Governors

Timeline

Key events in the history and evolution of The Ian Potter Foundation.

1962

Ian Potter’s first major philanthropic gift: £50,000 to help establish the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine.

1963

Federal Treasurer, Harold Holt, introduces amendment to the Income Tax Assessment Act authorising deductions for gifts to a public philanthropic fund.

Ian Potter awarded Knight Bachelor for public service.

1902

August 25, William Ian Potter born in Kogarah, NSW.

26 June, first meeting of the Governors of The Ian Potter Foundation. Trust deed signed.

First grants totalling £28,000 approved.

1978

Sir Ian Potter appointed a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

1979

The Foundation’s corpus exceeds $5 million.

1975

Sir Ian marries Primrose Dunlop (Lady Potter).

2000

1995

Executive secretary Pat Feilman retires.

Augmented by Sir Ian’s will, the Foundation’s corpus reaches $100 million.

1996

The seahorse motif officially adopted as the Foundation’s logo.

The Foundation’s Program Areas formalised.

Dr Dorothy Scott appointed Chief Executive Officer (until 2004).

2006 Ian Potter – A Biography by Peter Yule published.

2005

Janet Hirst appointed Chief Executive Officer (2005–current).

1964

Foundation’s staff numbers seven employees.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

1987

Annual grant distributions exceed $1 million for the first time.

1971

The seahorse motif appears on the first distribution report of the Foundation (‘seahorse’ was Potter’s cable address).

1969

Annual grant distributions exceed $100,000.

Patricia Feilman appointed Executive Secretary of The Ian Potter Foundation.

1974

Board of Governors formalise guidelines for assessing grant applications.

1991

Corpus exceeds $40 million.

1993

The Ian Potter Cultural Trust established.

1994

Death of Sir Ian Potter, aged 92.

Charles Goode appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors.

The Foundation’s largest gift to date: $15 million to NGV Australia.

2002

2004

Commemoration dinner for the anniversary of Sir Ian Potter’s 100th birthday.

The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift established following his $8 million bequest to the Foundation.

Professor Kerry Bennett appointed Chief Executive Officer (until 2005).

2007

The Foundation’s corpus reaches $500 million.

2013

The Ian Potter Cultural Trust celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Timeline

Annual grant distributions exceed $20 million.

2014

The Foundation’s total grant distributions exceed $200 million. Foundation’s staff numbers 13 employees.

Ancient heritage Photo courtesy of Kimberley Foundation.

The Art of Philanthropy. Arguably, given the means, anyone can write a cheque for charity. The art of effective philanthropy is the thought that goes into who, what, how and when to give the money so it can make the greatest difference. And that’s not as simple as it sounds. With limited funds and so many ways in which to contribute, how does a philanthropist decide who to give to? How do you ensure that money goes to those who need it most and can use it best? While The Ian Potter Foundation’s funding interests encompass a broad spectrum – the arts, community wellbeing, education, the environment, health, medical research and science – its philanthropy is underpinned by core funding principles that are applied across the board. It funds prevention rather than cure, and seeks to encourage excellence in every endeavour. It looks to support innovative solutions and ideas, those that can be sustained and that will deliver long-term benefits. The Foundation seeks opportunities to amplify its impact through leverage, and works in partnership with others to maximum effect.

The pages that follow highlight just some of the 8,000-plus grants that the Foundation has made over its 50 years. They demonstrate how the application of these principles has helped the Foundation make the most of its funds to contribute meaningfully to a vibrant, healthy and fair Australia.

‘To give money is an easy matter in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it, and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter. Hence, it is that such excellence is rare, praiseworthy, and noble.’ ARISTOTLE

Excellence is a difficult thing to pin down. Excellence is a difficult thing to pin down. Intertwined with it are the notions of comparison and competition, but a closer examination reveals the fundamental importance of knowledge, integrity and big-picture, creative thinking. People who strive for excellence also push the boundaries of what is possible, and that’s when exciting things begin to happen.

Whether it’s a $500 Travel grant to enable leading members of the Theoretical and Space Physics department at La Trobe University to boost Australia’s involvement in active space programs, or a $10 million grant to build a world-class research facility such as The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, support of excellence can come in all shapes and sizes.

Projects of distinction come from people of distinction, so The Ian Potter Foundation believes that by supporting outstanding people and good ideas, excellent, lasting results can be achieved.

Over 50 years, the Foundation has sought to support those who strive to do better. The grant recipients highlighted in this chapter are just some of the many organisations that have achieved outstanding results.

Ian Potter’s life was underpinned by the pursuit of excellence, and this principle has been a hallmark of the Foundation’s approach to philanthropy from the outset. By supporting exceptional organisations that share the Foundation’s ambition to effect lasting change, real results are achieved.

‘Excellence is a moving target. Those who pursue it are continually learning and improving. The Foundation’s commitment to excellence is about supporting those in pursuit of excellence for the beneﬁt of the community.’ MR CHARLES GOODE

Rich history Children explore at the Treasures Gallery, National Library of Australia, Canberra. Photo courtesy of NLA.

World-Class Medical Research Contributing to the evolution of scientiﬁc research in Australia

Sir Ian Potter’s passion for medical research began before he established his own philanthropic organisation. In 1960 he and Ken Myer each donated £50,000 and underwrote another £50,000 to grease the wheels for the creation of a new medical research institute. Their well-honed lobbying skills and personal contacts at the highest level of government helped perhaps as much as the money they donated. The organisation, opened in 1963 by Prime Minister Menzies and Howard Florey himself, was officially called The Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine. Helping set up the Florey left a deep mark on Sir Ian and spiked his interest in the power of philanthropy. Never a small-picture thinker, this experience motivated him to set up his own foundation – one that could help drive excellence across a broader range of fields that included the arts and other areas of science. Over the past 50 years, The Ian Potter Foundation has committed $56 million to enhance Australia’s medical research capacity, contributing to the sector’s evolution from outlier to significant player, with a well-deserved place at the international table. Victorian research institutions employ some 40 per cent of people in Australia’s medical research sector, and the impact of their work can be felt nationally and internationally. Venture capitalists are rarely interested in ‘risky’ preliminary research, which means that philanthropy is vital to ensuring that non-commercial projects are supported. Funding ‘blue sky’ medical research was a key interest for Sir Ian in the early days of the Foundation, with the Florey one of the main grant recipients over the years.

The long game The Foundation has always looked to support medical research that makes a difference. In a sector that is rarely fast-moving, the Foundation and its grant recipients Shining light The Florey’s new home on Royal Parade, Parkville. Photo: Katrina Lawrence.

— Excellence —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

understand that results take time and patience. A good example of this is the story of relaxin. Since the mid-1970s, the Foundation has committed over $1.7 million to a Florey project on the synthesis of relaxin, a hormone produced naturally during pregnancy to soften the cervix and relax pelvic ligaments in preparation for childbirth. ‘If we could synthesise the hormone,’ says Professor Geoff Tregear of his work with Hugh Niall at the Florey all those decades ago, ‘then we could reproduce it for difficult childbirth. But relaxin is a tricky molecule and was an unfashionable thing to research when we started out. Even so, we thought it had great significance in terms of its long-term value to the community and we were determined to learn more about it. The Potter and Myer grants were really crucial in enabling us to proceed.’ Armed with funding to get them going, Tregear and Niall’s team set about determining the structure of the peptide, which meant gaining a better understanding of molecular biology and having the tools to extract the gene from the cloning procedure. Another major grant in 2002 enabled the team to set up a lab to synthesise DNA. ‘We now had the capability of making not only synthetic peptides, but synthetic genes as well.’ Unfortunately, as the team learned about relaxin and the hormone they’d synthesised, testing revealed that increasing relaxin levels during childbirth actually made no discernible difference. It was ‘an enormous blow’, but the team didn’t give up, instead shifting its gaze to how relaxin might be used to treat skin disorders. That did not fly either, but the researchers knew that it was not the end of the road. ‘In the later stages of that research we discovered that the receptors for the relaxin hormone are also in the heart,’ explains Tregear. So, together with Florey pharmacology researchers, the relaxin team started looking at the impact of relaxin on the heart. And the results were very positive. ‘There hasn’t been a significant new treatment for acute heart

failure for 25 years and right now we are just waiting on the final clinical trial. Everything is pointing towards this being a blockbuster drug. Relaxin is now back in vogue and it’s very exciting,’ says Tregear. ‘We’re pioneers in this area and none of it would have been possible without philanthropic support.’

Epilepsy treatment The Foundation’s support for neurological research has also allowed researchers to develop a better understanding of the causes and management of epilepsy. Refinement of electroencephalogram (EEG) techniques and technology played a major role in the treatment of epilepsy during the 1970s, and while that was exciting, it also posed financial problems for the Austin Hospital’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program (CEP). Peter Bladin from the Program explains, ‘It had become clear that any further advance was going to depend upon access to more sensitive and informative technology, especially relating to temporal lobe surgery.’ Help was needed from philanthropy to keep the wheels of

this innovative and ambitious project in motion, and the Foundation stepped in, with several grants to help kickstart the program. New surgical techniques were developed to enable removal of the abnormal section of the lobe, delivering a significant reduction in seizures for almost 70 per cent of patients. The project also increased knowledge of the underlying pathological issues behind epilepsy. But it was the development of MRI and CT scan imaging in the 1990s that really opened up understanding of this condition. ‘Even more recently,’ Peter continues, ‘the introduction of newer technologies ranging from pharmacology (medication) to electronics and brain imaging is enabling an even wider application of neurosurgery.’ The function of the human brain is so complex that we may never fully understand it. It is a game with shifting goalposts and that’s why pre-eminent scientists and medical researchers will always need philanthropic backing for their ideas.

Step forward Governors of The Ian Potter Foundation at the Howard Florey Institute c. 1979 Dr Thomas Hurley, Professor Sir Sydney Sunderland, Mr Roy McArthur, Sir Ian Potter, Sir Roger Darvall, Sir Ian Wark with Florey scientists Professor Geoff Tregear and Professor Hugh Niall.

A GOLDEN PARTNERSHIP ‘How much will it cost to build the best laboratory in the world?’ asked Ken Myer of scientist Derek Denton in the late 1950s. Months later he and Ian Potter agreed to help fund and underwrite the building of that laboratory. ‘The Florey’ officially opened in 1963. It was named after Adelaide-born, Nobel Prize-winning pharmacologist and pathologist Howard Florey, who, in the late 1930s forever changed the nature of medicine by developing penicillin and therefore ushering in the antibiotic era. In 1965, The Ian Potter Foundation made its first grant of £15,000 (more than $370,000 in today’s terms) to the Howard Florey Institute. In the mid-2000s the Howard Florey Institute, the Brain Research Institute and the National Stroke Research Institute agreed to strengthen their scientific and administrative links with a view to a full merge. The Foundation contributed $10 million to the project, which helped leverage further funds from philanthropy and government.

Excellence

The result is the largest brain research group in the Southern Hemisphere. The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health is a leading centre of molecular biology, and scientists there undertake groundbreaking research on motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, dementia and acquired brain injuries. In total, the Foundation has committed $17 million to the Florey in its various incarnations, to help advance understanding of molecular biology and brain neurology. ‘The grants from Potter, Myer and their foundations have been absolutely pivotal in two key phases of the Florey’s history. The initial funding in the sixties was critical to establishing an institute for groundbreaking researchers. Then in 2005, that $10 million Potter Foundation grant was one of the most pivotal early grants that started the cascade [of funding]. It was the genesis of the modern Florey, which has gone on to make major leaps forward in medical research.’ Professor Geoffrey Donnan, Director, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.

‘During that time in England I worked on the three plays that catapulted my career. And I learnt a craft that I will use for the rest of my life.’ LALLY KATZ

— Excellence —

Artistic Excellence A passion for the arts and Australian artists

Throughout his life, Ian Potter was passionate about the arts and about supporting Australian artists, and this passion has lived on through the work of the Foundation. In 1954, Sir Ian became involved in the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust (AETT), an independent, not-for-profit organisation created to direct funds into the arts, especially as support for individual artists. The AETT played a critical role in developing Australian art, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was responsible for creating the Australian Opera and Australian Ballet. Sir Ian became chairman, then president of that organisation and only stepped aside in 1982. Ian Potter and the Foundation understood that a flourishing arts scene needed to nurture the talents of individual artists, but the Foundation’s tax status meant it could only distribute funds directly to organisations, not to individuals. When the AETT struck financial difficulties in 1990, the Governors of the Foundation looked for a new means to support promising Australian artists. In 1993, they set up The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and since then over 1,300 talented emerging artists have directly benefitted from around $6 million in grants from the Trust, assisting them to travel overseas in pursuit of professional development opportunities such as further study, master classes and mentorships. Lally Katz is now an established play and screenwriter with numerous credits to her name, but things might have been very different if not for a grant early in her career. ‘The Ian Potter grant changed my life and my career. I remember

deciding that if I got the grant to go and study playwriting at the Royal Court in England then I would go, and if I didn’t then I wouldn’t, and that would be that,’ she laughs. ‘During that time in England I worked on the three plays that catapulted my career. And I learnt a craft that I will use for the rest of my life.’ ‘It’s about giving young people a chance to further their careers, which they otherwise might not have been able to do,’ Lady Potter explains, adding, ‘but it’s no use giving it to them too early or too late; it’s got to be just at the right time, and I think that the Cultural Trust has a very good record of doing that.’ Grants give artists the financial means to pursue their art, of course, but it’s more than that; the support also gives them the confidence to keep at it. Louise Walsh, CEO of Philanthropy Australia, makes another point too. ‘The artist can actually leverage a Cultural Trust grant to help them attract other funding. To see where those grantee alumni are now; there are some great outcomes. There’s absolutely a need – and there will always be a need – for this grant program to give emerging artists a boost.’ ‘Helping to expand the horizons of over one thousand of Australia’s top artists has lasting impact on our cultural life,’ says Governor of the Foundation Dr John Rose. ‘The outcomes these creative and talented young people achieve are inspiring, and something the entire country can be proud of.’

Star Trails Andrew Follows (2011).

ARTISTIC VISION Says vision-impaired photographer Andrew Follows, ‘I wanted to show that someone who is visually impaired can be a photographer, but not just that, an outstanding photographer.’ He created sixteen works in two parts: images taken at night of star trails and reﬂections, and images of regeneration after the Black Saturday bushﬁres. Andrew received a grant from The Ian Potter Cultural Trust in 2012.

Excellence

‘If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.’ JOHN F KENNEDY

Precious Legacy Securing cultural history for future generations

While turning bold new artistic and scientific ideas into reality is a pastime that looks to the future, it is also important to preserve, appreciate and learn from the legacy of the past. Over the years the Foundation has supported a number of projects to ensure accurate, accessible records of cultural and scientific significance are maintained.

Treasures Tangible links to history – although precious – are often lost to the ravages of time. In 2006 the Foundation contributed $1 million to establish the Treasures Gallery at the National Library of Australia to ensure this was not the fate of the library’s remarkable collection. Among the gallery’s treasures is the original manuscript of Waltzing Matilda, Captain Cook’s personal journal, Don Bradman’s bat from 1930 and countless other historic paintings, letters, manuscripts and maps. The gallery is designed to celebrate and strengthen our connection with our nation’s past. The appeal of the gallery has continued to grow and today it attracts around 1,000 visitors daily to marvel at our national treasures.

But it isn’t just that one grant in one city that marks the Foundation’s involvement with the conservation of art. In response to the fact that many regional galleries had serious deficiencies in lighting, framing, security, accessibility, climate control and storage, between 1980 and 1983, the Foundation awarded today’s equivalent of $629,000 ($215,000 at the time) to six regional art galleries in Victoria to help them conserve their own pieces. In turn, the improved standard of displays started to attract increased patronage to the galleries and to the regional centres that housed them. The Ministry for Arts and the Foundation co-funded this development program on a $2 to $1 basis.

Conserving Art

Further examples include a 1989 grant of $20,000 to enable the Bendigo Art Gallery to employ a conservationist and an $11,569 grant to the Cairns Regional Art Gallery to put museum-standard frames on 60 touring works by children from 20 remote northern communities.

Art provides invaluable insight into the events that have shaped our society, allowing us to reflect and learn. Preserving art for future generations, and ensuring that it can be accessed and enjoyed by current generations, are of central importance to our cultural life.

Another grant in 2009 helped fund a major project at Melbourne’s Heide Museum of Modern Art to restore Heide I, the original home of the museum’s benefactors John and Sunday Reed. It has become a major tourist attraction outside of Melbourne’s CBD.

In 1988 the Foundation awarded $300,000 to The University of Melbourne for essential equipment and the development of exhibition spaces, offices and workrooms in what would become the Ian Potter Gallery and Art Conservation Centre. The intention was to create an absolutely first class conservation centre. There’s an academic wing, and a commercial wing that does conservation work on privately

The Foundation’s largest one-off grant in art conservation was made in 2012 for $200,000 to the National Art School in Sydney’s Darlinghurst. The funding was to construct secure, climate-controlled storage facilities, ensuring that the school’s excellent collection and archives are carefully preserved for future generations.

Treasured collection Works in progress in the Chapel drawing room, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW. Photo: Mim Stirling, courtesy of NAS, 2012.

— Excellence —

held art as well as the university’s consultancy work. The establishment of a Postgraduate Diploma in Art Conservation at The University of Melbourne was also a successful part of the project.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Scientiﬁc History In 1983, The Ian Potter Foundation awarded a grant to support the Australian Scientific Archives Project, acknowledging prevailing opinion within Australia’s scientific community that maintaining accurate, clear records of Australia’s past achievements in science, technology and medicine, was vital. The archives project was a collaboration between a number of scientific institutions and libraries. Throughout the 1980s further grants were made to the project to strengthen the benefit to researchers of having these records collated, and correctly and centrally archived. In fact, in the early 1990s the project became one of the first national information resource centres to make the most of a relatively new tool – the internet – to store the data, making it accessible to anyone with a computer and a dial-up internet connection. To date, countless scientists, researchers and students have accessed this resource, contributing to countless academic and research projects. The project has evolved over the years. Once called the Australian Science Archives Project (1985–1999), it then became the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre until 2007. Its work is continued by the eScholarship Research Centre, established in 2007 as a research centre within The University of Melbourne Library. A spin-off from the original project was the creation and publication of Bright Sparcs in 1994, an online register of the people involved in the development of science, technology, engineering and medicine in Australia. Bright Sparcs includes references to their archival materials and bibliographic resources. In 2010 it amalgamated with the complementary Australian Science at Work register to form the Encyclopedia of Australian Science.

Shared interests Traditional owners play a key role in recording ancient rock art in the Kimberley. Photo courtesy of Kimberley Foundation.

The eScholarship Research Centre continues several of the chief functions of the Science Archive Project. Firstly, it takes temporary custody of significant records relating to Australian science, documents those records as funding allows, and finds them a suitable archival home. It then forms an invaluable ‘one stop shop’ to inform researchers of all the various archives and repositories where these materials may be found.

Ancient Art Australia’s Aboriginal rock art is one of the most tangible connections to Australia’s first people. But with every year that passes, that art stands at ever-increasing risk of disappearing. The Foundation’s first grant to help protect this art was for $2,000 in 1983 to Australian National University’s Prehistory and Anthropology Department for research into rock art conservation. In 2011, the Foundation contributed $1.5 million to the Kimberley Foundation Australia (KFA), to support the establishment of the Kimberley Foundation Ian Potter Chair of Indigenous Rock Art at The University of Western Australia. The inaugural chair, Professor Peter Veth, works collaboratively with traditional owners to help document, date and study the Indigenous rock art of international significance in WA’s remote Kimberley region – some of which is over 35,000 years old. Given that there have been instances of precious rock art being damaged by inappropriate development, the grant, and the additional funds it helped to leverage, represent a timely investment in its conservation.

‘Sir Ian Potter was not a lifelong hoarder of papers, but he strongly believed that records and symbols of Australia’s achievements should be preserved.’ PROFESSOR GEOFFREY BLAINEY

Excellence

In 2001 The Ian Potter Foundation was presented with the opportunity to support an exciting new proposal that aligned with its interests in both education and the environment. The project was to design and then construct a dedicated children’s garden within Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. It was an ambitious and innovative project, bringing together children’s natural propensity for wonderment and free play with an in-built conservation message. With a design that includes mazes, tunnels, moats, rock formations and water elements, the garden encourages children to explore not only visually, but also through touch and smell. It has been designed to intrigue, teach and excite young children about the importance of environmental conservation. It is scaled specifically for children, fostering within them a sense of ownership, care and responsibility for their environment.

Learning Through Play

The Foundation initially contributed $1 million to the project, which was named the Ian Potter Children’s Garden. It was the first of its kind in Australia when completed in 2003 and has become one of Melbourne’s best-loved family attractions. A decade later, the Foundation made another grant of $265,000 to improve and extend the site to alleviate the pressures placed on the garden by the 1.9 million people who visit each and every year. The success of the space has inspired similar projects in Perth and overseas. In 2014, the Foundation committed $1.5 million to the Centennial Parklands Foundation to create the Ian Potter Children’s Wild Play Garden in Sydney’s Centennial Park.

Child’s play Getting a feel for the great outdoors at the Ian Potter Children’s Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Photo courtesy of Royal Botanic Gardens.

To counteract the general public disinterest in science that prevailed in the 1980s, Museum Victoria undertook an ambitious initiative to ‘increase general community literacy in technology and to encourage students to participate in the sciences and engineering’.

Sensational Science

The Ian Potter Foundation agreed there was a tremendous opportunity to develop Australia’s science resources and simultaneously connect with the public. In 1987, the Foundation and the Victorian Government made grants to investigate the potential redevelopment of Victoria’s State Library and museum. One of the recommendations that came out of the study was to refurbish the old pumping station in Spotswood and use it to house the science and technology division of the Museum. Today, it is known as Scienceworks. The Foundation granted $200,000 to the development of Scienceworks, which opened in 1992 and is recognised as a world-class science museum, celebrated for its interactive exhibits, engaging activities and educational outcomes.

