Annual Grants Report 2016-17

ANNUAL GRANTS REPORT 2016–17

STRATEGY + IMPACT ianpotter.org.au

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

The Foundation makes grants nationally to support charitable organisations working to benefit the community across a wide range of sectors and endeavours.

Page Title Welcome

CONTENTS

PAGE

Welcome

1

Governors & Staff

2

Chairman’s Report

4

CEO’s Report

6

Facts and Figures

8

Disability Feature

10

Program Areas

12–32

Our Vision

About the Foundation

A vibrant, healthy and fair Australia.

The Ian Potter Foundation was established in 1964 by Australian financier, businessman and philanthropist, Sir Ian Potter (1902–1994). The Foundation is now one of Australia’s major philanthropic foundations.

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Our Mission Honour the legacy of founder and benefactor, Sir Ian Potter, and his commitment that the Foundation make a difference to Australia.

Maintain a tradition of encouraging excellence and enabling innovation to facilitate positive social change, and develop Australia’s creativity and capacity as a nation.

Support outstanding charitable organisations, invest in Australia’s innovative and creative people, protect the environment and alleviate disadvantage.

Cover image Jobsupport client Brendan Foley is a valued team member at Harris Farm Markets.

Based in Melbourne, the Foundation makes grants nationally to support charitable organisations working to benefit the community across a wide range of sectors and endeavours.

Grants are made through nine program areas which reflect Sir Ian’s interest in the arts, and his visionary approach to issues including the environment, science, medical research, education and community wellbeing, as well as the importance of investing in Australia’s intellectual capital.

Through its grants, the Foundation seeks to encourage excellence and support Australia’s talent: the visionaries, social entrepreneurs, scientists, academics and researchers, artists and teachers, and those who dedicate themselves to bettering our communities for the benefit of all.

$273m+ GRANTS DISTRIBUTED SINCE 1964 Sir Ian Potter, Founder 1902–1994

Since 1964, The Ian Potter Foundation has contributed over $273 million to thousands of projects, both large and small. Led by its Board of Governors, the Foundation has a strong track record of funding projects that respond decisively to key issues and develop our creativity and capacity as a nation.

Program Areas The Ian Potter Foundation operates nine program areas: the Arts, Community Wellbeing, Education, Environment & Conservation, Health & Disability, Medical Research, Science, Knowledge & Learning (incorporating Travel, Conference and International Learning & Development), Major Grants, and manages The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift.

Funding Principles Grant-making across all program areas is underpinned by the following principles: A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE We support organisations, programs and individuals who are outstanding in their field.

A FOCUS ON PREVENTION To maximise the value of our grants, we try to identify and support projects that address the causes of any problems rather than treat the symptoms. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach.

ENCOURAGE INNOVATION We seek to fund programs and projects that take a new approach to solving problems, especially those that can be evaluated and have potential for expansion and further development.

POTENTIAL FOR LEVERAGE Our grants have greater impact when combined with support from other sources. These might include other trusts and foundations, government, business or volunteers. We are happy to be one of a number of supporters of a program.

LONG-TERM THINKING We try to fund projects that will continue to have an impact well beyond the period of our grant. The long term sustainability of the project is an important consideration.

PARTNERSHIPS We encourage collaborations and partnerships that facilitate combining knowledge and resources to achieve a shared goal.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

Board of Governors LIFE GOVERNOR Lady Potter AC, CMRI GOVERNORS Mr Charles B Goode AC (Chairman) Mr Anthony Burgess The Hon Alex Chernov AC, QC

Page Title

The Hon Susan Crennan AC, QC Mr Leon Davis AO

The Hon Sir Daryl Dawson AC, KBE, CB, QC The Hon Sir James Gobbo AC, CVO, QC Professor Thomas Healy AO Professor Richard Larkins AO Mr Allan Myers AO, QC Professor Graeme Ryan AC Professor Brian Schmidt AC Professor Fiona Stanley AC

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Front: Sir Daryl Dawson AC, KBE, CB, QC; The Hon Susan Crennan AC, QC; Lady Potter AC, CMRI; Prof Graeme Ryan AC; Prof Fiona Stanley AC; The Hon Alex Chernov AC, QC Rear: Prof Tom Healy AO; Mr Charles Goode AC (Chairman); Prof Richard Larkins AO; Mr Allan Myers AC, QC; Sir James Gobbo AC, CVO, QC Not pictured: Mr Leon Davis AO; Mr Anthony Burgess; Prof Brian Schmidt AC