— Excellence —

Scienceworks Children playing with the interactive displays in the Think Ahead exhibition. Photo: Benjamin Healley, courtesy of Museum Victoria.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Cochlear implants enable a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hearing impaired to hear by doing the work of damaged parts of the inner ear, sending sound signals to the brain. It is life-changing science, but the effects aren’t instantaneous – it can take up to two years for the user to achieve optimum results. That process is especially challenging for children and their families.

Sounds of Life

In 2011, The Ian Potter Foundation committed $45,000 to Cochlear Kids, a project by Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children in Western Australia that strives to help children make the most of their cochlear implants. As Governor of the Foundation, Professor Graeme Ryan says, ‘The project helps these children go on to realise social, scholastic and developmental potential they may not have achieved otherwise.’ The project is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when an organisation is committed to achieving optimal outcomes using innovative medical technology. The Foundation was also an early funding partner of the cochlear implant development project in the 1970s.

Optimal outcomes Hailey, one of the participants in Telethon Speech and Hearing’s Chatterbox early intervention program. Photo courtesy of Telethon Speech and Hearing.

Giving Art a Home

Five years before establishing his philanthropic foundation, Sir Ian accepted an invitation to join the building committee for what Melbournians now recognise as the Melbourne Arts Precinct, encompassing the Melbourne Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria and Hamer Hall. You can’t have a vibrant arts scene without a home for the arts, and Sir Ian took a great personal interest in making that happen. When The Ian Potter Foundation was set up in 1964, it became a frequent contributor to the Arts Centre building project, donating the equivalent of about $1 million in today’s dollars between 1964 and 1969 to help ensure the project stayed afloat. Additional grants followed in the second half of the 1970s and helped ensured the Arts Centre development was well set up. The Arts Centre took some 20 years to complete but it now stands testament to an aspiration of excellence in the arts. Today, just as it’s difficult to picture the Melbourne skyline without its iconic Arts Centre spire, it’s difficult to imagine the city without its vibrant and world-renowned arts culture.

Excellence

Grand vision The National Gallery Victoria building committee in 1974 including Sir Ian Potter, front row, second from right (above left).

Building the arts centre Fundraising poster 1960 by artist Carl Francis Andrew (above).

Backing innovation can have a real and lasting impact. Ever since early man realised that he’d enjoy a better meal more often if he made better tools to hunt with, there has been a human desire to advance our lives – it’s in our DNA. But what of those rare people who strive to innovate for the sake of other people? Those who make their whole community better by – to stretch the analogy – teaching the people around them to also make better tools, or maybe developing a smarter way to make new types of tools, and then sharing the results as widely as possible? It’s those big-picture thinkers who innovate for a greater good that The Ian Potter Foundation seeks out and supports. As the stories in this chapter demonstrate, backing innovative people and projects can have a real and lasting impact. Fostering innovation can be a risky endeavour for commercial enterprise, difficult for governments to support, and often too expensive for private donors. That’s why it’s important that philanthropic organisations like The Ian Potter Foundation step in and take informed risks. It is these that can yield the biggest results.

Of course, taking risks can also lead to failures, but philanthropic organisations view failure as another opportunity to learn. In addition, while the ideas they support are new and bold, the thinkers behind those ideas have experience, credibility and expertise, making their ventures more likely to succeed. The Foundation remains undeterred by the fact that the benefits might not be realised for years, if not decades. After all, without constant innovation, today’s solutions will quickly become irrelevant in this ever-changing world.

‘Innovation happens when people are given the freedom to ask questions and the resources and the power to ﬁnd the answers.’ SIR RICHARD BRANSON

Bionic eye Researcher with bionic eye recipient Dianne Ashworth, 2013. Photo courtesy of the Bionics Institute.

New Solutions in Food Security Reducing waste and feeding people in need

In a time when global food production is struggling to keep pace with population growth, Australia remains one of the few countries that can still produce most of what its citizens need. In fact, we produce more than we need, with Australian agricultural exports supporting global efforts to achieve international food security and the federal government budgeting $349 million for overseas food aid. Yet, between 8 and 10 per cent of Australians – almost 2 million people – rely on food relief each and every year. Those affected by food insecurity are commonly the unemployed, single-parent households and low-income earners. It is an issue even more prevalent among vulnerable Indigenous communities, newly arrived migrants and socially isolated people. The consequences of food insecurity are particularly hard on children, who experience both shortand long-term effects on their health and academic ability. Such a widespread and complex problem requires innovative solutions. Since the early 1990s The Ian Potter Foundation has been a regular supporter of the food rescue programs Foodbank, FareShare and SecondBite, whose pioneering efforts benefit the community and the environment. Foodbank accepts bulk donations of non-perishable food that’s been mislabelled, overstocked or superficially damaged, and redistributes them as manageable food parcels to welfare agencies. They do it on a large scale, now providing

‘A charity was the only place I could access food and fresh produce for next to nothing. It has kept our spirits up and I could buy goods that I would not be able to purchase otherwise for my six-year-old son. Vegies, fruit, fridge and frozen products, even washing powder and some bathroom items. Some of these we’ve had to go without for a while and it’s been so depressing. So thank you for your support. There are many people in need.’ A BRISBANE MOTHER’S MESSAGE OF THANKS TO FOODBANK

— Innovation —

Helping those in need Janet Hirst, Charles Goode, and David Harris, President of FareShare Board, at FareShare in 2012 (above).

In progress Volunteers pick up food from SecondBite and deliver it to community food organisations (right). Photo courtesy of SecondBite.

Photo courtesy of FareShare.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

39 million meals a year nationally to those in need. The Ian Potter Foundation has supported various state-based chapters of Foodbank since the first one was established in Sydney in 1992, providing more than a dozen grants totalling around $550,000. FareShare prepares meals using donated ingredients and distributes them to disadvantaged people. It also redistributes fresh fruit and vegies to other charities. In 2011 The Ian Potter Foundation helped increase FareShare’s output by providing funds to expand its kitchen in Abbotsford, Victoria. The expansion meant FareShare’s 500 regular volunteers could prepare an extra 500,000 meals a year for people who would otherwise go without. SecondBite is another community organisation that sources fresh food that would otherwise go to waste, then redistributes it to relief agencies. Following staffing grants in 2007 and 2009, The Ian Potter Foundation provided a $40,000 grant in 2011 to help SecondBite teach other community organisations to replicate their work in building connections with local food donors. By working together, each organisation can avoid doubling up or competing with each other. As part of the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants program, SecondBite recently received $500,000 to support its expansion into regional areas of Victoria.

Superhuman Endeavour Bionics offer new horizons for people with impaired hearing and sight

Those who have the use of all five senses may never truly understand the difficulties faced by those who do not. Put on a blindfold, though, and you’ll go some small way to getting an appreciation. Leave it on for an hour, lift the blindfold and appreciate the world anew. Now imagine what that appreciation would be like if you’d had the blindfold on for years. In 2012, Dianne Ashworth became the first blind person in the world to have that experience, recognising shapes using bionic eye technology. The innovation didn’t just give hope of regaining her eyesight to Ms Ashworth; it gave hope to millions of blind people around the world. The technology that allowed Ms Ashworth to see was developed in Australia by the Bionics Institute. It works by stimulating electrodes implanted in a person’s retina. The electrodes send electrical impulses to nerve cells in the eye, something that occurs naturally in people with vision. In 2007, when The Ian Potter Foundation supported the Bionics Institute with a grant of $500,000 to develop an ocular implant, giving sight back to the vision-impaired was little more than a dream, but after the amazing advances made in bionic ear technology years before, it seemed like an obvious and innovative next step. As Professor Rob Shepherd, Director of the Bionics Institute, says, ‘The Ian Potter Foundation’s support of our bionics program kickstarted the development of Australia’s first bionic eye. The leveraging effect of the foundation’s gift has been enormous, attracting additional funding, developing key research partnerships, improving the technology and training the next generation of medical bionics researchers.’

Having supported the work of Professor Graeme Clark’s brilliant yet speculative research since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, and having witnessed the outstanding, widereaching success of the bionic ear (cochlear implant), the Foundation was more easily able to embrace the significant risk in supporting the bionic eye. Early Travel grants from the Foundation, plus funding for new equipment, leverage grants and philanthropic donations, all helped to make the bionic ear possible, so why not try again? As Professor Clark reminded the Foundation, ‘Early philanthropic support was crucial in funding our early work on the bionic ear at the Department of Otolaryngology at The University of Melbourne, at a time when it was difficult to get support from some of my peers in the scientific and health community.’ Although a bionic eye at the level of efficacy of the bionic ear is still some way off, continued innovation in the area since 2012 means that Ms Ashworth, with her bionic eye, can now navigate through an unknown environment. With continued support for the project now coming from a range of funding partners, excitement is growing about the possibility of recreating sight for people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Bionic eye Dianne Ashworth is fitted with specialised glasses and a mounted camera that sends signals to electrodes implanted in the retina, creating signals that the brain can interpret as vision (left). Photo courtesy of the Bionics Institute.

— Innovation —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

THE FOUNDATION’S GRANTS TO ASSIST THE BIONIC EAR PROJECT

‘Early philanthropic support was crucial in funding our early work on the bionic ear.’ PROFESSOR GRAEME CLARK

1972 The University of Melbourne receives $1,500 for a function generator and computer interface card to assist Professor G Clark and Dr P Nieder’s auditory neurophysiological research. 1974 The University of Melbourne’s Department of Otolaryngology receives $1,000 for its building appeal. Professor Clark is the foundation professor. 1977 The University of Melbourne’s Department of Otolaryngology receives a $4,000 Travel grant, enabling Dr R Webb to travel to Zurich to obtain specialised training in otoneurological surgery (the interface between the brain and the ear). In 1982, Dr Webb is one of the assisting surgeons in the ﬁrst cochlear ear implantation surgery. 1978 Rod Saunders receives the world’s ﬁrst cochlear implant. 1982 The University of Melbourne’s Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital receives a $1,000 Travel grant to enable Dr Y C Tong to attend an international meeting on cochlear implants in New York. (Dr Tong has co-authored some papers on cochlear technology with Professor Clark and others.) 1984 The University of Melbourne’s Department of Otolaryngology receives a $5,000 leverage grant for bionic ear research, particularly on children and the effects of growth patterns on the implants, as well as the effects of middle-ear infections. 1988 The Bionics Institute receives $50,000 towards research and the development of laboratories, in order to increase the quality of hearing produced by the bionic ear and to adapt the surgery techniques for children. 1991 The Biological Research Centre at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital receives $150,000 to help advance their research. 1995 The Bionics Institute receives $10,000 for computer equipment. 1996 The Bionics Institute and Professor Clark receive $40,000 for cochlear research (in collaboration with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research). The money funds experiments using nerve growth factors to ‘regrow’ nerve cells that carry information from the brain. These experiments enhance the performance of bionic ears.

First cochlear implant recipient Rod Saunders (left) with Professor Graeme Clark, 1978. Photo courtesy of the Bionics Institute.

Innovation

Strength of Social Enterprise Reshaping the way we tackle social issues

Most companies exist to make a profit, some are not-for-profit, and then there are social enterprises – viable businesses that exist primarily to benefit the public and the community, rather than their shareholders and owners. This innovative approach blends business principles with a desire to do social good and is reshaping the way entrepreneurs with a social conscience are tackling some of our most entrenched social and environmental issues. Between 2009 and 2014, The Ian Potter Foundation gave $4.2 million to a range of innovative not-for-profit ventures based on the principles of social enterprise, including The Social Studio, The Bread & Butter Project, STREAT, Social Traders and the School for Social Entrepreneurs Australia. Social enterprises featured strongly in the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants program, with the Eastern Region Mental Health Association’s MadCap Cafes, STREAT, Social Traders and Tasmania’s at-risk youth initiative, TOOL, each receiving capacitybuilding grants of $500,000.

Schooling Social Entrepreneurs Originating in the UK, the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) Australia runs learning programs across the country for people from all backgrounds who have an idea or business that can benefit the community. The school provides access to entrepreneurial mentors and expert sessions on topics such as seeking investment, governance and communications. The proven success of this innovative education model in the UK and the opportunity to support the development of this sector led the Foundation to provide the Australian school with a $300,000 grant in 2011 and a further two grants for fellowships in 2013. The results are already heartening: three years on, 95 per cent of the participants’ ventures are still in operation, and 73 per cent have reported an increase in turnover.

Celebrating the Style and Skills of Diverse Cultures The Social Studio is short-circuiting the long-term problems that can lead to homelessness and disadvantage by providing education to migrants and new arrivals. In a small workspace in Collingwood, Melbourne, participants learn the basics of design, sewing, pattern-making and fitting. They use excess fabrics gathered from local industry and turn them into fashion-forward, ethically made clothes, developing employable skills, nurturing their creativity and building social connections along the way. Seeing the potential to expand this innovative model, in 2010 The Ian Potter Foundation made a grant to The Social Studio for a program to teach financial management and business skills. This was followed by a contribution of $180,000 in 2013 to accelerate and implement the education component of their business plan.

— Innovation —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Hospitality Training for the Homeless STREAT has been offering employment to young homeless people in its Melbourne-based catering and coffee-roasting business and three cafes since 2009. The organisation believed that if they could expand by opening up ten more food outlets, they would be able to support more than 100 homeless youth every year, giving them the skills and work experience necessary for a career in the hospitality industry. The Ian Potter Foundation supported that push, awarding $150,000 to STREAT in 2011. Between 2010 and 2012, the 41 trainees who took part in the program all faced issues that included homelessness, drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness or a combination of the three. At the end of the program, 27 out of the 41 proceeded into full-time jobs or apprenticeships. The Foundation’s faith was validated when STREAT won a national award for being Australia’s most innovative social enterprise in 2013. The Foundation went on to further support them with a 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grant of $500,000 to create a youth training academy at Cromwell Manor and become self-sufficient by 2017.

Give a Man a Loaf… The Sydney-based Bread & Butter Project provides recentlyarrived migrants and refugees with TAFE-accredited traineeships in baking. This gives the new arrivals a place to start, and skills that will help them gain employment and make a life in Australia. The Bread & Butter Project reinvests 100 per cent of its profits into employment opportunities for people in need, ensuring it makes a difference far beyond the walls of its kitchens. The Ian Potter Foundation helped with a $50,000 grant towards set-up costs in 2012. Six refugees are now employed full-time as trainee bakers and are currently working towards their Certificate II with the Western Sydney Institute of TAFE.

‘Done well, social enterprise can be the hand up – not hand-out – program that philanthropic and government investors like to see. Sustainability is one of the key features.’ JANET HIRST, CEO, THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION

Skilled The Social Studio offers young migrants and new arrivals the opportunity to develop employable skills in the fashion and textiles industry (far right). Photo courtesy of The Social Studio.

‘Just because you’ve had a hard life doesn’t mean you have no future – the sky’s the limit.’ Aaron, STREAT graduate (right) with fellow graduate Pnina at the opening of the STREAT cafe in central Melbourne in 2013 (right). Photo: Nathan Stolz.

New opportunities Trainee baker Ma Du at work in The Bread & Butter Project kitchen. Photo courtesy of The Bread & Butter Project.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE Ma Du was the ﬁrst trainee to join The Bread & Butter Project. Coming from Burma, Ma threw herself into the challenge from day one and has emerged as a truly skilled baker. Ma has spoken about how hard it was for her to ﬁnd a job before the traineeship. ‘I really badly wanted to get a job, but it was so hard because of my [poor] English,’ said Ma. ‘Every day I am happy in my life. I make my own money and I can save money. I am happy and proud because I can support my family.’

Innovation

Travelling to New Frontiers

Amateur radio was a popular hobby in the 1950s and 1960s but for a group of talented young people from The University of Melbourne, it was more than that. In 1965, with space travel the new frontier, talented students from the university’s Astronautical Society and its Radio Club teamed up to hatch an ambitious plan: to build an amateur satellite and take radio into space. The Ian Potter Foundation’s contribution to the project was a grant of $1,400 in 1967 to assist two of the students to travel to NASA in the USA. Once on the ground in California they were able to carry out additional tests on their satellite and prepare it for launch. By the late 1960s, NASA was occupied with the ‘space race’ that culminated in the moon landing of 1969, but the following year, the Australian team’s satellite was finally sent into orbit. Although only a small grant, the Foundation’s contribution gave those innovative students further confidence in their idea and assisted them to launch the first amateur satellite to be remotely controlled from Earth. The data transmitted from orbit allowed radio physics groups to deduce information about the properties of the upper atmosphere by observing how the signals were distorted and the satellite project went on to become a significant part of Australia’s fledgling space exploration program.

gave Dr Peter Dyson from the Division of Theoretical and Space Physics at La Trobe University two Travel grants to participate in the Waves in Space Plasmas (WISP) experiment in the United States. The only non-US scientist on the original team, Dyson had developed a number of experimental radio techniques with direct application in the development of the space shuttle. Dr Dyson remembers the importance of organisations like The Ian Potter Foundation funding such innovation. ‘The internet can make collaboration a little easier now, but certainly in the ’60s and ’70s, international travel was just essential if Australia was to collaborate and maintain its contribution to and profile in space programs.’ AUSSIE INGENUITY The story of building the ‘OSCAR-5’ satellite radio was in some ways inventively Aussie in spirit. ‘They couldn’t afford a spring release mechanism so they used specially-made bed springs,’ remembered Kerrie Dougherty, curator of space technology at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, in an interview with National Geographic. ‘The satellite’s antennae were actually cut down Stanley tape. For their cold soak test they basically used an Esky ﬁlled with dry ice and immersed the satellite in it to make sure it would function properly in the cold of space.’

The Foundation’s support of inherently innovative space programs continued in the 1970s and early 1980s when it

Access to credit is a fundamental part of our economic system, but for some it’s hard to come by. In 1981 the Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service began an interest-free loan scheme to help people on low incomes who would otherwise be ineligible for credit.

Small Loans, Big Changes

No Interest Loan Schemes (NILS) are not just a bandaid solution designed to meet an immediate need. Repaying the loan gives the borrower a sense of achievement and a credit history, making it easier to access future finance. Recognising the potential of this innovative form of microfinance to promote financial inclusion, The Ian Potter Foundation began funding NILS in 1992 with grants to eight welfare agencies. By January 2000 that number had grown to 27. Between 2000 and 2009, the Foundation made 32 grants to NILS programs, bringing the total contributed to these schemes to more than $1 million. In 2012 the Foundation supported a simple but innovative NILS project aimed specifically at tackling homelessness. Initiated by Whittlesea Community Connections Inc., the program involved helping applicants prepare a quality rental application, offered financial counselling, and loaned funds to pay a bond – often the biggest hurdle in securing a private rental. The Ian Potter Foundation awarded $34,000 to the group, which was also able to leverage the Foundation’s grant to obtain further grants from the Mercy Foundation and the Sidney Myer Fund.

— Innovation — Microfinance No Interest Loans offer people on low incomes access to credit and a pathway to mainstream finance options. Photo courtesy of Good Shepherd Vic.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

NILS programs are now widely supported by a number of mainstream banks and financial institutions, an example of how initial philanthropic support can help a good idea take flight and become a sustainable model for helping people in need.

Day Care Evolution

After World War II, Australia’s population boomed. By the 1960s, as the population hit ten million and the number of working mothers increased, an important question arose: how would society accommodate the rising number of families requiring child care? Where possible, working families leaned on neighbours and friends to share the child care responsibilities, and informal networks of ‘family day care’ evolved.

The family day care format recognised diversity before the advent of government multicultural policies because it allowed cultural differences such as dietary requirements and customs to be accommodated in a way that larger day care centres couldn’t.

In 1971 various philanthropic groups, including The Ian Potter Foundation, awarded funds to the Brotherhood of St Laurence, who had an innovative answer to the question of child care. They proposed creating a network of accredited and registered educators, to ‘provide valuable information to government on family day care as an alternative to existing methods of providing day care for children of working mothers [and help] develop standards of care for children minded regularly in private homes’, as the Foundation’s 1972 report put it. These days, there are approximately 125,000 children enrolled in programs of this nature across Australia, and over 18,000 educators. Family day care has developed into a recognised and respected element of the child care sector, and shows no signs of letting up.

Home away from home Family day care offers working parents the option of a flexible small group environment in the provider’s home. Image from ‘Home Away from Home’ report, P Tinney 1975.

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention but sometimes, it’s sheer frustration and determination that leads the way. That’s what made Maurice Brearley, Professor of Mathematics at The University of Melbourne’s Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Academy in the early 1970s, want to produce a stair-climbing wheelchair.

The Spirit of Invention

When a paraplegic student was told that because he couldn’t climb the podium stairs, he’d have to graduate in absentia, Brearley recalls exploding, ‘Like hell you will! We’ll see about that.’ With two small yet instrumental grants from The Ian Potter Foundation in the early stages, Brearley set about developing a prototype. It took three years to build, and although it was too late for his student’s ceremony, it inspired similar designs that are now used in modern stair-climbing wheelchairs.

Professor Maurice Brearley’s invention Original sketch for invention.

It was also frustration that led Brearley to design a directional hearing aid in the early 1980s. Deaf in one ear after an operation to remove a tumour, Brearley was inspired to invent a more effective hearing aid for people like himself. He developed his design further in collaboration with renowned American Professor Bernard Widrow, using the support of a small grant from the Foundation. Brearley’s inspired idea of mounting microphones on either side of a pair of glasses meant that the user could turn their head to focus on one person’s voice – perfect for those parties or conferences where lots of noise and multiple conversations happening at once made listening a very stressful affair for the hearing-impaired. Widrow – who said he knew nothing about hearing aids until his work with Brearley – calls this collaboration his ‘initial spark’, and incorporated that design into his own pioneering work with hearing aids.

The stair climbing wheelchair, 1973.

Innovation

It’s a well-worn truism that prevention is better than a cure. It’s a well-worn truism that prevention is better than a cure, and The Ian Potter Foundation was set up with this philosophy as a core funding principle. Sir Ian believed it was better to support and encourage research than to fund hospitals, and felt philanthropy’s role should be to help young people at the time it could make the most difference in their lives. As he often quoted, ‘It’s better to build a fence at the top of the cliff than pay for an ambulance at the bottom.’ Whether addressing environmental concerns, targeting community health issues, helping marginalised groups or attacking the root causes of chronic illnesses, philanthropy plays a major role in purposeful prevention. The stories in this chapter represent the breadth of initiatives the Foundation has supported – from homelessness to medicine, to education, to the environment – in its purposeful quest to prevent issues and problems where a cure may be either unavailable or less effective, and often more expensive too.

‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Researching risk factors for cerebral palsy.

A Place to Call Home Finding remedies to the root causes of homelessness

Homelessness is an often-misunderstood social problem. Many of us will envisage a man sleeping rough on a park bench, but what about the teenager ‘couch-surfing’ because things got too heated at home, the young mum and her kids trying to escape domestic violence, or the elderly lady whose pension no longer covers the rent? According to Homelessness Australia, an estimated 105,000 Australians are without a safe, secure roof over their head every night. Of all homeless Australians, some 25 per cent are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and 30 per cent are migrants; 42 per cent are aged under 25 and more than 27,000 are families with children. The programs funded by The Ian Potter Foundation ask: what are the root causes of homelessness and can remedies to those root causes prevent further escalation of the problem? The Ian Potter Foundation has assisted homelessness programs over many years, starting with a small $200 grant to Melbourne City Mission in 1965. In 1966 the Foundation supported a La Trobe University research program on the attributes of ‘lone and destitute homeless men’, then a follow-up study in 1973. Overall, between 1964 and 2009, the Foundation directed just over $600,000 to addressing the issue. As a community, we now better understand the complexity of the problem and its root causes. We are more aware of the devastating personal harm it causes, and the impact it has on society and the economy, and yet the problem remains one of our most intractable. The Ian Potter Foundation is among a number of philanthropic organisations committed to the cause, and in 2009 it introduced a more comprehensive program of grants dedicated to tackling homelessness, taking a wider and more preventative view. Between 2010 and 2014, the Foundation’s funding in this area rose to $5.5 million.

A Family Problem Families are the fastest-growing homeless demographic in Australia, so in an attempt to address many of the root causes of homelessness at once, Mission Australia decided to develop a $13.7-million facility in Kingswood, NSW, designed specifically to support families at risk. Traditionally, homeless support has been located in city centres, but this facility is some 50 kilometres west of Sydney in one of the city’s most disadvantaged growth corridors, and is designed to be a ‘one-stop shop’. It not only offers temporary accommodation Family support The Mission Australia Centre in Kingswood is offering multi-faceted support for homeless families. Photo courtesy of Mission Australia.

for families, but also programs such as medical and mental health services, parenting skills training, financial tutoring, employment services, early childhood intervention, literacy programs for pre-school children, and even the Ian Potter Toy Library.

Options for Women A major factor contributing to the severity of chronic domestic violence is that many women do not feel financially secure or able to make it on their own. The problem is exacerbated when there are children involved. The Good Shepherd organisation created a program to give these women not just refuge, but also highly specialised legal and financial advice, including education regarding their financial entitlements and legal rights, and training in money management. Called Firmer Foundations, the program aims to give victims of abuse the confidence to start anew. As Robyn Roberts, CEO of Good Shepherd puts it, ‘The current family violence service system offers good support and protection to women and children at immediate risk from violence. Yet it struggles to address the deep-seated economic reasons forcing many women to stay in a violent home. Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service is tackling this.’ The Foundation awarded $261,000 over three years from 2013 to support the Firmer Foundations program. The Ian Potter Foundation’s CEO Janet Hirst said, ‘A key strength of the grant is that it works to furnish the women with the tools to avoid housing insecurity altogether and remain independent of crisis agencies.’ In its review, The Foundation concluded that ‘the homeless situation in Greater Western Sydney is a human crisis not seen since the Great Depression’, and awarded $1 million to Mission Australia for their grand plans. ‘The Grove’ was officially opened in October 2012 and 1,000 families have been provided with assistance each year since.

Reducing Isolation Statistically, people with mental health problems are at higher risk of homelessness. To tackle the issue at a grassroots level, the Prahran Mission in Victoria decided to start Voices Vic, a peer support program for people who hear voices. This program aims to benefit the 25,000 Victorians who are distressed by the voices they hear and address the sense of isolation many of them experience. In 2009, a grant of $90,000 from the Foundation helped the program get going. Since the introduction of the program, Prahran Mission has successfully supported the consolidation of the St Kilda group, where four participants have been trained to become facilitators. An additional five groups have also been formed within the Voices group based in Footscray, in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Nine volunteers have also been supported to work on the programs; all these volunteers have previously experienced auditory hallucinations. Voices Vic plans to expand the training program – a process that will take time, given that all future facilitators must have had experience of auditory hallucinations and need to have first gone through the program themselves.

— Prevention —

The program is not only a success in its own right, it is a starting point for a model of service delivery that can be replicated throughout the country.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

A Big Issue The Big Issue is a magazine sold on street corners to provide employment for homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people. Since 1996, more than nine million magazines have been sold, with $19 million going to the sellers, giving them an income and saving the community substantial sums in welfare and support services. It is undoubtedly a success story. However, despite the fact that 44 per cent of homeless people are female, there are very few woman vendors involved in the enterprise. In 2011, the Foundation awarded a $200,000 grant to address this situation. For many reasons, it can be difficult for women to sell magazines in the street. They may be fleeing domestic violence or feel unsafe; many also have to juggle caring for children. The Big Issue’s solution was the Women’s Subscription Service, which provides an avenue of employment better suited to females. Women pack the magazines for distribution to subscribers every fortnight in a safe, all-female environment, giving them an income as well as access to training, mentoring and support. Every 100 subscriptions sold makes it possible for The Big Issue to recruit one more woman to work in their subscription service. The Foundation’s grant supported the magazine’s Community Subscription Enterprise, a social enterprise program designed to drive subscriptions to the magazine in collaboration with Rotary volunteers.

Over two years, these extra subscriptions enabled The Big Issue to employ 15 new women, taking to 105 the total number of women who now have employment and can stave off homelessness.

Stepping Up to All Forms of Violence Violence perpetrated by young people against their parents or carers isn’t an issue that gets a lot of coverage, but sadly it exists, and is increasingly prevalent. In 2013, the Foundation awarded $697,000 to Child and Family Services Ballarat for their Step Up Victoria program. The program, based on a successful US model, aims to address the problem of youth violence in the home before the child gets ejected. This kind of situation often leads to more severe behavioural issues and enduring homelessness, but Step Up aims to stop the downward spiral by introducing anger management and family communication intervention programs. In July 2014, the pilot program was branded a success and the Victorian Government announced funding to expand the program to neighbouring communities.

‘After the ﬁrst shift I got my self-esteem back. I wasn’t useless like I thought I was, not an idiot like I felt I was. I walked out a different person. Instead of being depressed and lying around at home I have something to do, something to look forward to.’ ‘JUDY’, A STAFF MEMBER AT THE BIG ISSUE’S COMMUNITY SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Safe environment The Big Issue’s Women’s Subscription Service provides a safe, supportive employment environment for women like Cheryl.

Prevention

Circuit Breaker Interventions to reduce prisoner recidivism and create pathways back into the community

Figures show that a large proportion of criminal acts are committed by repeat offenders. Since 1966, when The Ian Potter Foundation supported Bradley House in its efforts to help recently incarcerated young men readjust into society, the Foundation has worked to help break this cycle. ‘Tackling recidivism is a preventative and proactive approach to reducing criminality, and it has brought worthwhile results,’ says the Foundation’s CEO Janet Hirst. The Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (VACRO) noted in 1986 that ‘Seventy per cent of the prison population had not finished secondary schooling and 17.5 per cent had not even completed primary schooling’. It therefore set about increasing prisoners’ access to a broader range of educational resources, including numeracy and literacy courses as well as vocational programs, to increase their opportunities for law-abiding work once they got outside the prison walls. The Foundation has been supporting VACRO’s work since 1971 and during that time has awarded 21 grants totalling $345,000. Judy Lazarus was CEO of VACRO through the 1990s and remembers, ‘Our program was fairly cutting edge back then, because there wasn’t much happening in that area. It was very difficult to attract support from outside for prisoners – they weren’t seen as “worthy” or “deserving”. What we were doing was actually crime prevention – it was about recognising that people in prison do come from our community, and that they’ll return to our community.’ One of the less recognised aspects of repeat offence is how having a parent in jail affects children, and relationships with the family group. If prisoners can maintain a healthy, active relationship with their families, reintegration into society post-release is smoother. From a child’s perspective, feelings of isolation, guilt and anxiety are often present during visits to see an incarcerated parent, which is not

only difficult for the parent, but also impacts the child’s social abilities in the community. In turn, the child’s own chances of offending increase. In 2009 the Foundation granted $73,000 to Shine for Kids to run a pilot program to address this issue by creating a crèche-like facility at Barwon Prison. ‘A strong, cohesive familial bond weakens intergenerational offending behaviour,’ said Governor of the Foundation, Sir Daryl Dawson. ‘Programs to support this are proving to be effective.’ In Victoria, Wellington Collingwood Inc.’s Women and Mentoring (WAM) program facilitates mentors to work with vulnerable women who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial. Working with women at this stage is innovative and unique and may involve something as basic as ensuring the person charged actually gets to court and therefore has a chance of avoiding jail time. To date only one of the 18 women who have gone through the program has been convicted again. The Foundation awarded $30,000 into a pilot program in 2011, then $150,000 to the rollout over three years from 2012. In 2012, the Foundation supported the work of Mission Australia Housing’s Fresh Start Maintenance Services, aimed at training prisoners to perform home maintenance on selected Mission Australia properties. As well as learning valuable skills, participants were paid a nominal wage for their work to enable them to pay off debts and fines. The project aims to demonstrate that a viable social enterprise staffed by inmates can provide a smoother and more effective pathway back to the workforce. After a year, the project had enabled prisoners to clear $50,000 of their debts and secured an external partner (Ecclesia Homes) to join the program. So far, one of the participants has successfully set up his own business and another is in the process of doing the same.

‘A strong, cohesive familial bond weakens intergenerational offending behaviour. Programs to support this are proving to be effective.’ SIR DARYL DAWSON, GOVERNOR OF THE FOUNDATION

— Prevention —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Eye on the Future Eradicating a devastating but preventable disease

Trachoma is a preventable and treatable bacterial infection of the eye that has disappeared from all developed countries, except Australia. Although eliminated from the mainstream population over 100 years ago, trachoma remains rife in many remote Indigenous communities, with infection rates in some places reaching 20 per cent. If left untreated, it can cause blindness. The rate of blindness in Indigenous Australians is six times higher than in other Australians, yet 94 per cent of these cases are avoidable. In 2007, Professor Hugh Taylor of The University of Melbourne spearheaded the Indigenous Eye Health Program, aimed at ‘providing an integrated and sustainable solution to improving Indigenous eye health’. The Ian Potter Foundation has been a long-time supporter of Professor Taylor, awarding him a Travel grant to participate in a research fellowship in the United States in 1976 and another to present a conference paper in 1994, as well as $20,000 for a cataract camera in 1993.

Over the period 2008 to 2018, the Foundation will grant a total of $2 million to the Indigenous Eye Health Program. The Foundation’s CEO Janet Hirst is also a member of its advisory board. Professor Taylor’s unit undertakes research, raises public awareness, lobbies for government action and develops strategies that empower local communities to drive public education, with simple preventative measures such as the ‘Clean faces, strong eyes’ campaign in the Northern Territory. While the battle to eliminate trachoma in Australia is not yet won, the Indigenous Eye Health Program has helped raise public awareness of this problem and place it firmly on the government agenda, with the federal government in 2009 adding funding of $16 million to eliminate trachoma from Australia.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ‘Very fortunately, The Ian Potter Foundation has given me invaluable support at a number of critical stages of my career. This support enabled me to travel overseas as a young investigator to greatly extend my horizons and skills, which transformed my subsequent work. [More recently] the Foundation’s support has made possible our work to address Indigenous blindness and trachoma in a way that would be inconceivable with conventional grants and funding. The support has made a huge difference, and we have been able to make a huge difference too!’ Professor Hugh R Taylor, AC, Harold Mitchell Chair of Indigenous Eye Health and founder of the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) at The University of Melbourne.

In the field Professor Hugh Taylor checking a child’s eyes. Healthy sight Children watch Professor Taylor examine their friend’s eyes, 2008.

Prevention

Emerging Environmental Protection

‘Thatch your roof before rainy weather; dig your well before you are thirsty.’ – Chinese proverb. In the twenty-first century, terms such as ‘global warming’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘carbon footprint’ have become ubiquitous. Most of us realise that if we wish to rely on the natural world to sustain us, we all need to proactively find ways to care for and nurture it. In 1967, the Foundation demonstrated early interest in the issue when it awarded a grant to the Fisheries and Wildlife Research Trust’s program to holistically research pollution’s impact on the ecosystem. At a time when environmental awareness was in its infancy, the program played an important role in increasing our understanding of soil management and rehabilitation of degraded farmlands, an issue that later became a key interest for the Foundation. Environmental protection comes in many forms, and further early grants were given to programs with goals as diverse as marsupial research (1971–72), removing mercury from waste (1973–74), minimising noise and chemical pollution from industrial gas burners (1978), and learning about the wider ecosystem from vegetation surveys (1982), prior to the Foundation formalising its Environment & Conservation program in the mid-1980s.

Ecosystem insights Researchers from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research investigating the deaths of juvenile kangaroos in Victoria (mid-1960s). Photo courtesy of the Arthur Rylah Institute, DEPI.

PROFESSOR TOM HEALY, GOVERNOR OF THE FOUNDATION

Looking for answers One of the families participating in MCRI’s Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy study, 2013.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy

— Prevention —

‘Environmental issues are inherently complex. It is simply smarter to pre-empt them wherever we can. It takes thought, knowledge and sometimes more dollars upfront, but you can be sure it will pay dividends in the long run.’

There are approximately 35,000 individuals with cerebral palsy in Australia. But despite the physical and emotional stress and financial burden sufferers and their families’ experience, research into the area is relatively undeveloped. In 2013, the Foundation awarded $100,000 to the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute to help fund their Risk Factors For Cerebral Palsy project, bringing together some key figures in the field – including the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Professor Dinah Reddihough – to further our understanding of the disability. Defining the risk factors for cerebral palsy is a crucial step in designing effective preventative strategies.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

One of the key goals of this pilot program is to secure sufficiently persuasive evidence to build a case for largescale funding from government and other large medical research funds in order to dramatically expand the scale of the research. If achieved, this has the potential to be one of the greatest steps forward in the science of cerebral palsy, and may benefit thousands of lives. ‘Each year, about 700 Australian children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy,’ says Professor Reddihough. ‘The physical, emotional and financial impact on families is significant. Using MRI brain scans and genetic testing, we are investigating risk factors for cerebral palsy and avenues for prevention.’

From 2000, the Institute of Child Health Research (now called Telethon) conducted a six-year study in three remote communities in Western Australia and found that the installation of pools led to a much lower rate of ear infection, skin disease and respiratory conditions among children in those communities. A report in 2006 showed a dramatic 51 per cent decrease in skin sores and a marked improvement in ear disease. Ear infections – which also interrupt children’s learning because they can cause severe hearing problems – have decreased by 44 per cent. Respiratory conditions also fell by 65 per cent over the period. As Fiona Stanley from Telethon said to the ABC, ‘Don’t think that swimming pools are the answer to Aboriginal health. That’s not the message from this study, but it is a message to say that doing something like this does improve the health of children.’

Pooling the Beneﬁts

Yuendumu is an Indigenous community located about 300 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs. Its population of around 800 consists mostly of Warlpiri people. For somewhere so isolated, Yuendumu is surprisingly busy, with a strong arts centre, a women’s centre, its own media centre and a cutting-edge youth program. Yuendumu is a community not short on energy or vitality but, like many remote communities, it battles some pretty big problems in health, education and child care. To address many of those problems, in 2006, in collaboration with other funders, The Ian Potter Foundation helped the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation build a community swimming pool. It opened in 2008, and today, it continues to provide eager visitors with two great benefits of interest to health providers. Firstly, a ‘Yes School, Yes Pool’ program encourages kids to attend school, heading off the problems in later life that can be brought about by truancy. Secondly, the cleansing effect of the chlorinated water helps zprevent trachoma and various skin and ear diseases.

Cleansing waters Children enjoy the many benefits of the community pool at Yuendumu, 2008. Photo courtesy of Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation.

Tuning in Early

Language problems can be invisible, masked by a perceived lack of interest, misbehaviour, apathy or jest. Kids with poor language don’t always have the skills to communicate their issues, and apart from making learning more difficult in general, language deficits can also prevent young people from developing successful relationships and high self-esteem. Recognising the need for research and analysis in this area, in 2013 the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute initiated a five-year trial to test the theory that if students are taught using a specific oral language program, they’ll reach improved oral language, literacy and mental health outcomes by the time they reach grade 3. The first of its kind, the program is set up

Prevention

with an even number of control and intervention classrooms, and requires specialist teachers. To help MCRI to achieve its aims, the Foundation awarded $250,000 to the trial. ‘Oral language proficiency is crucial to literacy development,’ said Janet Hirst at the time of the grant announcement. ‘Children who don’t master the basics of literacy in the early years of school are often ambivalent towards school, face long-term struggles and a range of behavioural difficulties.’ The trial program is still in its infancy, but all early signs are positive.

Leverage can be an important tool for philanthropy.

The word ‘leverage’ is, in the first, a mechanical engineering term describing the mechanical advantage gained through the use of a lever. To lift a heavy weight, a series of levers may be required. In the financial world the word refers to the use of borrowed funds to access more funds. In the philanthropic sphere, ‘leverage’ is the awarding of a grant that the recipient can then use to their own ‘mechanical advantage’ to access more funds from other sources. Grants from one philanthropic organisation may encourage others. This is sometimes due to recognition of the potential importance of a project, and other times because funding is approaching a critical mass. In some cases funding is offered as a ‘challenge grant’ to provide a recipient organisation with leverage and incentive to boost their own fundraising efforts: ‘If you can get $50,000 from other donors, we’ll put in $50,000’. It’s another take on Sir Ian Potter’s credo of ‘give them the rod, not the fish’. Leverage grants may also take the form of a ‘matching grant’. This, for example, was the leg-up the Howard Florey Institute needed to get off the ground

when Ian Potter and Ken Myer both agreed to put in £50,000. The remaining necessary funds flowed in after those initial donations, with further weight added to the lever by the pair’s government-lobbying skills and connections. Confidence begets confidence, creating the ripples in the pond that ultimately lead to worthy projects getting off the ground. The stories in this chapter are examples of how leverage can boost a project, whether it’s $15 million to help kickstart private giving to a $1 billion cancer centre, or a smaller grant that opens doors to much bigger things.

‘Leverage can be an important tool for philanthropy, by kickstarting something that governments are hesitant to initiate. This idea of “I’ll do it if you do it” is a powerful lever.’ PROFESSOR TOM HEALY, GOVERNOR OF THE FOUNDATION

Amber Scott and artists of The Australian Ballet in Swan Lake. Photo: Jeff Busby, courtesy of The Australian Ballet.

Liquid Assets Research to protect our oceans and harbours

Creating a Leader in Marine Biology Sydney Harbour is Australia’s largest and most iconic estuary. In biological terms, it is also one of the most diverse harbours in the world. This makes it an ideal place to study the pressures of urbanisation on coastal ecosystems with a view to developing ways to better manage them. At Chowder Bay – a unique, heritage-listed, natural bushland site that rests on the shores of the harbour – the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) studies the impact of climate change and other environmental issues on the harbour. SIMS began in 2005 as a collaborative research project between four New South Wales universities, but despite its idyllic location, the research facilities were small and the conditions for students uninspiring. With upgraded facilities, SIMS was confident it could become a world leader in marine biology. In 2007 it approached The Ian Potter Foundation to fund a new research facility at the site. The fact that there were four universities all investing their own money into the project and working so well together, provided the incentive for the Foundation to consider their proposal. Aware that its donation alone would not be enough, the Foundation offered SIMS a challenge grant, agreeing to match any government contribution up to the value of $600,000. The Foundation, with particular support from Governors of the Foundation Mr John Gough and Professor Tom Healy, worked closely with SIMS to help campaign government for these funds. Eighteen months later, SIMS successfully leveraged matching support from the New South Wales Government. ‘The aim is to achieve sustainability for Sydney Harbour, the surrounding estuaries and our coast, through research that will provide much better understanding of the impacts of large cities like Sydney on their marine surroundings,’ said Deputy NSW Premier Carmel Tebbutt at the announcement of government funding into the initiative in February 2009. This news gave the project new momentum, and appealing to the federal government’s ‘nation-building’ program post-global financial crisis, SIMS leveraged a further $19.5 million in federal funding, turning their ten-year plan into a three-year plan.

The Sydney Institute of Marine Science Chowder Bay, Sydney.

— Leverage —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

This project is one of the Foundation’s greatest accomplishments in leveraging support, as Professor Tom Healy remembers. ‘Board members and the CEO spent a good deal of time at application stage working with the New South Wales Government to match any Foundation grant… SIMS has been able to develop from a small temperate water facility into an internationally significant facility.’

Relief for the Reef In the early 1970s, The Ian Potter Foundation funded a classification study of polychaetes (a type of marine worm) run by Dr Patricia Hutchings at the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS). At the time, marine biology research attracted little attention and support, but soon after, the Foundation gave its first grant to the LIRS itself, and that $500 was the modest but important beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the two organisations. In 1974, the Foundation granted a further $500, this time to assist Dr Frank Talbot, Director of the Australian Museum, to travel to the USA for a fundraising trip that delivered a remarkable return on investment, raising a further $105,000 for LIRS’s work. Smaller grants were made to LIRS in the 1970s but by the mid-2000s the centre was in need of refurbishment. By this stage the Foundation had developed a strong relationship with LIRS and understanding the importance of their work, made a grant of $1.5 million, then worked closely with the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation to help them secure additional funding leading to the establishment of the Ian Potter Tropical Marine Research Centre. Ongoing upgrades to the research station and millions of dollars’ worth of grants to its facilities and research and education programs, have helped LIRS to become one of the best tropical marine research facilities in the world, routinely producing groundbreaking research on the impacts of climate change on coral reefs. It is the research venue of choice for marine researchers from all over the world, all working towards the betterment of our natural marine environment and searching to uncover what it can teach us.