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Staff

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Craig Connelly

Gail Lewry

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

ADMINISTRATION OFFICER

Dr Alberto Furlan

Sue Wilkinson

PROGRAM MANAGERS

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CEO

Louise Arkles

Faye Watson

Nicole Bortone

FINANCE MANAGER

PROGRAM OFFICERS

Sally Cliff

Lauren Monaghan

FINANCE OFFICER

Mairead Phillips

Cecilia Roesler

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION MANAGER Dr Squirrel Main COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Sara Hearn COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Eleanor Connelly L to R: L–R: Nicole Bortone, Mairead Phillips, Faye Watson, Craig Connelly, Louise Arkles, Lauren Monaghan, Sue Wilkinson, Squirrel Main, Sara Hearn, Alberto Furlan, Eleanor Connelly.

Not pictured: Sally Cliff, Gail Lewry, Cecilia Roesler.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

Chairman’s Report

CHARLES GOODE AC

GRANTS PAID (DISTRIBUTIONS) 2016–17

193

NUMBER OF GRANTS

22.7m

This past year has been one of continual improvement of our grantmaking processes, including formalising our approach to Major Grants, revising funding objectives in several program areas and streamlining our funding rounds.

VALUE OF GRANTS

Main: The Ian Potter Southbank Centre is supported by a Major Grant to the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne.

Image courtesy of John Wardle Architects.

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The establishment of the Major Grants stream ensures the Foundation’s tradition of large, catalytic grants will continue to assist the delivery of significant projects designed to benefit our community.

This year the Foundation made eight Major Grants totalling $25m. These grants include assisting in the funding of a new Creative Industry and Performing Arts Centre at the University of Tasmania; a purpose built, modern facility that will be the base of Orygen’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health; and the new Taronga Institute of Science and Learning that will establish Australia as a regional leader and global contributor to conservation science and learning. I invite you to read

more about these and other Major Grants awarded in 2017 at page 26 of this report.

Reviewing and revising our funding objectives is an ongoing process of the Foundation. During the 2016–2017 period, the Board approved changes to the funding objectives for the Education, Health & Disability and Community Wellbeing program areas. These changes increase the focus of our giving in these program areas, reflecting the learnings from the ongoing evaluation of the Foundation’s grantmaking as well as considering leading research and international best practice identifying how best to maximise the impact of our grantmaking.

This year the Foundation received two awards: • Outstanding Social Impact Measuring Funding Organisation 2017 (SIMNA) • Philanthropy Australia 2017 Environmental Philanthropy Award.

During the year time and effort was put into proactively engaging with grantees and sector leaders through an increasing variety of outreach activities, led by our CEO, Craig Connelly, and our three program managers, Dr Alberto Furlan, Nicole Bortone and Louise Arkles.

To ensure this proactive approach is applied consistently, the Board of Governors decided earlier this year to implement a change to the frequency of open funding rounds. From 2018 each program area (with the exception of Knowledge & Learning) will be open for applications only once a year. The Board believes that this will allow Governors and program managers the time to identify and develop relationships with outstanding organisations which are leading their sectors, and thus facilitate a variety of interesting and potentially impactful grant applications for consideration.

This year’s annual report seeks to share with you some of the outstanding organisations, projects and people with whom the Foundation is partnering.

We also share with you some of the key

measures we are using to demonstrate how we believe our grantmaking is becoming more impactful. In the Facts and Figures section of this report (p. 8) we have included new metrics designed to illustrate the changing nature of our grantmaking.

There are three key changes the Board believe are most significant:

I would like to thank my fellow Governors for their counsel and commitment to the Foundation, and to our Chief Executive Officer, Craig Connelly and our excellent staff for the dedication and professionalism they bring to their roles.

CHARLES GOODE AC

1. We are awarding fewer but larger, more targeted grants 2. O ur larger grants are spread over a number of years, and 3. We are collaborating more with other grantmaking organisations.