Reef life Photo courtesy of Lizard Island Research Station.

Weedy Seadragon Photo: Erik Schlogl.

Leverage

Art for All Weighing in to create environments beﬁtting artistic excellence

There is no definitive answer to the question of what makes good art. The subjective nature of the question has given rise to debates and conversations for centuries. Art enriches our lives; it entertains, informs, challenges, inspires and provokes conversation. The Ian Potter Foundation has a long history of supporting the arts, but perhaps some of its most significant community contributions have been in helping to create spaces and places for art to reside for public enjoyment. In many cases the Foundation’s funding has been effectively leveraged to secure the larger amounts needed to create galleries and museums worthy of great works of art.

NGV Australia Opinion is divided on just how striking the modern architecture of Melbourne’s Federation Square actually is – or isn’t – but opinion is clear when it comes to the Ian Potter Centre at the National Gallery of Victoria, which resides within it: people love it. But it so nearly didn’t come about. Back in the 1990s, planning for the square’s construction included a gallery dedicated to Australian art, but this part of the project failed to attract the level of private investment expected, and was at risk of being dropped. So, in 2001, the Foundation continued its large-scale work funding spaces for Melbourne’s arts when it stepped in with a $15 million grant. It was the Foundation’s largest ever – and perhaps most visible – grant, and was vital to securing the government’s commitment to the gallery. The Ian Potter Centre is the most visited gallery in Australia, and the first major gallery in the world dedicated exclusively to Australian art. It places great emphasis on its education programs, which the NGV says contribute to ‘the enrichment of society and a great understanding of Australia’s visual culture’.

GRAND DESIGNS Today, the Ian Potter Museum of Art is the largest university-based art museum in Australia and a national leader in its ﬁeld. It began with a $750,000 grant from The Ian Potter Foundation that set in motion a successful fundraising campaign by The University of Melbourne. In addition to displaying the university’s vast art collection, ‘The Potter’ exhibits public and private collections from around Australia and the world.

‘The Potter’ The Ian Potter Museum of Art, view from Swanston St. Photo: John Gollings.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

‘The Potter’ Over many years, The University of Melbourne acquired a magnificent art collection. Without a dedicated space, this was spread throughout the campus, often with inadequate security and accessibility. The University of Melbourne did set up a small gallery in the Physics Annex in the 1970s, however, it was never big enough to display more than a small percentage of the collection. In 1996, the university asked the Foundation to consider funding construction of The Ian Potter Museum of Art to more proudly showcase the works and enable them to be used for study and research, as well as making them more accessible to the general public. Knowing it couldn’t fund the entire project, the Foundation helped the university launch a fundraising campaign by pledging a grant of $750,000. Contributions from the wider community together with further grants from government sources meant that ‘The Potter’, as it is affectionately known, opened in 1998.

National Portrait Gallery The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra includes portraits of some 400 remarkable Australians who have helped shape our nation, including one of Sir Ian Potter, taken in 1968 by photographer Mark Strizic. The idea of a dedicated gallery to house Australia’s collection of portraits had been around for over a century, but it didn’t become a reality until 2005, when the federal government gave the gallery the green light in its budget. In 2006, a $1 million grant from The Ian Potter Foundation allowed for further development of the collection. It helped to take the gallery’s profile up another notch, which went a long way to attracting further funding and acquisitions.

Opening the NGV Lady Potter and the Governor of Victoria, John Landy, officially open the Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia, 2002.

Sir Ian Potter 1968 by Mark Strizic Gelatin silver photograph.

WITHOUT COMPROMISE ‘As the tenders for the new NGV Gallery at Federation Square came in, it was evident that costs would far exceed the $120 million budget,’ remembers Charles Goode, Chairman of the Foundation. ‘The gallery was faced with the prospect of the new space being downsized or signiﬁcantly compromised. With little public money on the table, the state government was unwilling to add its support. I went with John Gough – who was then Chair of the NGV and a member of The Ian Potter Foundation’s Board – to meet with then-premier Jeff Kennett to discuss the situation, and with the support of the Foundation’s Board, proposed a contribution of $15 million – as long as it would be enough to secure government funding. It was, and the state government then committed $200 million, ensuring that the NGV at Federation Square had a facility worthy of its outstanding Australian collection.’

Collection: National Portrait Gallery Canberra. Purchased with funds provided by Sir Roderick Carnegie.

— Leverage —

Leverage

The Australian Ballet has come a long way since its foundation in 1962. From a fledgling company started by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust – of which Sir Ian Potter was a director – and under the guidance of founding Artistic Director Dame Peggy van Praagh, The Australian Ballet quickly achieved international standing. Indeed it may have surpassed even the expectations of its ambitious founders. Today The Australian Ballet produces around 200 performances a year and has won the hardearned respect of the ballet community around the world for its pursuit of excellence. It has not always been an easy road, however, and raising the funds to maintain these high standards is an ongoing challenge.

Pas de Deux

In 2009 The Ian Potter Foundation strengthened its relationship with The Australian Ballet by committing an $8 million grant. Given in two parts, the first was to refurbish the company’s headquarters at Southbank (now The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre) and help it expand its highly successful Out There education program. The second part of the grant, released on a dollar-for-dollar basis, supports the company’s operations, development, and a new facility for the storage of sets and costumes.

‘The promotional power of The Ian Potter Foundation grants during the period 2010–2013, saw an escalation in total gifts to The Australian Ballet of 91 per cent. Throughout this time The Australian Ballet was also running a capital campaign to increase annual giving and raise the reserves of the organisation. The Ian Potter Foundation’s generosity encouraged a greater number of major philanthropic gifts and an increase in the number and size of contributions to annual donations.’

World stage Celebrating the naming of The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre, in honour of Lady Potter’s personal contribution to the company over the years (2009).

KENNETH WATKINS, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY, THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

Photo: Ben Swinnerton.

Planting the Seed

Botanic gardens connect people with the natural world by promoting the beauty and value of plant life. They also play a major role in plant conservation through biodiversity research, programs to protect rare and threatened plants, and by studying habitats. Following the Foundation’s successful investment in the Ian Potter Children’s Garden in Melbourne, the Board of Governors granted $5 million to support the ambitious, phase-two development of the Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne (Victoria). While significant in its own right, the Foundation’s $5 million grant was also important in leveraging additional government

The Australian Garden doesn’t just help scientists understand the history, present-day uses and what the future may hold for plants in natural environments. It also offers valuable lessons about drought-tolerant plantings for home gardeners and plays an important role in environmental education more generally. It has become an outstanding outdoor location for community events such as festivals, functions, live music, theatre, markets and cinema screenings. The Ian Potter Lakeside Precinct is a wonderful public events space, catering for up to 1,500 people. Around 200,000 people visit the botanic gardens at Cranbourne every year, including about 8,000 students participating in on-site education programs.

People’s favourite Scribbly Path in the Forest Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne.

investment and private funding, which enabled completion of the project to an award-winning standard. The financial support allowed for extensive landscaping, an additional nine hectares of displays, a woodland picnic zone for families, and extensive redevelopment of the existing visitor centre and staff depot facilities. Completed in October 2012, the Australian Garden celebrates the beauty and diversity of Australian landscapes with around 170,000 plants from 1,700 plant varieties spread over 15 hectares.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Collaborating for a Cure

The holy grail for medical researchers is a new discovery that translates into a new treatment or, better yet, a cure. Attaining this is much more probable when leading researchers are brought together with access to state-of-the-art technologies and facilities.

According to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, which was a part of the collaboration, this was to be ‘the largest philanthropic endeavour in Australian history’. So, where to start? How do you go about eating an elephant? – as the old joke goes. One bite at a time.

In the late 2000s, eight of Victoria’s leading cancer research and treatment organisations formed an alliance with one goal in mind: give medical researchers the chance to treat – and even cure – cancer by constructing a purpose-built centre for cancer research, education, treatment and care. Named the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC), it would host 1,200 researchers and give them access to the best tools and technology available. The facility would also be a leading hospital, providing the best patient care available.

Recognising the springboard effect of a sizeable, privatesector grant among other philanthropic organisations, The Ian Potter Foundation donated $15 million to the project in 2012 to set the ball rolling. The scale of the grant reflects the enormous potential and immense importance of this project and at the time of writing, the facility in Parkville was on track for completion in 2016. ‘The gift from The Ian Potter Foundation has played a crucial role in the success of the VCCC fundraising campaign,’ says Jennifer Doubell, Executive Director of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation. ‘That visionary lead gift set the pace for three other donations totalling $20 million. It has been pivotal in helping to develop what will become one of the top ten cancer centres in the world.’

It was a grand and ambitious plan, and it came with a price tag to match: $1 billion was needed to turn the project into a reality.

— Leverage —

‘The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Project will provide Australia with a world-class, purpose-built facility that will drive the next generation of cancer research and treatment. The Foundation’s $15 million contribution is an investment in solving the riddle of cancer and I have no doubt this facility will result in better outcomes for patients and their families.’

Collaborative effort Architect’s impression of the new Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Parkville.

PROFESSOR GRAEME RYAN, GOVERNOR OF THE FOUNDATION

Leverage

Making a real and lasting difference requires long-term thinking. At the heart of philanthropy is an altruistic desire to make a real and lasting difference. Doing this requires the ability to imagine a different future, let go of preconceptions, and support open-minded organisations that have the ability to bring about long-term change for the benefit of future generations. Sometimes the immediate impact of a grant might be subtle, but can generate ripples of transformation that will continue to be felt well into the future. Other times the resulting change is more like a powerful wave, impacting our society immediately as well as into the future.

Strategic philanthropy looks for the most promising opportunities to make the most meaningful contribution possible, seeking out endeavours that can be sustained in the long term. The stories told in this chapter reveal the role The Ian Potter Foundation has played in effecting long-term change that otherwise may not have been.

‘It is humbling to think that the Foundation’s philanthropy will have an impact beyond our lifetime. The ideas we support today may shape and inﬂuence the society of tomorrow. From preserving our biodiversity for future generations, to invigorating the literary legacy of William Shakespeare, a focus on long-term outcomes is fundamental to successful philanthropy.’ SIR JAMES GOBBO, GOVERNOR OF THE FOUNDATION

Land regeneration Peter Waldron, one of the pioneering farmers of the Potter Farmland Plan.

From Little Things Big Things Grow Potter Farmland Plan sparks a ‘tree change’ in agricultural land management

1987

Transformation The Levinson tree stump highlights the change in the land due to the Potter Farmland Plan. From 1987 (top) the work done to restore the land to today (bottom) has been dramatic. Photos: Potter Farmland Plan Archive Collection held by the Potter Rural Community Research Network, RMIT University, Hamilton.

2014

When European settlers came to this country, they brought with them farming techniques from the ‘old country’ that weren’t necessarily suited to their new one. They encouraged vegetation and wildlife that, over time, clashed with the natural environment that they were trying to ‘conquer’. Clearing land for farming and timber also caused erosion and affected the ecosystem. In the early days, farmers could basically do what they wanted on their own land to increase their yields, and for a long while, the colonials’ strategies worked. Agriculture quickly became a pillar of the Australian economy as well as the fabric of regional communities. It still is.

— Long-term Thinking —

But by the 1960s and 1970s, Australia’s agricultural industry faced a problematic future. Desalination, land degradation and erosion became worse and began impacting productivity as well as the environment. The issue began to seep into the broader public consciousness; something needed to be done, but in which direction should the first step be taken? In 1976 the Garden State Committee was established by the Hamer Government. Part of its agenda was to educate farmers about long-term and sustainable conservation strategies for farming. In 1980, for example, a treegrowing assistance scheme was introduced to provide

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

incentive to farmers to plant trees with the aim of reversing land degradation and erosion. Although the initial takeup was good, few of the schemes had any lasting traction beyond their local areas. Farmers needed quicker results, with less risk to their own operations. Pat Feilman, then executive secretary of The Ian Potter Foundation, saw an opportunity for the Foundation to play a part in the solution. New farming practices were needed – practices that would work with the land, not against it, and that would reap long-term benefits for the environment and for productivity. Importantly, the people who had the most influence over their implementation – farmers – needed motivation. In 1984 the Foundation committed the first of several grants to support the Potter Farmland Plan – a single, effective showcase of demonstration farms in the Hamilton region of south-west Victoria. The key benefit of the program was not so much about revealing new scientific outcomes from research – the scientific benefits of these practices were already well understood – but rather about demonstrating the practical benefit of these practices to farmers. In total, the Foundation contributed $980,000 to the project.

The Potter Farmland Plan was able to work with the Victorian Government, universities and farmers to build momentum over the mid-1980s. As the Financial Review wrote in 1985, ‘Freed from the sluggishness of government bureaucracy, the Foundation quickly came up with a strategy’, which was supported by the aim ‘to show [other farmers] the possibilities’. And that’s when the practical work began. The pioneering farmers of the Potter Farmland Plan experimented with a range of techniques, embracing the notion that ecological and economic objectives could be pursued concurrently. Supported financially and scientifically by the Foundation, the select group of farmers put their livelihoods on the line and invested heavily with time and money. They planted trees, shrubs and salt-tolerant grasses, and built fencing to protect waterways and quarantine areas according to the conditions. Slowly but surely the 15 demonstration farms began to display real results, and other farmers started to take an active interest in what was happening. The Potter Farmland Plan has since been the subject of numerous studies and evaluations, including a major one by RMIT that outlined the ongoing environmental benefits of the program and, just as importantly, its role in sparking a shift in attitude that has helped secure the future of farming in Australia. The first change was the slow regeneration of the land. The second was even longer-lasting and productive: a change in the thinking around sustainable farming. The project’s legacy lives on through the work of spin-off organisations Landcare and Landcare International, which continue the lessons and momentum of the Potter Farmland Plan. The Potter investment was crucial,’ says Dr Andrew Campbell, who was the project manager. ‘It literally transformed the demonstration farms in a very short period of time but it didn’t just make a difference on those farms, we had thousands of visitors through and they could see for themselves what was happening on this land. That became a catalyst for the introduction of the national Landcare program and in turn led to a $340 million federal government investment over a decade. Landcare has now been adopted in 22 countries around the world.’ ‘The Potter Farmland Plan was and is one of those candles in the darkness that illuminates ways forward to help society deal with these big, complex challenges. I think the governors of the Foundation can be extremely confident that they helped spark something way, way bigger than just change on 15 demonstration farms in Western Victoria.’ AN ONGOING COMMITMENT Armed with a strong appreciation of the importance of environmental sustainability for the long-term health of our planet, and conscious of leaving a positive legacy for future generations, the Foundation’s commitment to the environment continued. Since 1995, over $4 million has been awarded to the Australian Landscape Trust, which was founded by Pat Feilman, to secure environmentally-signiﬁcant land and help improve protection and management of Australia’s natural resources. Greening Australia has also received a number of grants for projects in sustainability, farming, climate change and biodiversity. In 2012 a grant of $450,000 to restore and conserve the threatened bioregion of Tasmania’s northern midlands helped leverage other, larger grants, resulting in more than $6 million in contributions from government, philanthropists, businesses and local landholders in support of a project that will help secure the future of this important conservation area.

Long-term Thinking

New Frontiers in Medicine Genomics and personalised medicine hold the key to a new era in patient care In the past, scientists combating illness mostly focused on developing one strand of drug to treat all people with any one disease. The future, however, lies in developing tailored treatments based on each individual’s genetic makeup. This is known as personalised medicine. In 2002, when the study of genomics was relatively new but growing quickly, The Ian Potter Foundation contributed $1 million to develop its potential through a grant to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. This helped establish The Ian Potter Foundation Centre of Cancer Genomics and Predictive Medicine, which aims to use ‘translational research’ to match individual cancer sufferers with the drug that will have the quickest and greatest impact on their cancer. ‘We want to use genomics to get a molecular snapshot of the disease, and try to marry that with treatment,’ said Professor David Bowtell, Peter Mac’s director of research, in an interview with Life Scientist at the time. Enormous strides have been made but this remains a long-term project with much potential still to be realised. To pursue further research in this area, in 2008 the Foundation granted the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) $1 million to complete purpose-built laboratories for the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division. Four years later, the Foundation supported a further two genomics projects: $3 million for a collaboration between WEHI and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) to establish the Ian Potter Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine at MCRI, and $500,000 for the Human Applications Laboratory at Sydney’s Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research. Professor Doug Hilton is the director of WEHI and knows only too well how important patience and long-term thinking are in the field of medical advancements. ‘The Foundation’s long-term and significant investments in genomics reflect the enormous and transformative potential held by this area of medicine and the impact it will have down the line.’ Cancer patient Mr Robert Woolley is thinking beyond his own lifespan as he participates in a trial study that is looking for cancer cell DNA in patients’ blood samples as a new way to detect bowel cancer. ‘Somebody has to be involved in clinical trials,’ he says philosophically. ‘The way I look at it, even if it doesn’t help me, it will help someone else later. So many people are affected by cancer and I hope that one day there will be better treatments.’ Genetic clues Cancer patient Robert Woolley is participating in a trial study that he hopes will lead to better treatments in the future. Photo courtesy of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

PlantBanking on the Future

More than 85 per cent of Australia’s plants are found nowhere else on Earth. It’s a remarkable statistic, yet, equally remarkable is the fact that in New South Wales alone, 10 per cent of plant species are at risk of extinction. In 2011, The Ian Potter Foundation committed $750,000 to leverage government support and help the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust establish PlantBank, thus preserving our biodiversity and securing the future of our unique flora. It is the largest native seed bank in Australia and one of the biggest in the world. Scientists at the PlantBank are now playing a vital role in the global effort to conserve 25 per cent of the world’s plant species by 2020. There is a long-term benefit in freezing seeds for future use and study, given Australia’s vanishing biodiversity and the challenges of climate change, but PlantBank also facilitates vital public engagement, educating on the broader questions of science and conservation.

was given to a La Trobe University study into the distribution and conservation of native plants in southwestern Victoria. The Foundation made many other related grants in the decades that followed. Another one specific to the recording of Australia’s unique flora was made in 2006, when the Foundation granted $100,000 to Australia’s Virtual Herbarium Trust to ‘complete an electronic database of Australia’s six million herbarium species and to make the information available over the internet’. The information is being utilised by a range of government, private sector, research, and community groups. The virtual herbarium accumulates data on Australian native plant species and weeds, providing numerous benefits to the Australian and international communities. Approximately 98 per cent of the vascular plant specimens collected in Australia and held in major Australian herbaria are now recorded online.

The Foundation’s commitment to our country’s native flora and fauna goes even further back, though. In 1976, a grant

Student engagement Students explore seed processing and incubation rooms at PlantBank, Mt Annan, NSW. Photo: S. Cottrell, courtesy of Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust.

— Long-term Thinking —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Future Thespians

Throughout history, humans have used art in all its forms to communicate everything from historical events and religious beliefs to everyday experiences and the breadth of human emotions.

Bell Shakespeare theatre company. Its goal was twofold: to engage traditional audiences but also re-engage people who had been ‘turned off’ Shakespeare in the past. Students, young people and regional audiences were particular targets.

The work of William Shakespeare is one artistic genre that has had an undisputed impact on our culture. Shakespeare’s ability to distil the range of human emotions in simple yet eloquent language, to tell great stories, to create compelling characters and to shine a light on the shared human experience has captured our attention for the past 500 years.

Almost 25 years later, the company that began in a circus tent is now a national icon, and the works of William Shakespeare have been given new life. Company founder John Bell says, ‘Support from The Ian Potter Foundation helped Bell Shakespeare start and helped it grow. We owe a great deal to their belief in the importance of our work.’

Recognising the importance of continuing this legacy, in 1990 the Foundation supported the establishment of the ONGOING SUPPORT Subsequent Foundation funding allowed Bell Shakespeare to run theatre workshops for students and disadvantaged youth, as well as a number of outreach and educational programs aimed at bringing lively and accessible Shakespeare performances to rural and disadvantaged areas. Masterclass Bell Shakespeare 2011 resident artist-in-education, James Evans leads a student masterclass. Photo by Alex Vaughan, courtesy of Bell Shakespeare Company.

Sector Growth

The Ian Potter Foundation regularly supports initiatives that grow the philanthropic sector through information-sharing and collaboration. Passing on lessons learnt is a sure-fire way of enhancing the ‘multiplier effect’, with far-reaching benefits.

industry conferences and seminars, visit other universities and non-profit partners and in turn, further the effectiveness and professionalism of Australian philanthropy.

During the course of various projects through the 1960s and into the early 1970s, the Foundation’s Pat Feilman and Meriel Wilmot, the Executive Secretary of the Myer Foundation, had developed a close collaboration. In addition to cooperating with grant-making, they saw the need for increased collaboration and information sharing across the wider philanthropic industry, and so led the organisation of the first Australian Conference of Philanthropic Trusts. This conference eventually led to the creation of Philanthropy Australia, which now represents the interests of public and private philanthropic foundations and works to grow Australia’s philanthropic sector. In 2009, The Ian Potter Foundation also became a founding partner in the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, whose aim is to maximise the effectiveness of grant-making with regards to key environmental issues by supporting funders focused on the area. Three years later, in 2012, the Foundation further invested in building the capacity of the philanthropic sector with a grant to the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at the Queensland University of Technology for its Visiting Scholars Program. The program brings eminent scholars to Australia to conduct research, speak at peak

Long-term Thinking

Shared concern Field trip with members of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network.

Taking Care of Their Tomorrows

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage is one of the most complex and difficult challenges faced by our society, and over the years, The Ian Potter Foundation has supported a number of innovative programs aimed at putting a spoke in the wheel of this issue. The 2007 Vinson report ‘Dropping Off the Edge: The Distribution of Disadvantage in Australia’ placed Benalla in the top 40 disadvantaged areas in Victoria. This spurred a group of local residents to take action. In consultation with the community, they developed an ambitious communitywide program to fill the gaps in existing services and create a better future for their town. Knowing that communitydriven, place-based programs have the greatest chance of success, in 2009 the Foundation made the first of four grants over four years totalling $900,000 to support Benalla’s

Tomorrow:Today Foundation and their Education Benalla Program. Working with schools, parents, community groups and government agencies, the multi-faceted program supports families throughout children’s infancy and school years. The aim is that education and training completion rates for Benalla’s 17–24 year olds will equal or exceed the Victorian average for non-disadvantaged districts by 2030. In 2011 an initial evaluation of the program by The University of Melbourne confirmed some significant improvements in key indicators for groups of preschool children and Year 9 students, as well as a dramatic decrease in suspension rates and a huge jump in kids wanting to finish Year 12. Hopes are high that this community-driven initiative will be the catalyst for lasting change and a brighter future for this town and others like it.

Story time A Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP) playgroup, one of the components of the Education Benalla program.

RAISING THE BAR The long-term impact of Benalla’s Tomorrow:Today Foundation is still to be realised, but already, the program is helping Benalla’s young people raise the bar of achievement.

— Long-term Thinking —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

A Culture of Conservation

Today’s zoos play a vital role in fostering our connections with wildlife, appreciation of the natural environment and interest in preserving it. Zoos have a long-term plan to build a culture of conservation and as a long-time supporter of Zoos Victoria, the Foundation is happy to play its part.

continued this tradition by supporting the creation of a learning centre in the planned Predator’s Precinct and a discovery centre in the popular Growing Wild exhibit. The recent grants have been supported with funds from Alec Prentice Sewell’s bequest to the Foundation.

Over 40 years, The Ian Potter Foundation has contributed more than $1 million to a range of projects at Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Range Zoo. The first grant, made in 1974, helped equip onsite classrooms at Melbourne Zoo, and more recently, significant grants have

These world-class educational facilities will provide Australian kids with opportunities to engage with the natural world and appreciate the importance of protecting it.

Close encounters Students in Melbourne Zoo’s education precinct.

THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION HISTORY OF ZOO SUPPORT 1975–76 $8,000 for the purchase of teaching aids (including portable video recorders and television equipment) to help increase accessibility for children with disabilities.

Photo courtesy of Zoos Victoria.

1984 $25,000 for computersed animal records system. 1984–85 $35,000 for the Butterﬂy House at Melbourne Zoo. 1986–1997 $21,000 for snow leopard and long-nosed potoroo projects at Melbourne Zoo. 1991 $24,500 for equipment including a freezer for samples, radio collars and a time-lapse video camera. $100,000 for signage at Melbourne Zoo. 1994 $200,000 for the Wild Werribee – Where Africa Meets Australia project at Werribee Zoo. 2009 $30,000 for a program to help disadvantaged young people access the zoo, enabling them to learn about and care for the environment. $40,000 for Saving the Tasmanian Devil through video surveillance at Healesville Sanctuary. 2010 $450,000 towards the Growing Wild precinct at Melbourne Zoo. 2011 $225,000 to establish a zone free of feral predators in an area of signiﬁcant biodiversity surrounding Healesville Sanctuary. 2013 $200,000 for the Predator’s Precinct at Melbourne Zoo.

GROWING WILD A grant in 2010 helped fund the Growing Wild exhibit at Melbourne Zoo. The area allows children to come face-to-face with animals, giving them a tactile experience that aims to foster a deeper connection with animals and a desire to conserve them.

Long-term Thinking

Working hand-in-hand Child and educator at the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Protection Society centre, West Heidelberg.

With an effective partnership, results can be achieved more quickly or on a larger scale. When embarking on something significant or wrestling with a big idea or challenge, you sometimes need a bit of help. The most productive thing to do is to form alliances and join a unified path with those who have the same goal. After all, the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. In the early days of organised philanthropy, partnerships were largely built on a basic co-funding model – two or more organisations getting together to fund a project – and that remains an important feature of grant-making. But the sector has evolved and now partnership often means a lot more, requiring deeper engagement and the willingness to work collaboratively to achieve shared goals. Doing this requires a genuine understanding of not only the other philanthropic and funding partners, but also the core aims of the project

and organisation being funded. Moreover, it means getting involved with an issue at a deeper level, to better understand the factors at play and therefore what is needed to achieve the desired outcomes. With an effective partnership, results can be achieved more quickly or on a larger scale, and the show of unity often goes a long way to shoring up support from other funding bodies. The stories in this chapter illustrate the great things that can come from collaborations.

‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ OLD AFRICAN PROVERB

Brighter Futures Research, service providers, philanthropy and government come together to bring about change

There is no time more critical in a child’s brain development than the first years of their life. It’s when their ‘wiring’ is laid down, which means the experiences and relationships they have before starting primary school can have a lifelong effect. In 2009, the Children’s Protection Society (CPS) estimated that fewer than 16 per cent of the children at risk of harm through child abuse and neglect were accessing quality long day care services. At a time critical to their brain development, these children are exposed to risks that are most likely to hinder their development. By the time they arrive at primary school many of these children have such entrenched health, learning and behavioural problems that the mainstream education system cannot support them. The implications for the rest of their lives are clear, as economist and Nobel Laureate Professor James Heckman states, ‘Investing in disadvantaged young children is a rare public policy with no equity-efficiency trade-off. It reduces the inequality associated with the accident of birth and at the same time raises the productivity of society at large.’ The Children’s Protection Society runs an integrated care and education program for at-risk children at a purpose-built centre in Heidelberg West, in Melbourne’s northeastern suburbs. The children who are part of the Early Years Education Research Project (EYERP) participate in intensive child care programs designed to minimise the negative impact of their traumatic home lives. Parents are actively involved and participate in the education and care of their children at the Centre while they develop their parenting skills. ‘We believe that if you work with children in the very early years of the their life, they will feel safe to explore, learn and participate in their world,’ said Aileen Ashford, Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Protection Society. Based on the success of similar child care programs in the US and UK, the ultimate goal is to enable the children to break out of the intergenerational cycles of poverty, inequality and abuse. Increasingly, research indicates that by addressing these problems early, while children are still in a state of formative neural development, a whole range of problematic behaviours and health issues can be avoided or reduced. In other words, the expense of high staff ratios and intensive child care early on is more than balanced by the benefits to society in the long run. A problem as complex as this needs a multi-faceted solution, so CPS partnered with research staff from The University of Melbourne and the Royal Children’s Hospital to oversee and evaluate the program. At an implementation level, government departments and family service agencies, along with philanthropic bodies, all cooperate in the interests of the families. The funding is shared by philanthropy, the Victorian Government and the Commonwealth. In 2010, when The Ian Potter Foundation was approached to join in, the project’s partnership approach was an important factor in the

— Partnership —

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Foundation’s decision to award $600,000 over three years to the collaboration. Forty-five children take part in the project each year. Of these places, 15 are funded by philanthropy, 15 by state government and 15 by federal government. Definitive results are still a way off; they will only become apparent as the children age. Early indications, however, are promising, with participation rates at about 90 per cent and all children showing good progress. As the success of the project unfolds, the aim is to convince governments and other partners across the country to roll it out on a larger scale. The team of organisations working together to make that happen want to be a part of a research, logistics and financial partnership that helps launch a true revolution in preventative child care and education.

‘You have been the greatest support and tower of strength for our family through its growth and metamorphosis. Your ongoing presence cannot be underestimated in its enveloping kindness and advice. Surely we are stronger and greater for having such a wonderful person and knowledgeable worker on our side.’ FROM A PARENT IN A CARD TO AN EDUCATOR IN THE CPS PROGRAM

‘Shelly has learnt so much here. In the beginning I wasn’t sure about the centre or if I should bring her or not, but now I can see she has made friends and she is learning so many things every day. Every morning she is so excited to come and I know she is loved and looked after.’ FROM A FATHER WHO SUFFERS FROM MENTAL ILLNESS AND STRUGGLED TO ENGAGE INITIALLY DUE TO HIS PARANOIA

Supported care The Children’s Protection Society’s Children’s Centre in Heidelberg West provides a positive environment and wrap-around support for disadvantaged children and their families.

Partnership

Collaborating for our Youth

Working together The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) brings together perspectives from a range of disciplines to benefit all Australian children. Photo courtesy of ARACY.

In 2001 a group of Australia’s leading researchers in the area of children’s health and development met to discuss ideas for improving the life outcomes of Australia’s children. Agreeing that collaboration was vital, the group decided to create a research alliance. Recognising the potential of such a collaboration, The Ian Potter Foundation provided $400,000 to help the group establish the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). ‘There is ample evidence that multidisciplinary, intersectoral efforts can work,’ said the group’s first CEO, Fiona Stanley. ‘Australia has already had spectacular world-leading successes in endeavours including the AIDS strategy and the campaign to reduce road deaths in young people.’

— Partnership —

ARACY became the first organisation to attempt to bring together all of Australia’s researchers, policymakers and practitioners who focus on children and young people’s health and wellbeing. Today, ARACY has grown into an alliance with more than 2,000 members from all areas including academia, business, government, the community sector and the wider community. ARACY has now been working for ten years to create a better future for Australia’s youth, and continues its work in collaborative and evidence-based research and prevention programs across a number of projects.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

‘By bringing together a range of disciplines and professions that are all concerned with highly interrelated problems – such as child development, child abuse and neglect, or adolescent mental health problems and juvenile delinquency – we can achieve an integrated and research-based approach to prevention that cuts across different areas of government responsibility.’ DR DOROTHY SCOTT, THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION, 2001

Partnering for the Arts

Back in the early 1960s, Ken Myer and Ian Potter committed both their money and their time to help get the Howard Florey Institute off the ground. In the years that followed, the pair continued to work together for the good of the wider community, and the foundations that bear their names have supported many projects together. In 2013, the foundations collaborated once again, this time to help The University of Melbourne overhaul their Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) campus in Southbank, Victoria. In early 2014 the Victorian Government released its blueprint for a revitalised and extended Melbourne Arts Precinct, repurposing existing buildings on the 64-hectare site bordering St Kilda Road into a dedicated cluster of arts-related venues. The first part of this transformation is to revamp the historic police stables on Dodds Street into a visual arts

wing at the VCA. It is the largest redevelopment project in the VCA’s history, and will create public performance, event and exhibition areas across the campus and in surrounding streets, laneways and gardens. The result will be an exciting hub for arts and cultural activity. Philanthropy played a major role in kickstarting the $42.5 million project, with the Foundation contributing $5 million. Together with the Myer Foundation, The Ian Potter Foundation worked closely with The University of Melbourne to help secure state government support for the project, which resulted in not only a government grant but also the relocation of the police horse facility, which was crucial for the project to progress. The VCA expansion is due for completion in 2016.

Cultural hub Architect’s impression of the new Victorian College of the Arts Southbank campus. Photo courtesy of Arts Victoria.

Joining the Dots

Schools and other educational institutions often find it difficult to secure philanthropic support. Many times, they simply don’t know where to start. Where do they go? How much can they ask for? How can they learn about the grant-maker’s values and objectives? How can they make their grant application sound appealing? It’s been a challenge, too, for the philanthropic sector to assess how effective its educational grants are, which makes grants to this sector harder to justify. Creating a formalised and accessible way to share the outcomes of educational grants became the aim of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) project known as Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP). As one of their reports states, ‘Historically, philanthropy in education in Australia has tended to “fly under the radar”… what has resulted has been some difficulty in tracking information about philanthropy and ways of giving in Australia.’ With an interest in changing the status quo, the Foundation initially provided data and information from its own records to assist the researchers to develop their study proposal.

Partnership

From there the Foundation committed $225,000 to fund a three-year study into the effectiveness of grant-making in the education sector. Foundation staff worked closely with the researchers to provide information, and assisted with outreach to get other philanthropists on board. The Foundation’s CEO Janet Hirst was a member of the advisory panel, and former staff member Caitriona Fay was part of the project management team. Once the first year’s results were in, the Foundation provided another grant, funding the development and publication of a guide that would outline the ‘gold standard’ to bring together schools, service providers and philanthropic funders and help ensure that those who wanted to give were getting the funds to where they were most needed, and that those who needed funding knew who to ask. The toolkits are now being widely used by grant-makers and grant-seekers, providing information and best practice examples that help remove the guesswork from grantmaking. A further LLEAP report made the importance of partnerships clear. ‘Collaboration is one way through which to build, share and exchange knowledge.’

Literacy is a fundamental pathway to opportunity, and conversely, low literacy skills undermine a child’s selfconfidence and their ability to thrive. Research shows that the literacy levels of children from socio-economically disadvantaged homes can be up to three years behind those of other kids.

Passion for Words

Wordsmith Lachlann Carter, CEO of 100 Story Building with students from St Albans Primary School. Photo courtesy of 100 Story Building.

‘We’ve put a lot of work into understanding how we can have the most impact by having partnerships with the schools we’re working with, with the parents and with all of our other organisations. And when I refer to partnerships, I don’t just mean we have made an agreement to do this work, but it is actually understanding what each of us want to achieve out of this.’ LACHLANN CARTER, CEO, 100 STORY BUILDING IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL SHORT OF THE ZONE, NOVEMBER 2012

Burns Research Partnership

The social enterprise, 100 Story Building, is dedicated to building literacy skills among those disadvantaged children. It runs a range of programs – including workshops with schools – to boost both oral and written language skills. Its focus is children in Melbourne’s inner-western suburbs, where more than 4,000 students across 23 schools currently fall within the bottom quarter of socio-educational advantage. Part of 100 Story Building’s goal is to instil a passion for reading and writing, backed by a belief that a love of literacy can transform young lives. In 2013 The Ian Potter Foundation provided a $135,000 grant (through The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift) to the program to establish its own centre for young writers in Footscray. It was part of a number of important partnerships that have contributed to the organisation’s success. Philanthropic support also came from a number of other donors. A number of respected publishers are on board, as are Social Traders, which helped the organisation develop a sustainable business plan. The new centre opened in Footscray in September 2013 and the organisation is growing rapidly. It already has 200 volunteers registered and aims to reach more than 3,000 disadvantaged young people a year by its fifth year of operation. But it wouldn’t be possible without the attention they give to productive partnerships.

Burns are one of the top three causes of accidental death in children under the age of five, and one of the three most common injuries suffered by Australians each year. It is an area of relevance to us all, but it is especially relevant to Cynthia Banham after a plane crash in 2007 left her with burns to 60 per cent of her body and critical injuries that required amputation of both her legs. Cynthia’s survival and recovery after such a traumatic event were made possible by the life-saving treatment she received from Dr Fiona Wood and the burns unit at Royal Perth Hospital. Cynthia’s experience led to a desire to promote the hospital’s work, but also to further Australia’s research in this area. ‘I know firsthand the high level of expertise and talent we have in Australia,’ she says. ‘Even so, burn injury treatment remains a discipline in which much more knowledge is needed, particularly to improve the quality of life of survivors of severe burns trauma.’

— Partnership —

In 2013, The Ian Potter Foundation joined forces with Cynthia and the Royal Perth Hospital to establish the the Cynthia Banham Burn Injury Research Fellowship, which awards $20,000 a year towards the cost of a clinical researcher working under Fiona Wood’s tutelage. Public donations are helping to grow the fellowship so it can continue to work towards improvements in burns treatment for many years to come.

Dr Fiona Wood.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Partnering for New Discoveries

Expeditions have long been the mainstay of scientific research and discovery – think of Marco Polo, Magellan, the voyages of Charles Darwin, the ill-fated travels of Burke and Wills. During the 1960s a dedicated group of scientists and students from the University of New England in northern New South Wales set out on a number of journeys of scientific discovery of their own, albeit with more modest ambitions.

zoological research aims; the group intended to study rocks in the region, several species of lizard, mice in desert conditions and the effect of urea on water intake in humans. These rich research ambitions must have appealed to the pioneering spirit of the Governors of the Foundation as in 1968 the Foundation joined with the Australian Army, the CSIRO and the Sunshine Foundation to help the Exploration Society on their way.

Early on, the participants recall, the Exploration Society was ‘an excuse for adventure with a scientific focus’. In 1961 the Society mounted an expedition to north Queensland and in 1962 they travelled to Central Australia to study camel physiology, later publishing a book about the trip.

The scientific results of the expedition were pleasing, and because participants ranged from experienced academics to less experienced students, the expedition played a vital role in providing practical field experience and building networks. The group forged professional relationships with researchers in the Northern Territory, who continued to send back data and samples long after the expedition was over.

In the late 1960s, they planned an expedition to the Simpson Desert. The expedition had a number of geological and On the road University of New South Wales, Simpson Desert expedition, 1968. Photo courtesy of Professor Harold Heatwole.

‘Your grant of $650 has sealed the success of the expedition, and has enabled the full complement of scientists to be taken.’ FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY DEREK FISHER FROM THE EXPLORATION SOCIETY TO THE FOUNDATION, 1968

Partnership

Program Areas help the Foundation to maximise impact. For 50 years the Foundation has supported a diverse range of charitable endeavours. In the early years these were driven by Sir Ian’s personal interests in the arts and medical research as well as his desire to make a difference in the community more broadly. The Foundation’s Trust Deed allows it to give funds ‘for charitable purposes’ and this broad term of reference has allowed the Foundation to evolve over time to reflect both the interests of its Board of Governors and the changing needs of the community. The evolution of the Foundation’s grant-making also reflects the maturation of the Australian philanthropic sector over this time. In the early years, philanthropy meant writing cheques for good causes. Since the late 1980s – thanks to a growing pool of funds and increasing awareness of the role played by private funding in the public interest – the Foundation, along with many of its counterparts, has taken an increasingly strategic approach. For the first 25 years, the Foundation’s grants categories changed regularly: ‘education’ covered travel and conference grants, science, conservation and even medical research

if the grant recipient was a university. Similarly, ‘health’ encompassed paramedical projects and grants to hospitals, and what the Foundation now refers to as community wellbeing has been variously titled ‘social welfare’, ‘community services’ and simply ‘welfare’, reflecting changing social norms. Many grants were simply labelled as general support. In the 1990s the Foundation’s grant-making was structured into program areas and sub-sets, and in 1996, seven broad program areas were formalised, with clear objectives and funding priorities. Although the names and priorities have changed, the current nine program areas – Arts, Community Wellbeing, Education, Environment & Conservation, Health & Disability, Medical Research, Science, Travel and Conference – have been recurrent themes throughout the Foundation’s history. Guided by its enduring funding principles, in its first 50 years the Foundation has supported over 2,000 organisations with grants totalling more than $200 million.

Whole of community approach Family participates in an Education Benalla program, Tomorrow:Today Foundation.

The Arts

Supporting a vibrant and thriving arts sector has always been central to The Ian Potter Foundation’s philanthropy. Sir Ian himself was a passionate and active supporter of visual and performing arts, and was involved as a board member of a number of arts organisations even before he set up his Foundation.

Today, the Foundation is well established as a major supporter of the sector, particularly in Melbourne, having contributed materially to many of the city’s major arts institutions, from Arts Centre Melbourne and the National Gallery of Victoria to The Australian Ballet and The Ian Potter Museum of Art at The University of Melbourne.

In the early days, the Foundation’s Arts grants focused on providing funding for capital works, equipment and scholarships for artists. The first Arts grant was £5000 to the Victorian Arts Centre Trust (also referred to as the National Art Gallery and Cultural Centre Building committee).

While the equipment purchases and donations to general fundraising that were common in the first 20 years are no longer part of the Foundation’s grants priorities, support for fellowships and programs that encourage artistic excellence at both an individual and organisational level, remain important. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been awarded to projects large and small that aim to improve the calibre of artistic practice in Australia.

The Foundation’s Arts program is remarkable for the huge variety of projects it has supported. Over the years it has nurtured the careers of individual artists – initially through the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust and later through The Ian Potter Cultural Trust – and invested millions in major capital works programs for Australia’s largest cultural institutions. The Foundation has contributed substantially to the nation’s art collections through acquisitions – such as its sculpture commissions in the 1980s and the purchase of JMW Turner’s Val d’Aosta for the NGV in 1973 – and by funding a number of critical archiving, preservation and storage projects in galleries and museums in cities and regional towns around Australia.

In recent years, increasing audiences and improving access to the arts have become key foci. The Foundation has supported a number of education and outreach initiatives to assist organisations to engage with audiences and help more Australians benefit from enjoyment of the arts. Continuing the legacy of its founder, the Foundation’s Governors maintain that the arts are vital to cultural expression and human creativity, and that Australians should proudly support and enjoy a world-class arts scene.

First Arts grant

IAN POTTER SCULPTURE COMMISSIONS

£5,000

The Foundation began a series of sculpture commissions in 1980 to assist Australian sculptors and acquire works of excellence for the NGV. During the ﬁrst commission Ian Potter wrote to a friend, ‘All the Governors of the Foundation and I have a real interest in sculpture and to judge from the entries already made… it is likely that some interesting results might be achieved.’

to the Victorian Arts Centre Trust for the building fund for the National Gallery of Victoria, St Kilda Road, Melbourne (1965)

Six works were commissioned over ﬁve years. Geoffrey Bartlett’s The Messenger was displayed in the NGV’s St Kilda Road moat for two decades (pictured left) and is now on display in the gallery’s Grimwade Gardens.