This year the Foundation received two awards, namely Outstanding Social Impact Measuring Funding Organisation 2017 awarded by the Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA); and the Philanthropy Australia 2017 Environmental Philanthropy Award for support of Reef Life Survey. It is gratifying for the Foundation’s work to be acknowledged by the philanthropic sector in this way.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

Chief Executive Officer’s Report

CRAIG CONNELLY

In 2017, The Ian Potter Foundation awarded fewer grants compared to previous years, but the median grant amount increased more than two-fold to $200,000. The average duration of approved grants in 2017 was nearly 30 months, reflecting a focus on real partnerships and multi-year support of grantees. As a funder, the Foundation collaborated with other funders more than it ever has.

This reflects the first full year of the Board of Governors, the Foundation staff and myself as CEO delivering more strategic, well-informed philanthropy.

Of course, actually achieving positive outcomes requires us to then measure the impact of our grantmaking. In that regard, I am pleased to also share with you that we are now measuring more outcomes for acquitted grants than at any time in our history.

This is part of our journey to be one of Australia’s leading philanthropic foundations. I am gratified that the Board of Governors continues to challenge me and our team to seek out exceptional funding opportunities to present to the Board for their consideration.

In addition to the traditional role of allocating funds to support worthwhile projects, the staff have really embraced the Foundation’s role as a partner to our grantees. We have now formalised regular meetings with all active grants, working hard to stay in touch with our grantees and seeking to proactively manage these important relationships.

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Craig Connelly with Big Issue seller Paul experiencing the challenges of selling the magazine on the street.

I am excited to continue to challenge our team to embrace change, become proactive as grant-makers, lead where it makes sense for us to lead, embrace collaboration and work intimately with our grantees and our Board of Governors to deliver on our shared vision of a vibrant, healthy and fair Australia.

The Ian Potter Foundation is now also offering grant-seeker and grantee workshops and program area forums, as we look to leverage our internal capabilities for the benefit of the wider not-for-profit sector. In the 2017 fiscal year, Foundation staff conducted 12 workshops assisting 344 participants and offered 31 evaluation consultations. We also facilitated several issue-specific information sessions, connecting not-for-profit organisations with government and other industry contacts in an attempt to foster improved cross-sector collaboration as well as intrasector collaboration.

Our internal systems and processes continue to be reviewed and refined, as we seek to maximise the time available for all staff to focus on being the best possible grantmakers. Hence, from July 2017 (FY2018) the Foundation will only be seeking applications in each program area once a year (with the exception of the Knowledge & Learning program areas). This shift is intended to encourage more considered grant applications and allow relative comparisons between various proposals which should lead to better outcomes.

The eight Major Grants awarded in fiscal 2017 were considered with reference to our evolving comparative framework for Major Grants. This framework seeks to ensure that the Board is considering catalytic grants with the potential to impact many Australians for an extended period.

In the past year we have implemented a lot of change. Internally, this has been in terms of our approach to grantmaking, our processes and staffing; externally, it has been in terms of our interaction with our grantees and the wider philanthropic and not-for-profit sector.

In May 2017, the program management team and I spent a week in Queensland, meeting with key organisations in order to learn more about them, as well as conducting our second interstate introduction to The Ian Potter Foundation information session which was attended by over 200 Queenslandbased organisations. As a national funder we intend to visit all corners of Australia in an attempt to uncover outstanding organisations doing innovative work.

I am excited to continue to challenge our team to embrace change, become proactive as grant-makers, lead where it makes sense for us to lead, embrace collaboration and work intimately with our grantees and our Board of Governors to deliver on our shared vision of a vibrant, healthy and fair Australia.

CRAIG CONNELLY

In 2017, we also welcomed four new staff members, as we increased our investment in the program management and communication teams. Our three program managers now have two dedicated support staff, freeing them up to spend more time with existing and prospective grantees, as well as immersing themselves in their areas and gaining further knowledge.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