Largest Arts grant

$15 million

1980 Les Kossatz Hard Slide

to the National Gallery of Victoria for the development of the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square (2000)

1981 Augustine Dall’Ava An Obscure View 1982 Geoffrey Bartlett The Messenger

Total Arts grants

1984 Stephen Killick The History of the Handshake Clifford Last Metamorphosis

$59 million

1985 Fiona Orr Isomorphic Impressions Major art commissions programs continue through The Ian Potter Cultural Trust. The Trust ran a series of music commissions in the 2000s and in 2012 began a program of moving image commissions in association with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Community Wellbeing

The Foundation’s first ‘community service’ grant, for £1,000, was made in 1964 to the Victorian Society for Crippled Children and Adults. Since then, the Foundation has made over 3,000 grants in support of community organisations across Australia. In the early years, many grants in this area were designated as ‘general support’, going to various fundraising appeals and the purchase of equipment. Typical Community grants in the 1970s included $5,000 to the YMCA for audio-visual equipment and a $15,000 grant to the Victorian Council for the Ageing in 1978 to fund an extra staff member. Over the first 35 years, the grants in this area were relatively small and varied widely, addressing needs and opportunities as they arose. By the late 1990s, the area had become the Foundation’s busiest program. To this day, it remains diverse, particularly in its smaller grants program, which funds projects that deliver everything from sex education to life skills for young mums, and from crisis support for at-risk families to employment support programs for disadvantaged groups. Always, though, the broad overarching aim is to promote wellbeing in the community. Governor of the Foundation, Sir James Gobbo, is a passionate supporter of volunteering, and has advocated for a number of significant grants in this vein. The largest of these was a grant of $397,000 in 2013 to the Australian Red Cross to link

First Community Wellbeing grant

volunteer mentors with formerly homeless individuals to support them to independent living, reduce social isolation and help prevent them returning to homelessness. In 2009, homelessness was formalised as a strategic theme in the Foundation’s Community Wellbeing area, paving the way for larger, more strategic grants. One of these was $194,000 to Melbourne City Mission’s Education Pathways for Young People program, which provides youth at risk of early school leaving with crisis and medium-term accommodation, alongside accredited education programs. Grants within this theme specifically support early intervention programs that aim to derail the cycle of disadvantage that can lead to homelessness. At the time of writing, over $5.5 million had been committed to homelessness prevention, including the program area’s biggest grant to date, $1 million to Mission Australia to support the development of the Mission Australia Centre in Kingswood in Sydney’s west. Supporting innovative social enterprises has also been a key focus of larger grants in recent years, particularly for projects providing new and sustainable ways of tackling entrenched problems. The Foundation has supported a number of organisations that are working in this developing field to provide a raft of employment opportunities for people who may have otherwise been relegated to life on the fringes of society as a result of disadvantage or mental illness.

BROPHY FAMILY & YOUTH SERVICES One of the benefits of the diversity of projects that can be assisted through the Foundation’s Community Wellbeing program is that the beneficiaries are sometimes hard-to-categorise projects that stand out for their currency, relevance and urgency. One such project is Brophy Family and Youth Services’ Reality & Risk program. Responding to issues of gender-based violence, this ground-breaking documentary film and education program is helping teenagers understand the impact and reality of increasingly pervasive mainstream pornography and its effect on relationships and sexuality.

£1,000 to the Victorian Society for Crippled Children and Adults (1964)

Largest Community Wellbeing grant

$1 million to Mission Australia towards the development of the Mission Australia Centre, Kingswood, NSW (2010)

The Foundation made four grants to the project between 2009 and 2013, totalling $130,000.

Total Community Wellbeing grants

$34 million

Still from Brophy Family & Youth Services’ documentary film Love & Sex in an Age of Pornography.

Program Areas

Education

If education is fundamental to the acquisition of knowledge, it is therefore central to the pursuit of excellence and innovation. It is also vital to the long-term success of any measures that aim to mitigate disadvantage. Lying close to the heart of the Foundation’s principles, education has been an important element of its philanthropy from the outset. The first grant in education was £100 to the Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria (now FKA Children’s Services) to help them maintain their free kindergartens and coordinate teacher training. It was the first of a series of grants to the Kindergarten Union throughout the 1960s and 1970s, perhaps in recognition of the importance of early years education to children’s future learning outcomes, which is now a focus of the Foundation’s current grants program. In the 1960s and 1970s, ‘education’ encompassed all grants to learning institutions, and included what the Foundation now refers to as travel and conference grants, which support researchers and academics to travel internationally to attend conferences and other events. Reflecting the Foundation’s willingness to support innovation, among the grants archive is a $1,000 grant to the Australian Council for Education and Research to assist a pilot of CCTV in schools. The Foundation also made a number of grants to school and college fundraising appeals and funded the purchase of equipment for a number of educational programs in zoos and museums. During the 1980s, the Education program area remained the umbrella for a wide variety of smaller grants including support for people with vision impairment through multiple donations to the Braille and Talking Book Library. One of the first large grants in the education area was $100,000 to the Rare Books Room at the State Library of Victoria in 1990, followed by $500,000 to the IT capacity of the Baillieu Library at The University of Melbourne in 1996. Throughout the early 2000s, support for tertiary and further learning was a key feature of the Foundation’s education funding. In 2007, it awarded $300,000 to The University

of Melbourne’s Asialink scholarship program to build learning connections with our Asian neighbours. Significant funding for fellowship programs at the School for Social Entrepreneurs and a grant to an online learning stream at the Centre for Sustainability Leadership recognised the value of investing in thought-leadership. Funding for programs to promote educational opportunity for disadvantaged people began in the late 1990s. In recent years, the Foundation has targeted early intervention and holistic learning models in a shift towards support for education as a means of countering disadvantage and improving education outcomes and transition to employment for at-risk children and youth. This shift has seen some larger sums invested in ambitious, whole-of-community initiatives that aim to achieve substantive change in education outcomes with the long-term goal of reducing intergenerational disadvantage. The Tomorrow:Today Foundation’s Education Benalla Program featured on page 56 is an example of this kind of initiative, as is Hands On Learning, which received $600,000 in 2013 to further a project to keep disengaged students at school and build employment pathways. Even more ambitious is the Menzies School of Health Research’s project to establish a Centre for Child Development and Education in the Northern Territory. The centre will undertake research needed for policy and practices that will in turn address the poor health, education and social circumstances of Indigenous children. This project received the Foundation’s largest grant from the Education program area when it was awarded $1.5 million in 2010. These are long-term projects and their true impact will not be known for some time. Over the past 50 years, the Foundation has moved from small, simple grants to substantial grants for complex programs aimed at addressing the root causes of social issues. This evolution reflects a growing understanding of strategic philanthropy and its role in making the difference Sir Ian Potter had hoped for.

DISCOVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, BENDIGO

First Education grant

To help address declining numbers of students from rural and regional areas taking up science, maths and engineering in secondary school and university, the Foundation made a grant of $47,000 to support The Lab at Bendigo’s Discovery Science & Technology Centre in 2007. The Lab is a hands-on science learning environment that runs year-round education programs that provide access to an engaging, hands-on lab environment with the aim of sparking some ‘light-bulb moments’ for students and an interest in future science careers.

£100 to the Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria to help maintain provision of free kindergartens and coordinate teacher training

Largest Education grant

$1.5 million to the Menzies School of Health Research for the establishment of the Centre for Child Development and Education (2010)

Total Education grants

$19 million

Photo courtesy of Discovery Science & Technology Centre.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Environment & Conservation

The Foundation’s early Education, Science and Travel grants reflect an awareness of the importance of environmental conservation, but it wasn’t until the early 1980s that the issue gained real traction. When the executive secretary of the Foundation, Pat Feilman, brought the idea of the Potter Farmland Plan (page 52) to the Board of Governors in 1982, environmental issues were just beginning to gain momentum as matters of broad public concern. In giving rise to the Landcare movement, the Potter Farmland Plan had an enduring impact on the farming sector and the environmental movement, as well as the Foundation’s future grant-making practices, marking as it did the beginning of the Foundation’s ongoing support for environmental conservation. In the 1990s, the Foundation awarded a number of grants to Landcare projects and continued its commitment to landscape-scale conservation projects. Large grants to the Australian Landscape Trust supported the protection of critical habitats near Renmark and degraded land in the Riverland region of South Australia, and later, collaborative projects with the CSIRO and local schools for restoration programs in the area. The themes of conservation and restoration continued with grants throughout the early 2000s. In addition, the Foundation placed new emphasis on grants to support data collection for key habitats and threatened species, with funding given to organisations such as Trust for Nature and the Dolphin Research Institute. The Foundation understood that to make a case for policy change, these organisations needed to be able to evaluate and measure their results.

challenge of funding effectively in this area also continues to increase. In 2009 the Foundation aided the establishment of the Australian Environmental Grantmaker’s Network to help bring together environmental funders and support information-sharing and collaboration in this complex area, and to grow philanthropic giving. Since 2010, the Foundation has focused its attention on efforts to preserve biodiversity in the face of land degradation, limited water resources and climate change. It also continues to support landscape-scale protection projects for areas of high conservation value. As debate continues on how to best combat climate change, it is increasingly clear that the long-term health of Australia’s land, water and biodiversity can’t be achieved without meaningful conversations between scientists and policymakers. The Foundation’s support for the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, with grants totalling $1.5 million to date, recognises the role of philanthropy in scientific efforts to accumulate knowledge and formulate practical approaches to maintaining healthy and productive land, freshwater and marine resources for future generations. Over the years, the Foundation has also maintained its interest in the preservation of the built environment. Today this is manifest in its support for heritage trust groups who aim to develop conservation management plans for significant buildings and identify viable end uses for them. The Foundation’s largest grant of this type was $300,000 to the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute in 2006 to restore and repair the valuable heritage building and reinstate its original verandah.

As public awareness grows and the need to protect and preserve our environment becomes ever more pressing, the

First Environment & Conservation grant

£100 to the Australian Conservation Foundation to assist the Victorian National Parks Association to complete its Nature Conservation Survey of Victoria (1967)

Largest Environment & Conservation grant

$5 million to the Royal Botanic Gardens Board for stage two of the Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (2006)

Total Environment & Conservation grants

$22 million AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) manages 23 protected area sanctuaries around Australia. In 2013 the Foundation awarded a grant of $1.2 million to AWC to help them measure the return on investment of their approach to conservation, sourcing data that can be used to guide policy in protected area management. In 2014, the NSW Government endorsed AWC’s proposal to create three fenced national park sanctuaries where locally extinct species such as bilbies and quolls will be reintroduced and encouraged to breed.

Program Areas

Photo courtesy of Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Health & Disability

In the 50 years since the Foundation began, one thing that has changed little is the need for effective health service delivery, preventative medicine and health education. Closely tied to principles of excellence and prevention, the Foundation’s grants in this area aim to improve quality of life for people living with disability or illness, as well as targeting disease prevention. In the first 20 years, the Foundation’s Medical, Health, Science and Research grants were considered as one group, with the general intention of contributing to the sector and improving health outcomes. Of the grants directed to health and disability, most were relatively modest amounts providing general support to hospitals and health institutions. Some grants were for innovative endeavours, such as a new level for the multiple sclerosis unit at the Bethlehem Public Hospital in 1969, to which the Foundation donated $1,000. By the mid-1980s the Foundation began to target its grants more strategically, with a focus on areas of particular need. The specific health needs of the Indigenous population became a matter of interest to the Board, with the Foundation contributing to a variety of projects including health worker training programs through the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Co-operative in 1983. Although grants to health projects remained relatively modest throughout the decade, disability and chronic disease became foci, and a number of grants were also made to speech and hearing clinics such as the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences. Since 2000, the Foundation’s investment in Community Health has increased while continuing to build on these same key areas of need.

Significant funding has also been allocated in response to major emerging community health challenges such as obesity, diabetes, mental health and dementia. This included $150,000 in 2013 to Mind Australia to pilot a service model to better support people with serious mental illness; two $50,000 grants to the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health to educate about type II diabetes; and $113,000 to the Royal District Nursing Service to trial a nurse-led program to assist people with dementia still living at home. These grants highlight the role contemporary philanthropy plays in developing innovative health service models for the community. The Foundation has also been quick to support the use of technology to assist health organisations to access information, share knowledge, track and map trends and connect with others. In recent years, a number of grants to fund the development of databases have assisted work in cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, arthritis and even genomics. Technology is also making a big difference to people living with disabilities. In 2014, the Foundation’s funding for a 3D printer allowed Technical Aid to the Disabled to start producing low cost, custom-made assistive technology such as equipment, parts and prototypes; it’s a good example of the Foundation’s impact in this area. While public health remains a key responsibility of government, the Foundation’s philanthropy plays an important role in supporting innovation, the development and sharing of information, and improvement of services to promote good health for all Australians.

First Health & Disability grant

HEAR AND SAY

£1,000

Hear and Say supports deaf children throughout Queensland, helping them listen and speak using a combination of modern hearing technology, such as the cochlear implant, and specialised auditory-verbal therapy. Their approach has successfully assisted hundreds of young children in their programs to start school with listening and spoken language at the same level as their hearing peers.

to The Mercy Hospital Building Appeal (1964)

Largest Health & Disability grant

The Foundation has supported Hear and Say with several grants over the years, the most recent being $100,000 in 2014 to fund an occupational therapy project.

$1 million to The University of Melbourne for the National Indigenous Eye Health Program (2013)

Total Health & Disability grants

$10 million

Photo courtesy of Hear and Say.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Medical Research

Support for medical research has been a cornerstone of the Foundation’s funding since it was established, with $46 million contributed to the sector and a further $11 million committed over the next four years. Ian Potter had a well-documented fascination for medical research, and great admiration for the brilliant scientists and researchers working to increase knowledge and improve human health. Prior to the establishment of the Foundation, Ian Potter was involved in the formation of the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine in 1963. This set the stage for the investments that would come later through his Foundation. Since then, in the area of Medical Research, the emphasis on larger grants and long-term investments has remained largely unchanged. A hallmark of the Foundation’s Medical Research program has been its support for Australia’s leading research institutes, particularly in their formative stages when leverage is crucial for funding and endorsement. In this way, the Foundation assisted the establishment of a number of major facilities, including Research Australia, the National Trauma Research Institute at the Alfred Hospital, the Bionic Ear Institute (now the Bionics Institute), the Ian Potter Malaria Research Laboratory at Burnet Institute, and the Blood and Bone Cancer Centre at St Vincent’s Institute. This tradition continued in 2012 with the commitment of $15 million over six years towards the new Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre project.

Over the years Medical Research has attracted the Foundation’s largest individual grants, with an emphasis on the provision of cutting edge technology and facilities. In 1967, this was an electron microscope worth $40,000; today it may be a mass spectrometer worth hundreds of thousands. Medical research is expensive and inherently risky, but the Foundation has always sought to support the greatest minds coming up with the best ideas, by furnishing the facilities and equipment that will allow researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge and have the best chance of success. Many of the Foundation’s grants support major initiatives by leading Australian research institutes, universities and teaching hospitals to undertake innovative biomedical research as well as research into major diseases. The Foundation hopes that the outcomes of these initiatives will impact not just on those specific research areas, but also more broadly. Although philanthropic organisations are not the ones that wield the scalpel or look into the microscope, such untied funding is vital to enable world-class biomedical research that will ultimately bring about new preventative strategies and cures for major diseases.

First Medical Research grant

ST VINCENT’S INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH

£15,000

In 2009, Dr Carl Walkley and Dr Louise Purton (pictured left) joined the Stem Cell Institute at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research after several years of great research success at Harvard University. To enable them to continue their groundbreaking work, the Foundation provided two grants: $500,000 to the Blood and Bone Cancer Centre in 2009, and $250,000 to the Integrated Clinical Research Facility in 2013. These funds have assisted the purchase of a suite of equipment essential to the researchers’ understanding of the development of blood and bone cancers and the effectiveness of potential disease treatments.

to the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine

Largest Medical Research grant

$15 million to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation for the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre project (2012)

Total Medical Research grants

$46 million

Photo courtesy of St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research.

Program Areas

Science

Sir Ian’s interest in innovation and the acquisition of knowledge was a key driver in his Foundation’s backing of scientific endeavours. His support of the science community was manifest in his association with the country’s peak scientific society, the Australian Academy of Science, of which he was made a fellow in 1978 – a rare honour for a non-scientist. Although the Foundation’s Science program has had many incarnations over the decades, it has consistently backed the efforts of Australia’s best and brightest scientific minds to probe new ideas and advance knowledge. In 1964, the Foundation’s first Science grant was for £1,000 towards the purchase of an IBM 7044 computer worth £230,000 for The University of Melbourne, so that staff could learn to use a computer and undertake ‘advanced research’. In 1965, a grant of £5,000 went to researchers at Monash University to support a study into the ‘microclimate stability of desert ants nests’. At the time, Governor of the Foundation, Sir Ian Wark commented that he was ‘quite sure that the grant from the Potter Foundation will be a sort of pump primer under which he [the researcher, Dr G Ettershank] will be able to get the rest of the finance for his project’. It was, and this became a principle for allocating the Foundation’s science funding for years to come. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Science grants supported a number of inventions, salaries for researchers, fellowship programs and climate and geographical research surveys. It also contributed to the purchase of items such as an X-ray topography machine for Monash University and laser equipment for RMIT. Although the grant amounts were typically smaller, for the researchers they were often the difference between their project happening or not. While it’s hard to measure the outcomes quantitatively, they certainly add up to a substantial contribution to Australia’s scientific knowledge and progress.

In 1982, the Foundation made a grant of $25,000 to the Australian Academy of Science towards the purchase of a landmark building, Beauchamp House. In 1985 it was renamed Ian Potter House in recognition of Sir Ian’s contribution to science and the academy. The Foundation made a significant number of grants to the Academy over several decades, beginning with support for their Senior Fellowship Scheme in the late 1960s and continuing with funding for a wide range of projects in mathematics, student exchange programs and curriculum and teaching resources. The Foundation’s largest grant to the Academy was $100,000 in 1990 for a biology resource for schools. Likewise, the CSIRO and major universities received a steady flow of grants throughout the 1980s and 1990s for projects and studies into ethnology, entomology, the impact of bushfires, the biosphere, indigenous habitation and numerous other topics, all adding to the reservoir of scientific knowledge and learning. Over the past decade support for exceptional scientists has been the central focus of the Foundation’s Science program area. Grants for fellowship programs at Museum Victoria and other leading scientific institutions are strategically directed at supporting promising researchers early in their careers, providing an incentive for them to remain in Australia. Since 2004, the Foundation has substantially scaled up its Science program to support major initiatives that increase knowledge of Australia’s biodiversity and its ecological sustainability including support for the establishment of world-class marine research facilities at Lizard Island Research Station and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science on Sydney Harbour (page 44–45).

THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

First Science grant

The IBM 7044 computer purchased by The University of Melbourne in 1964, with a little help from one of the Foundation’s ﬁrst grants.

£1,000 to The University of Melbourne for the purchase of an IBM 7044 computer (1964)

Largest Science grant

$1.5 million to the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation to establish a marine science research facility, the Ian Potter Tropical Marine Research Centre (2004)

Total Science grants

$8 million Source: Museum Victoria, courtesy of The University of Melbourne.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Travel and Conference

Sir Ian Potter was a man of the world, travelling regularly and gaining experiences that affirmed the value of international exposure for learning and making professional and personal connections. Certainly in the 1960s – before the advent of the fax, let alone the internet – Australia’s geographic isolation made international travel simultaneously vital and prohibitively expensive. For the past 50 years, the Travel program area has been one of the Foundation’s most enduring. The Governors of the Foundation saw early on that providing the relatively small grants needed for such travel would enable academics, researchers and artists to gain experience, knowledge and connections that would reap rewards for their work, their careers and ultimately, the broader community. It is an elegant example of the ripple effect of philanthropic funding. The first Travel grant was made to the Museum of Victoria so that then-Assistant Director Edmund D Gill could travel to the USA and England to conduct research into the evolution of Australian flora and fauna. In another notable example, in 1969, a young Dr Tom Hurley, who was working as a physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, received a Travel grant of $500 to attend a meeting of the International Committee on Sarcoidosis in Prague. Dr Hurley, who later joined the Foundation’s Board of Governors, recalls, ‘It was most satisfying – and quite unusual at the time – to receive the grant. Academic departments were still in their

infancy in Australia, and international travel was vital. I am still in contact with some of the people I met through that committee, and these connections are very important.’ Despite the advent of the internet and the ensuing era of social media connecting people around the globe, travel and face-to-face interaction with peers and colleagues remain invaluable learning experiences. Since 1964, the Foundation has allocated 2,400 Travel grants across a vast range of fields, representing an investment of over $3 million in Australia’s intellectual capital. In the 1970s, the Foundation furthered its contribution to international exchange and the dissemination of knowledge by extending its program of Conference grants. The first of these was a grant of $1,000 to the National Heart Foundation for the 1971 International Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Conference in Melbourne. Today, the Conference program continues to assist universities and a wide range of not-for-profit organisations to bring internationally-renowned keynote speakers to Australia to impart knowledge and inspire thinking and ideas. The many positive outcomes of grants made in these program areas are powerful examples of how smaller amounts of money, invested in the right people at the right time, can make a real and lasting difference.

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, RECIPROCAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

First Travel and Conference grant

£500

Between 1967 and 1971, the Foundation made grants of $30,000 (almost $300,000 in today’s terms) to fund fact-ﬁnding and relationship-building trips by Australian parliamentarians overseas, as well as visits to Australia by parliamentarians from other countries. ‘The information that I gathered about matters of national and international importance to Australia could not have been obtained by me otherwise,’ said Senator Douglas McClelland in a letter to the Foundation. ‘My own knowledge of other countries has been added to enormously and I am more determined to help secure peace, friendship, tolerance and goodwill amongst all peoples of the world.’ McClelland went on to serve as a minister in the Whitlam Government, as well as high commissioner to the UK.

to the Museum of Victoria for Assistant Director Edmund D Gill to travel to the USA and England to conduct research into the evolution of Australian flora and fauna (1965)

Largest Travel and Conference grant

$30,000 to the Genomics Disorders Research Centre to bring international speakers to the first Human Variome Project meeting (2006)

Total Travel and Conference grants

$4 million Exchange program Australian members of Parliament Tony Street (left) and Peter Howson (right) with visiting Fijian Minister for Natural Resources Mr JB Naisara, 1969.

Program Areas

50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants

Grants awarded Representatives of the 11 organisations awarded 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants with Janet Hirst and Governors of the Foundation, June 2014.

To help celebrate the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary, a special Commemorative Grants program was developed to encourage and support the development of strong, cohesive and resilient Australian communities. Two streams were developed: Effective Organisations, which aimed to support the development of well-managed and properly resourced organisations that would be able to respond creatively and effectively to the needs of their constituents; and Building Communities, to help organisations contribute to the long-term resilience and viability of their communities.

‘We were overwhelmed by the response,’ said Janet Hirst. ‘The calibre of the applications was such that we exceeded the original $4 million budget to make grants of $5.5 million. We believe the 11 successful organisations have what it takes to make a meaningful difference – and now they have the means to make their plans a reality.’ In June 2014, grant recipients were announced at a special celebration event at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, in the company of the Foundation’s Board of Governors, staff, associates and representatives of the recipient organisations. The recipient organisations, which represented a wide range of sectors and issues, each received a grant of $500,000.

STREAT

SecondBite

To create a youth training academy at Cromwell House and help scale their enterprise model to self-sufficiency by 2017.

To expand their fresh food exchange program into regional and rural Victoria.

Eastern Region Mental Health Association (Ermha) To expand the MadCap Cafe social enterprise to support more people with mental illness.

Social Traders

To establish the Ian Potter Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wild Play Garden in Centennial Park, Sydney with the aim of connecting children with the natural environment.

To broker social enterprise procurement contracts (SEPEX) between small social enterprises and big business.

Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation

Museums Victoria Lifeline Australia United Lifeline: Structure Review and Shared Services Program to increase organisational efficiency.

Training Opportunities and Options for Learning (TOOL) To establish the TOOL Timber Recovery social enterprise, which will offer training and employment opportunities for youth at risk in the Hobart area.

Centennial Parklands Foundation

To establish the Ian Potter Australian Wildlife Biobank to help preserve our faunal heritage.

Mallee Family Care for the Independent Agency Network Model of Efficiency: To create a shared client database system across the independent community service agencies, Mallee Family Care, Upper Murray Family Care and Oz Child.

To enable intensive research into outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.

RMIT To establish The Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility to accelerate development of applications for nanotechnology in diagnosis of diseases and improved biosecurity.

Reaching Forward

What an amazing time to be the CEO of The Ian Potter Foundation – to have the opportunity to look back at the past 50 years and to reach forward and set the wheels in motion for the next 50. It is a time to reflect not only on the impact of the Foundation’s grant-making since 1964, but on the vision and generosity of spirit of Sir Ian Potter, whose insightful and prescient philanthropy left a legacy that will continue for many more years to come. This book gives the reader a taste of some of the 8,000-plus grants that have been made over five decades: small travel grants that have opened big doors; catalytic projects such as the bionic ear and bionic eye, and others, such as the Ian Potter Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, that bring joy and learning to the next generation.

Janet Hirst Chief Executive Officer

In our golden anniversary year our key themes have been innovation and transformation. Our commemorative grants program drew out 11 exciting and ambitious projects that are set to make a big difference to some leading organisations in the community, bringing benefits for us all. It will be fascinating to look back in 10 or 20 years and see the impact of these grants on the organisations and their work. Over the past 50 years the Foundation has changed its way of grant-making. In Ian Potter –A Biography, Peter Yule states, ‘While the Foundation was working its way towards a distinctive philosophy in its early years there were still strong elements of the traditional “alms-giving” approach to philanthropy’. Today, the Foundation takes a strategic approach to its giving so it can make the greatest difference. We often use our grants to leverage funding from government and other sources and we acknowledge the importance of engaged philanthropy not setting the agenda but understanding a situation, linking into the community and responding to need. Contemporary philanthropy is based on an exchange between funders and grant recipients, not passive transactions. When I first became CEO in 2005 I read an article in the Harvard Business Review that stated, ‘Foundations can and should lead social progress. They have the potential to make more effective use of scarce resources than either individual donors or government. Free from political pressures, foundations can explore new solutions to social problems with an independence that government can never have.’ (Harvard Business Review, Philanthropy’s New Agenda: Creating Value, Porter and Kramer, 1999). This has stayed with me ever since. I believe it is beholden on a foundation such as The Ian Potter Foundation to take informed risks and test new ideas, now and in the future.

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

There is no doubt that philanthropy will continue to evolve. We are already seeing the establishment of very large private foundations and huge donations that will change the Australian philanthropic landscape. Internationally, some of the world’s richest people are signing up to The Giving Pledge, committing to give more than half of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes either in their lifetime or in their will. At the time of writing pledges stand at $US252 billion. This growth in philanthropy is undeniably game-changing. The role for foundations such as ours will be to continue to be strategic in grant-making, to be open to new ideas, to take considered risks, and to contribute where we can make the greatest difference. In 1972, Pat Feilman, then executive secretary of The Ian Potter Foundation, said, ‘I have no doubt that in the coming years [the Foundation] Governors will continue to be ever ready to consider new concepts and to devise new ways of assisting with the many problems confronting society at all levels’. That need for philanthropy to embrace change and take risks remains true to this day and I believe it will always remain so. As we look ahead to the coming years, the sector will face new challenges. Issues and pressures will change and the Foundation will need to adapt to the changing circumstances whilst remaining true to the vision of Sir Ian and the funding principles that have guided our philanthropy for so long. As we proudly celebrate 50 years of philanthropy, we look ahead and consider what people will be saying as they look back in another 50 years’ time. Philanthropy will be very different and I have no doubt that the new trends of today, such as impact investing, investment in social impact bonds, venture philanthropy, increased transparency and the increasing role of communications and social media will all be mainstream. As we reach forward, we have the opportunity to set the scene for the future and the part we hope The Ian Potter Foundation will play. It is an exciting time and a unique opportunity. I have no doubt that, with an outstanding Board of Governors and talented and committed staff, the Foundation will continue to build on Sir Ian Potter’s legacy and contribute to a vibrant, healthy and fair Australia for many more years to come. Janet Hirst Chief Executive Officer

A gift to the Ian Potter Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden Chris Cole, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Janet Hirst unveil Endangered Asia Mali by artist Kelly

Just, created as part of Melbourne Zooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 150 year celebrations, 2012.

The Ian Potter Foundation staff 2014 Left to right: Alberto Furlan, Fiona Collie, Adele Hirst (intern), Stewart Leslie, Claire Rimmer, Avalee Weir, Sue Wilkinson, Janet Hirst, Jim Vale, Nicole McLeod, Gail Lewry, Cecilia Gason, Stacey Stertern-Gill (absent: Sally Cliff).

Reaching Forward

Index Note: page numbers in bold indicate photographs.

100 Story Building 64 Aboriginal rock art 21 Andrew, Carl Francis 23 art acquisitions 68 art conservation 20 Arts grants 4, 19, 68 Ashford, Aileen 60 Ashworth, Dianne 25, 28, 28 Asialink scholarships 70 at-risk children 60 Australian Academy of Science 2, 8, 74 Australian Ballet 19, 42–3, 48, 68 Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies 55 Australian Conservation Foundation 71 Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) 63, 70 Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust (AETT) 2, 19, 48, 68 Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN) 55, 71 Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne 48, 71 Australian Institute of International Affairs 75 Australian Landscape Trust 53, 71 Australian Museum 44 Australian National University 21 Australian Opera 19 Australian Red Cross 69 Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) 62 Australian Scientific Archives Project 21 Australian United Corporation 2 Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) 71 Baillieu Library 70 Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute 71 Banham, Cynthia 64 Bartlett, Geoffrey 68, 68 Bell, John 55 Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company 55 Bennett, Prof. Kerry 11 Bethlehem Public Hospital 72 The Big Issue 37 bionic ear technology 23, 29 bionic eye technology 28 Bionics Institute 28, 29, 73 Bladin, Dr Peter 17 Blainey, Prof. Geoffrey 9, 21 Blood and Bone Cancer Centre 73 Board of Governors 4, 5, 9, 9, 76 Bowtell, Prof. David 53 Bradley House 38 Braille and Talking Book Library 70 Bread and Butter Project 30, 31 Brearley, Prof. Maurice 33 Bright Sparcs 21 Brookes, Sir Norman 3 Brophy Family and Youth Services 69 Brotherhood of St Lawrence 33 Building Communities grants 76 Burgess, Anthony 8, 9 burn injury treatment 64 Campbell, Andrew 53 cancer research and treatment 49 Carnegie, Sir Roderick 47 Carter, Lachlann 64

The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years

Centennial Parklands Foundation 22, 77 Centre for Child Development and Education 70 Centre for Sustainability Leadership 70 cerebral palsy 40 Chernov, The Hon Alex 9 Chernov, Elizabeth 9 Child and Family Services, Ballarat 37 children’s gardens 22 children’s health and development 62 Children’s Protection Society (CPS) 60, 61 Clark, Neil (‘Nobby’) 9 Clark, Prof. Graeme 28, 29, 29 Cliff, Sally 79 Cochlear Kids project 23 Cole, Chris 79 Collie, Fiona 79 Community Wellbeing grants 4, 26, 69 Comprehensive Epilepsy Program 17 Coombs, ‘Nugget’ 2 Cory, Prof. Suzanne 8 CSIRO 71, 74 cultural grants 4, 19–21 Cynthia Banham Burn Injury Research Fellowship 64 Dall’Ava, Augustine 68 Darvall, Sir Roger 4, 9, 17 Davis, The Hon David 5 Davis, Leon 9 Dawson, Sir Daryl 5, 9, 38 Denton, Prof. Derek 2, 17 Discovery Science & Technology Centre, Bendigo 70 Dolphin Research Institute 71 donations to Foundation 2, 4, 5 Donnan, Prof. Geoffrey 17 Doubell, Jennifer 49 Du, Ma 31 Dutton, The Hon Peter 5 Dyson, Prof. Peter 32 Early Years Education Research Project (EYERP) 60 Eastern Region Mental Health Association 77 Education Benalla Program 56, 67, 70 Education grants 4, 22, 63, 70 Education Pathways for Young People program 69 Effective Organisations grants 76 employees of Foundation 4–5, 79 Environment and Conservation grants 4, 22, 40, 53, 71 epilepsy research and management 17 eScholarship Research Centre 21 establishment of Foundation 2, 4, 7 Ettershank, Dr G 74 excellence 14–23 Exploration Society 65 family day care 33 FareShare 26 faunal heritage 77 Fay, Caitriona 63 Feilman, Patricia 4, 10, 11, 52, 53, 55, 71, 78 Firmer Foundations 36 Fisher, Derek 65 Fisheries and Wildlife Research Trust 40 flora preservation 54 Florey, Howard 16, 17

Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health 4, 14, 16 Follows, Andrew 19 food rescue programs 26, 77 Foodbank 26 Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria 70 Fresh Start Maintenance Services 38 Furlan, Alberto 79 future of Foundation 5, 78 Gason, Cecilia 79 genomics 53 Genomics Disorders Research Centre 75 Gill, Edmund D 75 The Giving Pledge 79 Gobbo, Sir James 9, 50, 69 Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service 36 Goode, Charles 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 26, 47 Gough, John 9, 44, 47 grants 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants 26, 30, 76–7 distribution across program areas 4 eligible bodies 4, 66 grant-making philosophy 78 guiding principles 5, 24, 34, 42, 43, 50, 59 program areas 4, 66 Greening Australia 53 Hands On Learning project 70 Harris, David 26 Health and Disability grants 4, 39, 72 Healy, Prof. Tom 9, 40, 43, 44 Hear and Say 72 Heatwole, Prof. Harold 65 heritage preservation 71 Hilton, Prof. Doug 53 Hirst, Adele 79 Hirst, Janet 5, 9, 10, 26, 30, 36, 38, 39, 63, 76, 76, 78, 79, 79 Holt, Harold 7, 10 homelessness 36, 69 Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine 2, 4, 5, 10, 16, 17, 43, 73 Howson, Peter 75 Hurley, Dr Thomas 9, 17, 75 Hutchings, Dr Patricia 44 Ian Potter & Co. 2 Ian Potter Australian Wildlife Biobank 77 Ian Potter Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine 53 Ian Potter Centre, NGV 8, 47, 68 Ian Potter Chair of Indigenous Rock Art 21 Ian Potter Children’s Garden 22, 48 Ian Potter Children’s Wild Play Garden 22, 77 Ian Potter Cultural Trust 11, 19, 68 Ian Potter Foundation Centre of Cancer Genomics and Predictive Medicine 53 Ian Potter Gallery and Art Conservation Centre 20 Ian Potter House, Canberra 8, 74 Ian Potter Lakeside Precinct 48 Ian Potter Malaria Research Laboratory 73 Ian Potter Museum of Art 8, 46, 46, 68

Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility 77 Ian Potter Toy Library 36 Ian Potter Tropical Marine Research Centre 44, 74 Indigenous education 41, 70 Indigenous Eye Health Program 39, 72 Indigenous health 39, 41, 70, 72 innovation 24–33 Institute of Child Health Research 41 Institute of Public Affairs 2 intergenerational disadvantage 56 investment corpus of Foundation 5 Just, Kelly 78 Katz, Lally 18, 19 Kennett, Jeff 47 Killick, Stephen 68 Kimberley Foundation Australia 21 Kossatz, Les 68 Landcare movement 53, 71 Landy, John 47 Larkins, Prof. Richard 9 Last, Clifford 68 Lazarus, Judy 38 Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP) 63 Leslie, Stewart 79 leverage 42–50 Lewry, Gail 79 Lifeline Australia 77 Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences 72 literacy building 64 Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation 44, 74, 77 Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS) 44, 45, 74 long-term thinking 50–7 Ludwig, Daniel K 8 Ludwig Institute 8 McArthur, Roy 4, 9, 17 McClelland, Douglas 75 McLeod, Nicole 79 MadCap Cafes 30, 77 Mallee Family Care for the Independent Agency 77 marine biology research 44, 77 Martin, Prof. Raymond Leslie 9 Medical Research grants 4, 16–17, 28, 73 Melbourne Arts Centre 23, 68 Melbourne Arts Precinct 23, 63 Melbourne City Mission 69 mental health 36–7 Menzies, Sir Robert 2, 3, 16 Menzies School of Health Research 70 Mercy Hospital Building Appeal 72 microfinance 32 Mind Australia 72 Mission Australia 36, 38, 69 Monash University 74 Morgan, Hugh 9 Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health 72 Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) 40, 53 Museums Victoria 74, 75, 77 Myer, Baillieu 2 Myer Foundation 55, 63 Myer, Kenneth 2, 16, 43, 63

Myers, Allan 9 Naisara, J B 75 National Gallery of Victoria 4, 68 National Heart Foundation 75 National Portrait Gallery 47 National Trauma Research Institute 73 Nature Conservation Survey of Victoria 71 Nelson, Frank 9 Niall, Prof. Hugh 16, 17, 17 No-Interest Loan Schemes (NILS) 32 Nossal, Sir Gustav 8, 8 Orr, Fiona 68 OSCAR-5 satellite radio 32 Parker Bowles, Carolyn 2 partnership 58–65 personalised medicine 53 Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre 49, 53, 73 philanthropic donations, tax deductibility 2, 4, 7 philanthropy ‘alms-giving’ approach 78 art of 13 growth in Australia 2, 7, 55 international growth 78 raising awareness of 4 strategic approach 78 Philanthropy Australia 8, 19, 55 Pitt, Sir Harry 3 PlantBank 54 Potter Farmland Plan 4, 52–3, 71 Potter, Lady (Primrose) 2, 3, 7, 7, 8, 9, 10, 19, 47, 48, 57 Potter, Robin 2 Potter, Sir William Ian (Ian) 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 23, 47, 63, 66, 68, 73, 74, 75 Praagh, Dame Peggy van 48 prevention 34–41 Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre 48 prisoner recidivism 38 Purton, Dr Louise 73 Reality & Risk program 69 Reddihough, Dr Dinah 40 Research Australia 73 Rimmer, Claire 79 Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy project 40 RMIT 74, 77 Roberts, Robyn 36 Rose, Dr P John 9, 19 Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne 48, 71 Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 22, 48 Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust 54 Royal District Nursing Service 72 Royal Perth Hospital 64 Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital 29 Ryan, Prof. Graeme 5, 9, 23, 49 St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research 73 Saunders, Rod 29 School for Social Entrepreneurs Australia 30, 70 Science grants 74 Scienceworks 22

Index

scientific expeditions 65 scientific history 21 Scott, Amber 42–3 Scott, Dr Dorothy 10, 62 sculpture commissions 68 SecondBite 26, 77 Sewell, Alec Prentice 11, 57, 64 Shepherd, Prof. Rob 28 Shine for Kids 38 social enterprise ventures 30–3, 64, 77 The Social Studio 30, 31 Social Traders 30, 64, 77 space programs 32 stair-climbing wheelchairs 33 Stanley, Dr Fiona 41, 62 State Library of Victoria 70 Step Up Victoria program 37 Stertern-Gill, Stacey 79 STREAT 30, 31, 77 Street, Tony 75 Strizic, Mark 47 Sunderland, Sir Sydney 4, 9, 17 Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) 44, 44, 74 Syme, Sir Colin 8 Talbot, Dr Frank 44 tax deductibility, philanthropic donations 2, 4, 7 Taylor, Prof. Hugh 39, 39 Tebbut, Carmel 44 Technical Aid to the Disabled 72 Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children 23, 41 theatre 55 timeline 10–11 Tinney, P 33 Tomorrow: Today Foundation 56, 70 Tong, Dr Y C 29 trachoma 39 Training Opportunities and Options for Learning (TOOL) 30, 77 Travel and Conference grants 4, 8, 28, 32, 39, 75 Treasures Gallery, National Library of Australia 20 Tregear, Prof. Geoff 16, 17, 17 Trust for Nature 71 Turner, J M W 68

Waldron, Peter 51 Walkley, Dr Carl 73 Walpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation 41 Walsh, Louise 19 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 8, 53 Wark, Sir Ian 4, 9, 17, 74 Watkins, Kenneth 48 Webb, Dr R 29 Weir, Avalee 79 Wellington Collingwood Inc. 38 Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists 71 Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research 53 Whittlesea Community Connections Inc. 32 Widrow, Prof. Bernard 33 Wilkinson, Sue 79 Wilmot, Meriel 55 Women and Mentoring (WAM) program 38 Women’s Subscription Service 37 Wood, Dr Fiona 64 Woolley, Robert 53, 53 ‘Yes School, Yes Pool’ program 41 YMCA 69 Yule, Dr Peter 2, 10, 79 Zoos Victoria 57

University of Melbourne 74 University of Melbourne Council 2 Vale, Jim 79 Veth, Prof. Peter 21 Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Co-operative 72 Victorian Arts Centre Trust 68 Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (VACRO) 38 Victorian College of the Arts 63 Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre 4, 5, 49, 49, 73 Victorian Council for Ageing 69 Victorian National Parks Association 71 Victorian Social for Crippled Children and Adults 69 violence 37, 69 Virtual Herbarium Trust 54 Voices Vic 36

‘The Governors are satisﬁed there is important scope for the work of the Foundation and they anticipate that many interesting new projects will be considered by them in the years ahead.’ SIR IAN POTTER, AT THE END OF THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION’S FIRST YEAR.

Visionary Sir Ian Potter, early 1960s. Photo: Athol Shmith.

Acknowledgements

Every effort has been made to identify copyright holders of material where appropriate. The Ian Potter Foundation and the publisher would be happy to hear from any copyright holders who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been acknowledged. For a full list of references and source material, please contact The Ian Potter Foundation. All materials unacknowledged in references are the property of The Ian Potter Foundation. All materials unacknowledged in references have been used with permission from the relevant organisation or accessed from public records. The Ian Potter Foundation and the publisher do not under any circumstance accept any responsibility for errors or omissions. First published by Bounce Books in 2014 on behalf of The Ian Potter Foundation. Copyright ÂŠ The Ian Potter Foundation Ltd 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without written permission from the copyright holder. Research Jim Vale Writing Neil Montagnana-Wallace Matt Davies Avalee Weir

Author Montagnana-Wallace, Neil Title The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 years : looking back, reaching forward / Jim Vale (researcher), Neil Montagnana-Wallace (author), Matt Davies (author), Avalee Weir (contributor, project manager), Val Montagnana-Wallace (editor), Magnetic Design (designer), The Ian Potter Foundation (project manager). ISBN: 9780987160751 (hardback) Subjects: Charities--Australia--History Endowments--Australia--History. Other Authors/Contributors: Davies, Matt, author. Vale, Jim. Weir, Avalee. Montagnana-Wallace, Val, editor. Ian Potter Foundation. Dewey Number 361.76320994

Design Magnetic Design Editing Val Montagnana-Wallace Project Management Avalee Weir Neil Montagnana-Wallace Commissioned Photography Laura May Grogan