Facts and Figures 2016 –17 YEAR IN REVIEW GRANTS OVERVIEW

GRANT MANAGEMENT & OUTREACH

260

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

147

GRANTS APPROVED

36.2m

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

139

12

PROGRAM MANAGER SITE VISITS

GRANTEE WORKSHOPS & FORUMS

31

344

EVALUATION CONSULTATIONS

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

GRANTS APPROVED BY PROGRAM AREA 2016–17

ARTS

Text COMMUNITY WELLBEING

ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION

HEALTH & DISABILITY

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

9*

13

6

4

11

$1.3m*

$1.1m

$1.5m

$2.5m

$2.4m

MEDICAL RESEARCH

SCIENCE

KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING

ALEC PRENTICE SEWELL GIFT

MAJOR

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

GRANTS

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

AMOUNT

0

†

$0

†

4

89

$855k

TOTAL * Includes grant to The Ian Potter Cultural Trust

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EDUCATION

$535k

GRANTS †

147

Proposed 2016–17 round moved to August 2017

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$875k AMOUNT

8

$25m $36.2m

CHANGES OVER TIME OUR GRANTS ARE SUPPORTING LONGER PROJECTS

WE ARE AWARDING FEWER (BUT LARGER, TARGETED) GRANTS MEDIAN GRANT AMOUNT

14.9 MONTHS

AVERAGE TIME OF ALL PROJECTS CLOSED SINCE 1 JAN 2010

29.3 MONTHS AVERAGE TIME OF ALL PROJECTS APPROVED IN FY17

WE ARE MEASURING MORE OUTCOMES

2015

93% 2014

85%

$200,000

2017

69 GRANTS

$75,000

2016

145 GRANTS

$48,400

2015

127 GRANTS

$25,203

2014

146 GRANTS

$20,000

2013

144 GRANTS

$26,500

2012

121 GRANTS

$30,000

2011

150 GRANTS

2007

50%

2008

56%

2013

2009

71%

64%

2012

71%

NUMBER OF GRANTS*

2010

2011

76%

66%

* Excluding Travel & Conference WE ARE COLLABORATING MORE WITH OTHER FUNDERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO TOTAL PROJECT COSTS NO. OF GRANTS

% OF GRANTS WHERE IPF COLLABORATED

150 125

76.5%

87.3% 89.2%

94%

100 75

96.9%

50 25 0

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17

Strategic Support – Pathways for Page Title Employment

The Ian Potter Foundation’s grant-making philosophy is to make a meaningful and lasting contribution, supporting a vibrant, healthy community in which good ideas can be explored and every person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

At the start of the 2016–2017 period, the Foundation changed the disability funding objectives for the Health & Disability program area. The new objective is succinct and focused: To encourage innovative approaches to increasing employment opportunities for individuals with disability.

The decision to narrow the funding objective came as a result of research into the disability employment sector, discussions on current trends with leading experts and the Foundation’s own evaluation of past grants to the disability sector which showed that there was more value for money in grants that focussed on ‘real’ and sustainable jobs rather than training or internship programs.

These factors along with the changing landscape for disability services as a result of the introduction of the NDIS all led to the Foundation adopting a more targeted approach to grantmaking in order to support organisations that were leading the way in employment programs for people with a disability.

It is also pleasing to observe that the disability employment programs featured here demonstrate that they provide far more than financial benefits. The social exclusion of disabled people and their limited opportunities for education, career and transportation are a major challenge globally. Employment is fundamental to increasing confidence, improving self-esteem and providing opportunities for regular interaction with others.

Not only do disabled workers benefit from improved employment prospects, the wider community also benefit from embracing diversity.

The grants featured here are examples of models which can be used to support a growing number of successful social enterprises offering employment to disabled people in order that they also have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Left: Mark and a Bushlink team planting tubestock at Forestville in Sydney.

Main: Jobsupport client Micah Passfield (right) and his coworker Stuart White making salads from scratch for the Leagues Club.

Inset: Jobsupport client Emma Brodie conducting her routine office tasks.

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EXEMPLAR GRANTS

Supporting employment pathways for people with disabilities Dialogue in the Dark

Bushlink

Jobsupport

$200K (2017–2019)

$20K (2013) + $200K (2016)

Dialogue in the Dark has been operating successfully for over 25 years in 69 countries and 132 cities worldwide. It revolves around a sensory exhibition in which blind and vision impaired people guide blindfolded visitors through a landscape that resembles well known places of the city in which the exhibition takes place. Now open in Melbourne thanks to Guide Dogs Victoria, the Melbourne Dialogue in the Dark provides sighted visitors with the chance to experience Melbourne landmarks as if they were blind.

In 2013, Northside Enterprises decided to expand its Bushlink program by adding an ‘open’ site where schools and other community groups would be invited to work together with people with disabilities and therefore enhance their social inclusion.

$20K (2009) + $20K (2013) + $350K (2017)

This social enterprise has multiple aims.