The Ian Potter Foundation www.ianpotter.org.au

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Bounce Books www.bouncebooks.com

vironmental Grantmakers Network Australian Exhibitions Touring Agency, South Melbourne Australian Flora Foundation Australian Freedom from Hunger Campaign Australian Frontier Au ssical Dance Australian Institute of Criminology (ACT) Australian Institute of International Affairs Australian Institute of Marine Archaeology Australian Institute of Marine Science Australia stralian Music Centre Australian National Academy of Music Australian National Committee on Refugee Women Australian National Maritime Museum Australian National University Austr stralian Red Cross Society Australian Red Cross Victoria Australian Red Cross WA Division Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth Australian School of Fine Furniture Foundation l of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre Australian String Academy Australian String Quartet Australian Tapestry Workshop Australian Theatre for Young People Australian Volunteer Coast ainst Child Abuse, Ringwood Australia’s Virtual Herbarium Trust Auswide Projects Autism Association of South Australia Autism Behavioural Intervention Association Autism Research Insti stralia Azeline House (YFC Youth Guidance) Bacchus Marsh and District War Memorial Hospital Back to Back Theatre Backtracts Bathurst Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Baker IDI Hea larat Catholic Diocesan Family Service Ballarat College of Advanced Education Ballarat District Nursing & Healthcare Ballarat High School Building Fund Ballarat School of Mines and Indu nyule Community Health Centre Baptcare Baptist Community Services – NSW & ACT Barking Gecko Theatre Company Barking Spider Visual Theatre Barkuma Barnardos Australia Barwon velopment School Beacon Foundation Beaufort and Skipton Health Service Beerwah and District Youth and Community Centre Begonia Park School, Ballarat Bell Shakespeare Company B morial Hospital Benalla Art Gallery Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo CAE Bendigo Community Preparation Program Bendigo Home and Hospital for the Aged Bendigo Prison Education Centre B nnale of Sydney Big Brothers – Big Sisters Australia Big Brothers Big Sisters (Melbourne) Big hART Big Issue in Australia Big Picture Company Australia Birds Australia Bishops’ Committee sons Network Blue Nursing Service, Bracken Ridge, Sandgate Central Blue Nursing Service, Toowong Blue Nursing Service, West End Brisbane Central Boandik Lodge Queensland Museum anic Gardens & Parks Authority Bowraville Arts Council Box Hill Hospital Box Hill Hostel for the Aged Boys’ Town Engadine BoysTown Bradley House – CEMS Hostel Braille and Talking Book Interest Loan Scheme Breakaway Camps Bridge to Recovery, Dandenong Bridgewater Police & Citizens Youth Club Bridging Industries, Kangaroo Flat Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap Co ociation Broadmeadows Community Toy Library Broadmeadows Methodist Mission Care Centre Prevention rather than cure Broadmeadows Special Developmental School Broadmeadow ntre Brotherhood of St Laurence Brown’s Mart Arts Brunswick Coburg Community Health Service Brunswick Special Developmental School Buda Historic Home and Garden Bulimba Creek employed Workers Support Group Bundanon Trust Bundoora Extended Care Centre Bunyip and West Gippsland Community Health Service Buoyancy Foundation of Victoria Burnet Institut vary Health Care Bethlehem Camberwell Grammar School Camcare Camp Breakaway Canberra Burley Griffin Rotary Club Canberra College of Advanced Education Canberra Glassworks C les CanTeen The Australian Organisation for Young People Living with Cancer Cantemus Boys’ Choir Canterbury Citizen’s Welfare Committee CARA (Christian Alternative to Remand Accomm k Barossa and Districts Carers Queensland Careship Coorong CareSouth CareWorks SunRanges Carina Youth Agency Carinity (formerly Queensland Baptist Care) Carinya Society Caritas C mmunity Aid for Those Caring for the Handicapped) Catchment Youth Refuge Catherine House Catherine McAuley Family Centre, Wembley Catholic Care Catholic Education Centre Catholi ncer Medicine & Cell Biology Central Adelaide Local Health Network Central Gippsland Hospital Central Queensland University Central Tablelands Housing Association Central Teaching Un Eye Research Australia Centre for Policy Development Centre for Sustainability Leadership Cerebral Palsy Alliance Cerebral Palsy Education Centre Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland C aplainWatch Chapter Seven CHARGE Syndrome Association of Australasia Charles Darwin University Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University: Faculty of Education Charlton Bush iting Church) Child Care Service, South Yarra (Uniting Church Adoption Program) Children Australia (Oz Child) Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research Children’s Cottages p Foundation) Chisholm Institute of Technology Christ Church Music Foundation Christian Brethren Community Care Christian Brothers’ Foundation for Charitable Works Christian Commu mania (Dept of Community Care) Church of England Free Kindergarten Churches of Christ Community Care Churches of Christ in NSW Community Care Churchill Senior Citizen’s Village Cir rsing Home Association Clarendon Children’s Home Climate Action Network Australia Co operative For Aborigines Coast Shelter Cobden and District Nursing Hospital Coburg Community H zen’s Village Collections Council of Australia College of Nursing Collingwood Children’s Farm Collins Street Baptist Benevolent Society, Urban Seed Colony 47 Combined Churches Caring M ommodation & Respite Agency Community Action in Carole Park Community Care Community Connections Community Farm Community Food SA Community Life Batemans Bay Commun nnections Connections UnitingCare Connor Foundation Constable Care Child Safety Foundation Constitution Education Fund Australia Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW Contact Continu ociation Cora Barclay Centre Corilong Corowa Court Corps of Commissionaires Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Corryong District Hospital Cottage by the Sea, Queenscliff Council for Christian E ess Management Foundation Australia Croc Festival Crossley House, Yarram Croxton School Croydon Special Development School No 5210 CSIRO Cultural Infusion Cure Cancer Australia F las Welfare and Youth Services Dame Pattie Menzies Centre Dancehouse Dandenong and District Hospital Dandenong Community Advisory Bureau Dandenong Palliative Care Services Da win Community Arts Dawn House Daylesford District Hospital Deaf Australia Deaf Children Australia Deafness Foundation Deakin University Deakin Village, Tongala Deal Communication C partment of Agriculture Department of Conservation and Land Management Diabetes Australia – Tasmania Diabetes Australia – Victoria Diabetes Australia, East Perth Diabetes Counsellin mboola District Hospital Dingley Elderly Persons Welfare Committee Dingley Village Community Advice Bureau DirtyFeet Disability and Aged Information Service Disability Attendant Suppo ucation Services Dolphin Research Institute Domestic Violence NSW T/A Bathurst Women’s & Children’s Refuge Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Fo ncaster Community Care and Couselling Centre Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria Dooloomai Youth Project Dowling House Arts Centre, Swan Hill Down Syndrome Association of Victoria Down seum Dunrossil Parramatta Branch Sub Norman Children’s Association E Qubed E W Tipping Foundation EACH Eaglehawk Youth Options, Ballarat Earthwatch Institute East Bentleigh Com vices Echuca District Hospital Ecumenical Migration Centre EDAR – Eastern Districts Association for the Retarded Edith Bendall Retirement Village Edith Cowan University Edmund Rice C ododendron Garden Endeavour Foundation Endeavour Replica Anchors Engaged Church Environment Centre of WA Environment Defenders Office Environment Victoria Environmental Def trict Memorial Hospital Eureka Stockade Centre Euroa Hospital European Australian Christian Fellowship Eusion Australia Eusion Australia Eva Tilley Memorial Home Eventide Homes for t pport Family Planning Welfare Association Family Resource & Network Support Family Support Services Association of NSW Familyfocus FareShare Australia Federation of Community Le the Intellectually Handicapped Fifth World Conference on General Practice Fight Cancer Foundation Melbourne International Film Festival Finding Workable Solutions Fiona Lodge – Rona mmunity Health Centre Fitzroy Community Youth Centre Fitzroy Learning Network Fitzroy Legal Service FKA Children’s Services Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool Flemington Co ciety for the Aged For Those Who Have Less Foundation Daw Park Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal Four Flats Youth Serv velopmental School Frankston/Mornington Peninsula Hospice Group Freemasons Hospital Friends of Autism Friends of Bass Valley Bush Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne s Aboriginal Corporation Garfield North Outdoor Education Centre Garoopna Uniting Care Gasworks Arts Gateway Community Health Gateway Social Support Options Gateways Support S nic Communities Council Geelong Historial Records Centre Geelong Hospice Care Association Geelong Hospital Geelong Mentally Handicapped Children’s Welfare Association Geminiani C ucation Gippsland Southern Health Service Girl Guides Association Girl Guides Association of Victoria Girl Guides Local Association, Traralgon Girrawheen Community, Brighton Gisborne a the Elderly Glenview Community Care Global Care Australia Gold Coast Arts Centre Pty Gold Treasury Museum Goldfields Brass Band Good Beginnings Australia Good Shepherd Hospital f mily Care Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service Goulburn Valley Sheltered Workshop Gould House Grace McKellar House, Geelong Grace Secondary School Graduate School of Dance WA G en Skills Greening Australia Greening Australia Northern Territory Greening Australia Tasmania Griffin Theatre Company Griffith University Guide Dogs Victoria Guides Australia Guildhous bitat for Humanity Australia (Victoria) Haemophilia Foundation Australia Hamilton and District Appeal for the Aged Hamilton Art Gallery Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital Hands on Learnin spital headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation Headway Adult Development Program Headway Victoria – Acquired Brain Injury Association Headwest Hear A Book Services, Ta dern Art Heidelberg Training & Resource Centre Helen Schutt House Association Hello Sunday Morning Help Hand Association, Coburg Helping Hand Association for Intellectually Disabled ociation for Mentally Retarded Children, Footscray Herald Sun Australian Bush Fire Relief Fund Here for Life Hervey Bay City Council Heyfield Bush Nursing Hospital Highlands Community yoake – The Queensland Institute on Alcohol and Addictions HomeGround Services Homeplus Living Home–Start National Home–Start Western Area Hope City Mission HopeStreet Horns d Film Festival Human Variome Project International Human Ventures Hunter Home–Start Australia Hunter Region No Interest Loans Scheme Hunter Symphony Orchestra Hurlingham Hos lbourne Independence Australia Services Industrial Design Council of Australia Information & Cultural Exchange Inglewood Hospital Inner East Community Health Service Inner South Com holic Education Institute of Cultural Affairs Institute of Early Childhood Development Institute of Social Welfare Interact Australia (Victoria) Interchange Interchurch Trade and Industry Miss ernational Social Service Australia International Specialised Skills Institute InTouch Invasive Species Council Investigator Science and Technology Centre Irabina Special Development Scho ecial School Jawun Jean Hailes Menopause Foundation Jesuit Social Services Leveraging additional funds Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre Jewish Museum of Australia J n Truscott Design Foundation Jondaryan Shire Council Jubilee Association, Camberwell Jumpstart Care Junior Legacy, Melbourne Just Us Theatre Ensemble Justice Connect Justice Hea d Day Centre Karingal Karinya House Home for Mothers and Babies Karkana Support Services Katherine Regional Arts Kathleen Lumley College Keep Australia Beautiful Keep Australia Be tages and St Nicholas Parents’ Association Kew Music Centre Co–Op Society Building Fund Key Solutions Kidney Support Network Queensland Renal Association (QRA ) Kids Own Publish undation Australia Kindilan School Society Kingsbury Special School No 5216 Kingston Centre Kingston East Neighbourhood Group Knox and Sherbrooke William Angliss Community Hosp ociation Kyabram and District Memorial Community Hospital Kyneton and Woodend District Skillshare La Boite Theatre La Luna Youth Arts La Mama La Trobe Hospital La Trobe Lifeskills R be Valley YMCA Lady Gowrie Child Centre Lake Macquarie PCYC Lakes Entrance and District Centre Appeal Committee Landcare Australia Landsborough & District Historical Group Lands sure Networks Association Licola Wilderness Village Life Changing Experiences Foundation Life Education Australia Life Education Victoria Life Saving Victoria Lifeline Australia Life’s Little oples Homes Society Lionsville Home for the Aged, Essendon Lisa Lodge – Hayeslee Little Sisters of the Poor, Northcote Live and Learn Environmental Education Lizard Island Reef Resear dwig Institute for Cancer Research Lumeah Home for the Aged Lunches for Kids Lung Institute of Western Australia Lutheran Community Care Lynden Aged Care Association Lyndoch Warr

stralian Gliding Museum Australian Greek Society for Care of the Elderly Australian Huntington’s Disease Association Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian an Jewish Welfare Relief Fund Australian Landscape Trust Australian League of Immigration Volunteers Australian Marine Conservation Society Australian Maritime College Australian Mus ralian Opera Australian Opera Auditions Committee Australian Opera Fund Australian Outward Bound Development Fund Australian Poetry Australian Print Workshop Australian Red Cross Australian Science and Technology Centre Australian Science Archives Project (ACT) Australian Speak Easy Association (Victorian Branch) Australian Sports Aid Foundation Australian Sto Guard Association Australian War Memorial Australian Wildlife Conservancy Australian Youth Climate Coalition Australian Youth Orchestra Australian–Polish Community Services Austral itute Autism Tasmania Autistic Children’s Association of Queensland Autistic Citizens Residential & Resources Society of Victoria Avenues Lifestyle Support Assoc Awards Victoria Awesom art and Diabetes Institute Baker Medical Research Institute Ballam Park Primary School, Frankston Ballan & District Soldiers Memorial Bush Nursing Hospital & Hostel Ballarat Base Hosp ustry Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society Ballarat YMCA Ballarat Youth Centre Balletlab Association Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Bangarra Dance Theatre Australia Banksia Palliative C Association for Youth Support & Accommodation Barwon Health Bathurst Meals On Wheels Services Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Bayside Community Youth Hostel, Frankston Bayside S Bellarine Peninsula Community Health Service Belmont School Council Belmore School Council Belvoir Special Developmental School Benalla and District Historical Society Benalla and D Berridale Aged Hostel Berry Street Victoria Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital Berwick Mechanics Institute and Free Library Bethany Community Support Bethlehem Public Hospital Biala Box for Justice, Development and Peace Black Swan State Theatre Company Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre Blackwood Special Schools Outdoor Education Centre Blind and Vision Im m Bobby Goldsmith Foundation Bodalla Aged Care Services Bond University Bondi Beach Cottage Boogurlarri Community House Association Booval Community Service Boroondara Kinde k Library Brain Foundation of South Australia Brain Injury Association of NSW Brain Injury Australia Brain Research Institute Pty Brainlink Services Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Break mmunity Services Bright District Hospital Brighton Grammar School Brink Productions Brisbane College of Advanced Education Brisbane Youth Service Broadmeadows and District Helpi ws Technical School Building Fund Broadmeadows UnitingCare Broadmeadows Youth Shelter Foundation Broken Hill & District Hearing Resource Centre Brophy Family & Youth Services B k Catchment Coordinating Committee Bulleen Heights School Bunbury Aboriginal Progress Association Bunbury Regional Arts Management Board Bundaberg Disability Resource Centre B te Burnside Burwood Children’s Homes Bush Children’s Hostels Foundation of NSW Byron Youth Service CA Brown Anglican Village Cairns Regional Gallery Caloola Parents and Friends Ass Canberra Institute of the Arts Canberra School of Music Cancer Awareness and Empowerment Group Cancer Patient Support Group (Illawarra) Cancer Patients Assistance Society of New modation) Cardiac Support Group Cardinia Combined Churches Caring Care & Communication Concern – Welfare Services Care Connect Care Careertrackers Indigenous Internship Progra Christi Hospice Carlton and Fitzroy Methodist Mission Carriageworks Carrick Hill Sculpture Park Carry On Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum Castlemaine State Festival CATC c Healthcare Catholic Missions Darwin Caulfield Hospital Centacare – Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Centacare Family Services Centaur War Nurses Memorial Trust Centenary In nit Centre for Appropriate Technology Centre for Contemporary Photography Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfa Chadstone Community Health Centre Chain Reaction Foundation Challenge Foundation of NSW Challenge Southern Highlands Chamber Music Australia Chamber Orchestra of Geelong Nursing Hospital Charlton High School Building Fund bestchance Child Family Care Child & Family Services Ballarat Child Abuse Prevention Service (Sydney) Child and Family Services in T , Kew Children’s Hospital, Camperdown Children’s Medical Research Institute Children’s Protection Society Chiltern Athenaeum Trust Chinese Community Social Services Centre Chip Child nity College, Portland Christ’s Church Anglican Church Chronic Illness Alliance Chunky Move Church of all Nations, Carlton Church of Christ (Dept of Social Service) Church of Christ in Victo cus Monoxide Citizen’s Advice Bureau City Art Institute – Ivan Dougherty Gallery City Life City of Nunawading Ladies Benevolent Society Citycare Newcastle Claremont Home for the Aged C Health Centre Coburg Special Development School No 5261 Coffs Harbour Police & Community Youth Club CoHealth Cohuna District Hospital Colac Area Health Colac District Hospital Cola Melton Come Out Children’s Festival Committee for Economic Development of Australia Common Ground Adelaide Commonground CommuniCare Communications Law Centre Community nity Link and Network Community Living Association Encouraging excellence Community Music Victoria Community Services of the Seventh Day Adventist Church Company B Concord Sc uing Education Bendigo (CEB) Continuing Education Centre Albury Wodonga Cooinda – Nhill and District Intellectual Handicapped Persons Welfare Association Cooma District Nursing Hom Education in Schools Council on the Ageing Country Arts Craft ACT Craft & Design Centre Cranbourne Information & Support Service Creativity Australia Creswick District Hospital Critical Foundation Currawong House, Hamilton Curtin University of Technology CWS Drummond Street Centre Cystic Fibrosis Australia Cystic Fibrosis Queensland Cystic Fibrosis SA Cystic Fibros andenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service Dandenong Ranges Music Council Dandenong Valley School Daniel Gunson Homes Darling Downs Institute of Technology Darlinghurst Theatre Centre DEBRAA (Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of Australia) Deckchair Theatre Delta Society Australia Deniliquin Nursing Home Foundation Denmark Environme ng Online Diabetes Australia – Queensland Diabetic Children’s Welfare Fund Dialysis Escape Line of Australia Diamond Valley Community Hospital Diamond Valley Special Development Sc ort Service Disability Opportunities Victoria Disaster Fund – South Australia Bushfire Appeal Discovery Science and Technology Centre Ditchley Foundation Dixon House Djerriwarrh Emplo oundation Don Bosco Youth Centre Donald Ambulance Station Donald District Hospital Donald Nursing Home Society Doncaster and Templestowe Community Nursing Home and Day Care Syndrome South Australia Doxa Youth Welfare Foundation Dress for Success Sydney Drug Arm Australasia Drug Users and Parent’s Aid (DUPA) Duchenne Foundation Dunkeld and District mmunity Health Centre East Burwood Centre East Gippsland Hospital Eastern Palliative Care Association Eastern Volunteers Resource Centre Eastwork Employment Echuca and District Y Camps Edmund Rice Education Education Centre for Deaf Children Education Foundation Eloura Homes Embroiderers Guild Emergency Accommodation and Support Enterprise Emu Valle fender’s Office Epilepsy Association Epilepsy Association of South Australia and the Northern Territory (EASANT) Epistle Centre, Fitzroy Epworth Hospital Erinbank High School ERMHA Es the Aged, Stawell Exodus Foundation Experimenta Media Arts Express Media Expressions – The Queensland Dance Theatre Fairfield Community Resource Centre Fairfield Hospital Fami gal Centres Victoria Federation of Western Australian Police and Citizens’ Youth Clubs (PCYC) Federation University Australia Fernhill Hostel for the Aged Fertree Gully and District Welfare ald McDonald Beach House First Bruthen Scout Group Fisheries and Wildlife Department Fisheries and Wildlife Research Trust Fitted for Work Fitzroy Adventure Playground Association Fi ommunity Health Centre Flinders Medical Centre Foundation Foodbank NSW Foodbank of South Australia Foodbank Queensland Foodbank Victoria Footscray Community Arts Centre Foo vice Four Winds Concerts FPWA Sexual Health Services Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Arts Council Frankston Community Hospital Frankston Cultural Centre Appeal Frankston Spe Trust Fund Furlong Park School and Pre School for Deaf Children Furlong Park School and Pre–School for Deaf Children Fusion Australia Future Employment Opportunities Gapuwiyak Cul Services Gawler East Primary School Building Fund Geebung Kindergarten and Preschool Geelong Adult Training and Education (GATE) Geelong and District Day Nursery Geelong Art Galler Chamber Orchestra Genesis Genetic Support Network of Victoria Genomic Disorders Research Centre Geoscience Australia Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces Gippsland Institute of Adva nd District Hospital Gladswood Home Glastonbury Community Services Glendonald School for Deaf Children Glenelg Family Care, Warrnambool Glengollan Village for Aged People Glenloc for the Chronically Ill, Townsville Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service Gosnells District Information Centre Goulburn Accommodation Program Goulburn Family Support Service Goulb Graham St Special School Grail Education Centre Grassmere Youth Services Green Cross Australia The Ian Potter Foundation, 50 Years Green Cross Projects, Melbourne Green Hills Found e Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services Aboriginal Corporation Guthrie House Cooperative, Enmore Gwennap Home for the Aged Gympie and District Landcare Group Habitat for Humanity A g Australia Handspan Visual Theatre Hanover Welfare Services Harmony Foundation Victoria Harrison Community Services Harrison House Youth Hostel Hartley Lifecare Hastings and Dis asmania Hear and Say – Centre for Deaf Children Heathcote District Hospital Heatherlie Homes, Warrnambool Heatherwood School Hedland College Hedley Sutton Nursing Home Heide M d Foundation Brighton and Districts Branch Helping Hand Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Brighton Helping Hand Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Epping Helping H y Centres Hills District Youth Service Historic Houses Trust of NSW HIV Assistance Association Hobart Police and Community Youth Club Hobart YMCA Youth Services, Camberwell Hofbau sby Ku–ring–gai Hospital Horsham Regional Art Gallery Hospice Care Association NW Tasmania HotHouse Theatre Housing for the Aged Action Group Howard Florey Institute HPA Human spital Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation IHOS Illawarra Community Centre, Geelong Immunodeficiency Foundation of WA Inala Youth & Family Support Service Incite Youth Arts Inclus mmunity Health Service Insight Education Centre for the Blind and Vision Impaired Scholarship Fund Inspire Foundation Institute for Aboriginal Development (Aboriginal Corporation) Institu sion Interest Free Loans (IFL) Program International Art Space Pty International Diabetes Institute International Festival of Young Playwrights (in’–ter play) International Retinitis Pigmentos ool Irymple South Primary School Building Fund Islamic Women’s Welfare Council of Victoria Italian Assistance Association, Melbourne James Cook University James McGrath Foundation J obsupport John Curtin Elderly Peoples Home Society John Hunter Hospital John MacNeil Early Childhood Centre Building Fund John MacRae Centre for the Care of the Elderly John Pierce lth KIDS Foundation Kadina Primary School Special Class KAGE Physical Theatre Association Kalianna School Kalparrin Kalparrin Early Childhood Intervention Program Kaniva District Nu eautiful Council Kellock Retirement Village Kensington and Flemington Elderly Citizens’ Club Kerang and District Chaplaincy Committee Kerang and District Hospital Kevin Heinze Garden C ing Kids Thrive Kids Under Cover Kids Who Care Foundation Kidsafe Vic Kiewa and Ovens Valley Community Health Service Kildonan Uniting Care Killara House, Albury Kilmany UnitingCar ital Knox Community Care Knox Infolink Kooemba Jdarra Aboriginal Corporation Korumburra District Hospital Kununurra Youth Services Kurrajong–Waratah Industries Kyabra Community Recreation and Work La Trobe Regional Gallery La Trobe University La Trobe University: Museum of Art La Trobe Valley District Ambulance Service La Trobe Valley Hospital La Trobe Valley V borough Primary School Building and Development Fund Langwarrin Fire Brigade Lanigiro Housing Group Learning Education & Play Centre for Early Intervention Learning Links Legacy M e Treasures Foundation LifeTec Queensland Lilydale and District Hospital Limbs 4 Life Liminal Lines Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences Linden Board of Management Lions Club of Lorne E ch Foundation Logan East Community Neighbourhood Centre Lord Somers Camp and Power House Lorne Sculpture Exhibition Lort Smith Animal Hospital Lovell House Lucy Guerin Assoc rnambool MacKillop Family Services Macmasters Beach Surf Life Saving Club Macquarie University Mallacoota District Bush Nursing Centre Mallee Family Care Mallee Family Centre, Hor