It creates awareness around disability, provides training and employment opportunities for people with vision impairments, and generates revenue for Guide Dogs Victoria which will be directed towards other core services.

The grantee engaged with a number of schools and community groups and worked together with these groups, employing people with a disability to assist in bush regeneration activities such as planting native species, target weeding and spreading mulch. A large portion of activities took place on school grounds, improving the schools natural environment – bushland and/or native gardens and kitchen gardens.

Feedback from both employees and schools has been extremely positive.

Participant surveys show that Dialogue in the Dark is indeed successful in enhancing people’s perception of disability, but more importantly, it changes perceptions of what individuals with disabilities can achieve.

This unique social enterprise truly turns the tables. Sighted visitors are completely lost in darkness as opposed to their blind guide who is very competent in that situation.

Recent research revealed that 58% of blind and vision impaired Australians were unemployed ‘not by their own choice’, making them four times more likely to be unemployed than their sighted peers.

Dialogue in the Dark opened in Melbourne in June 2017 and has created 25 new roles for visually impaired and blind staff.

Northside initially approached The Ian Potter Foundation for a small grant of $20,000 to pilot the ‘open’ site and demonstrate the positive benefits for people with disabilities being employed in a physically challenging and socially inclusive job.

Prior to working with Bushlink: • 76% of survey participants had not met someone with an intellectual disability or seen anyone with a disability working in the community • 66% were concerned that they may have trouble communicating with someone with a disability.

After working with Bushlink: • 100% enjoyed the Bushlink experience and wanted to do it again • 52% felt they learnt how to communicate better with a person with a disability • 61% now respected them for their work and feel more comfortable about meeting a person with a disability in future.

In 2009, funding from The Ian Potter Foundation, together with assistance from other organisations, helped Jobsupport establish a new service in Melbourne.

Jobsupport was successful in winning a Disability Employment Services (DES) contract from March 2013 for its Melbourne service. The Melbourne Jobsupport DES contract is currently rated as a 5 star service, achieving a job placement rate of 82%, and a 26 week employment outcome rate of 75%; the highest in Victoria.

In 2013, the Foundation made a further grant of $20,000 to provide continuing support to Jobsupport’s Melbourne operation to enable it to reach sustainability. A second site in metropolitan Melbourne will open in 2017.

According to Disability Employment Services Outcomes by Disability (June 2016), Jobsupport achieved a job placement rate of 80.6%, and a 26-week employment outcome rate of 81.9%; the highest in Australia. The average job placement and 26 week employment outcome rates for people with intellectual disability are 42.6% and 44% respectively. Jobsupport’s high job retention rate (over 80%) bears witness to the success of this program.

In 2017, the Foundation approved a third grant of $350,000 (over two years) for Jobsupport to expand its employment service for people with an intellectual disability in Brisbane, and replicate the successful expansion of Jobsupport in Melbourne.

Read more about this latest grant on page 21.

Due to the success of this grant, and the direct interest of NSW Government in expanding the model, the Foundation invited Northside to apply for additional funding ($200,000) to consolidate this project making it a sustainable social enterprise.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Arts PROGRAM MANAGER LOUISE ARKLES

87

EOIs RECEIVED

31

SITE VISITS

13

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

8

GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES A dynamic and well-resourced arts sector is central to a culturally-rich and vibrant society. The Foundation is interested in building the calibre and capacity of arts organisations and supporting them to raise the bar of aspiration and achievement. We look for well-considered programs that work strategically to achieve this. The Foundation also seeks to foster appreciation for the arts and facilitate accessibility for all Australians.

Our grants support cultural institutions and organisations in Australia which are distinctive in artistic achievement, imagination and innovation and seek to extend cultural opportunities to regional centres, and encourage the development of arts programs at a local level.

REVIEW

$1,055,000

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

The Arts program continued to seek applications from distinctive, innovative and diverse arts organisations and institutions and to develop and extend cultural opportunities in regional areas.

In the wake of Federal budget cuts, the arts sector nationally has experienced uncertain and turbulent times.

The focus for The Ian Potter Foundation is to invest in strong, resilient organisations and to help build their capacity and resourcefulness.

We are proud to be a national arts funder and were pleased to receive applications this

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financial year from all states and territories, from a mix of metropolitan and rural and regional communities.

EMERGING THEMES Excellence in the arts has been a core principle of the Foundation’s objectives from the very beginning and the quality, strength and diversity of the applications received this year is no exception.

We have been impressed by the high calibre of organisations with which we have partnered this last year. Many qualities make these organisations stand out: strong volunteerism or community engagement; innovatively meeting industry needs or gaps in the sector; building professional development frameworks and resources for Australian artists; building networks and platforms to make access to the arts more broadly available or nurturing connections with remote regions through the power of art.

PRIORITIES The current guidelines have been in place since 2010 and so a review of this program area is underway.

The Ian Potter Foundation will continue to support high calibre Australian arts organisations of all shapes, sizes and locations, to continue to build their capacity in order to foster sector-wide collaboration, strength and resilience.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Australian Jazz Museum $80,000 over one year Development of a Virtual Museum — Taking Australian Jazz To The World This grant will enable the Australian Jazz Museum to upgrade their website, providing access to the museum’s collection via the internet, and allow for outsourcing the digitisation of a segment of the collection of memorabilia and music which is rapidly deteriorating. These activities, with the support of a detailed copyright policy, pave the way for digitisation of the collection as a precursor to making the museum ‘virtual’.

This work represents the preliminary part of a major project to upgrade the Museum, which includes making modifications to their existing buildings to improve their work conditions and storage facilities, and to build a new performance space.

This project is strategic and urgently required.

This unique organisation and collection has grown but their facilities – both virtual and physical – have not. Presently, the collection is available to the limited number of people who visit in person, which is not serviceable in the 21st century. Much of the existing collection is of great historical value including reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, photos, posters, magazines, with some items dating back to the 1940s. Rare pieces are at risk of severe deterioration and urgently require digitisation to allow safe access and preservation.

International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) $80,000 over one year The Artisans and Rare Trades Heritage Preservation Network Project This grant will enable ISSI to establish The Artisans and Rare Trades Heritage Preservation Network, which will create a national ‘community of practice’ between specialist artisans, cultural institutions, artisan guilds and education bodies who all recognise the importance of retaining these skills for the future preservation of Australia’s cultural heritage. The network will facilitate intergenerational knowledge exchange, reduce artisan isolation, and collaboratively work to put a social and economic spotlight on the importance of Australia’s artisans.

This project is a clever response to an under-recognised need. Australia is losing skilled craftsmen due to an ageing population, while finding it difficult to attract young people into specialist trades.

Therefore, we are seeing an increase in work being undertaken by unskilled craftspeople, and a corresponding increase in the use of inappropriate materials in building or restoration work. The resulting cost to the community is a disheartening deterioration of heritage buildings and the need to import skilled craftspeople from overseas.

TheatreiNQ $120,000 over two years Growing Forward TheatreiNQ has grown out of, and gives back to, the local Townsville community.

Many FNQ towns are only on the receiving end of visiting metropolitan-based arts organisations, and rarely see any local talent generation or employment resulting from these visits. This company contracts 35 local actors, technicians and administrators for their annual season, and interacts with many more through their education and touring activities. Children in Townsville are growing up seeing possibilities for artistic practice and employment in creative arts in their community.

This is a capacity building project, to enable TheatreiNQ to transition from a predominantly volunteer-based organisation to a more sustainable professional organisation. They plan to employ a part-time coordinator to administer their growing schools and community education program, and contract up to four production assistants for the annual performance season.

The addition of these new paid roles will strengthen their capacity, and reduce the risk of burnout for their longstanding volunteers.

Main: TheatreiNQ’s Alice in Wonderland (2017), adapted and directed by Terri Brabon. Pictured: Dormouse (Paris Walsh), March Hare (Shai Regan), Mad Hatter (Ron Pulman) and Alice (Emma Smith).

Image © Chrissy Maguire.

Right: Aaron Smith is one of only a handful of heritage locksmiths in Australia, passionate about ‘Securing our Heritage’ and part of the Artisans and Rare Trades Heritage Preservation Network.

Photographer: Elsie El-asmar.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Community Wellbeing PROGRAM MANAGER DR ALBERTO FURLAN

122

EOIs RECEIVED

11

SITE VISITS

26

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

13

GRANTS APPROVED

$1,101,500

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES The Foundation supports successful organisations with proven track records, blending this with investments in wellconsidered innovations and ideas, such as social enterprises, that provide new and sustainable ways of tackling entrenched problems.

Currently, the Community Wellbeing program seeks to support organisations delivering early intervention programs in the community such as transitioning from detention under the justice system; reducing long-term unemployment with a focus on youth; and assisting families at risk of, or experiencing, family violence to improve financial skills and maintain suitable, safe accommodation.

The Foundation particularly encourages applications in high-need areas that have a strong volunteer component and/or a volunteer Board that is a representative cross-section of the community.

REVIEW Alleviating disadvantage continues to be the primary focus of the Community Wellbeing program area, however, this year we have narrowed our guidelines to be more focused on prevention, in order to support programs which are about maintaining tenancy and targeting youth unemployment.

Through grants made in these areas, we seek to address the key drivers of disadvantage

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and intervene earlier to prevent homelessness. Another change this year has been the discontinuation of the general grants stream; the Foundation focusing exclusively on large, multi-year grants which we believe achieve better outcomes for the organisations delivering the programs.

EMERGING THEMES Organisations working in the Community Wellbeing sector are increasingly looking to provide long term engagement and support for their communities. Successful projects are able to embed themselves in the community with the help of local stakeholders, and achieve sustainability.

By moving to multi-year grants we are supporting outstanding organisations to implement long-term projects addressing complex social problems.

PRIORITIES In the coming year, the Foundation will seek to support projects that focus on early intervention maximising their potential impact in addressing disadvantage and homelessness. These projects aim to break the cycle of disadvantage, and tackle entrenched problems. We will continue to support projects which address the root causes of homelessness, unemployment and recidivism, building skills and resilience through a person-centred approach.

Main: Green Connect staff Georgette Aloegninou and Matoto Kasinde.

Inset Right: New foster care mobile app (EDDI) being demonstrated to staff.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS St Johns Youth Service

Our Community Project Inc.

MacKillop Family Services Ltd

$100,000 over two years Keeping my Place

$100,000 over two years Green Connect: Employment support for refugees and young people

$100,000 over one year Enhancing EDDI – an innovative tool for real change

The Illawarra in NSW is a region with one of the highest unemployment rates in Australia, where young people and former refugees are among the most disadvantaged, with only 31% of former refugees in jobs five years post resettlement.

In 2015, MacKillop Family Services developed a client and carer management information platform (EDDI), in order to better support their programs for families and young people. This platform has now been adopted by 29 Community Service Organisations (CSOs), representing a transition from traditional hard copy records to electronic record keeping.

In Australia, there are over 105,000 people homeless on any given night and while many have complex needs, others have the capacity to live independently but are experiencing homelessness due to a small unexpected event such as less shifts at work, or a big utility bill. Keeping my Place is an early intervention program which aims to divert young people away from the cycle of homelessness by targeting young people in private rental accommodation and providing them with the support they need to avoid eviction. The program will support individuals with material and financial support where required, but most importantly, they will also address the root cause of their financial instability by teaching them about budgeting.

Green Connect is a social enterprise which recovers waste, manages fair food, and provides jobs for people facing barriers to employment. Our funding will provide for a support worker who will assist Green Connect’s employees to build core employability skills, qualifications and certification, providing pathways into mainstream employment or further education and training.

With this grant Green Connect aims to provide employment opportunities for 120 refugees/young people each year.

In response to positive feedback from the sector, this project will develop several additional client management modules which will be disseminated throughout the out-of-home-care sector.

Once implemented, these modules will assist CSOs to maintain a centralised electronic record when away from the office. The modules will allow for data integration both within, and between organisations. These improvements will reduce the administrative workload for frontline workers, increasing capacity throughout the sector.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Education PROGRAM MANAGER NICOLE BORTONE

21

EOIs RECEIVED

22

SITE VISITS

10

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

6

GRANTS APPROVED

$1,538,635

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES The Foundation’s Education program focuses on improving educational outcomes for children (0–8 years) through initiatives in early childhood supporting innovative programs delivered to young children that aim to improve school readiness (as measured by the AECD) and/or foster parental engagement in their children’s learning. This program area also considers projects that support the development of evidence and shared measurement tools for the early childhood sector.

Applications targeting children with high levels of developmental vulnerability are prioritised and collaborative, multi-year initiatives are encouraged.

REVIEW In October 2016, the objectives of the Education program were reviewed and amended. The Foundation’s goal in our Education program has always been to reduce educational disadvantage in Australia. We recognise that there is a significant gap between Australia’s highest and lowest performing students based on their socio-economic background.

As of the beginning of 2017, our objectives have now been narrowed to focus on working with children in early childhood (aged 0–8) to close this gap.

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Early childhood was seen to be an area in which we could bring about the greatest

long term impact by investing in early intervention. This approach aligns with growing Australian and international research over the past decade which shows that investment in early childhood education produces strong long term outcomes.

EMERGING THEMES We are pleased to see an increasing number of applicants investing in evaluation of their programs. At the Foundation we place a strong emphasis on applicants having well developed evaluation plans and project goals. In fact, we support our successful grantees to come together and refine their evaluation plans once they receive a grant.

Establishing a strong evidence base is essential for programs in the education sector to be taken up by schools and/or centres and be sustained. Schools and early childhood centres are time poor and have limited resources so they need to know that what they are implementing works and what impact it will have.

PRIORITIES We would like to see greater collaboration in the education sector. The most competitive projects are those that involve multiple partners playing different roles.

The Foundation is also focused on large-scale multiyear programs that are ‘big picture’ or can be replicated and embedded within existing systems.

Main: Smiling Mind is helping to create generations of more mindful Australians.

Image courtesy of Smiling Mind.

Bottom: Hot spot mapping in WA to target areas of need.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Telethon Kids Institute

Smiling Mind

$406,743 over 3 years Western Australian Child Development Atlas (CDA) – Geospatial mapping of child development and social data

$342,944 over 3 years Smiling Mind for Pre-Schoolers: Developing smiling minds early in life to ensure their brightest future

This grant is for the development of the Western Australian Child Development Atlas, a resource that will bring together a range of datasets to produce geospatial maps to inform policy making, service delivery and community capacity building to enhance the wellbeing of children and families in the state.

This funding supports Smiling Mind to develop and expand their existing education program into early childhood centres through a partnership with Early Childhood Australia (ECA), supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young children as they transition to school years.

This resource will develop health and social profiles using datasets from a range of Human Services Departments, overlaid with details of children’s development data – including the Australian Early Development Census and NAPLAN scores – and school attendance.

The CDA will also assist in evaluating early childhood interventions and programs, building the evidence base for what does and doesn’t work for communities. This resource is the first of its kind in Australia dedicated to children’s development and will inform policy, communities and services.

Smiling Mind for Pre-Schoolers will be curriculum-aligned and developed in consultation with leading experts in mindfulness and early learning education.

A series of online learning modules and lesson plans will be developed for early learning educators to guide professional learning in mindfulness meditation and mental wellbeing. Resources tailored for parents will also be developed, with the aim of developing a whole-of-community approach to mental wellbeing.

This project meets strongly with the Foundation’s Education funding objectives seeking to improve school readiness of children in early childhood by promoting healthy emotional wellbeing and social competence.

Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth Limited (ARACY) $509,048 over 4 years Right@home phase 2 Right@home is a randomised control trial (RCT) of an Australian model of sustained nurse home visiting delivered from the antenatal period up until the child turns two, and is designed to promote child development and family wellbeing. The intervention involves a trained maternal and child health nurse visiting vulnerable families in the home and providing them with support to engage with their child and the wider community.

The Foundation supported Phase 1 of the trial with a grant of $600,000 in 2011 to determine the impact of the intervention on the home environment. This second grant, which brings our overall support to over $1 million, will enable the project team to undertake longitudinal research with participants to determine the impact of the intervention on children and their development through to early primary.

If the intervention is proven to be effective in the long term for children and parents, it has potential to be scaled, improving child development and family wellbeing for vulnerable families throughout Australia.

Right@home is a research partnership between ARACY, the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and the Translational Research and Social Innovation (TReSI) group at Western Sydney University. The Foundation is funding Phase 2 together with The Sydney Myer Fund and The Vincent Family Fairfax Foundation (VFFF), along with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) among others.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Environment & Conservation PROGRAM MANAGER LOUISE ARKLES

24

SITE VISITS

6

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

4

GRANTS APPROVED

$2,498,500

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

Main: Plantings on a farm in New South Wales, part of the Sustainable Farms Initiative.

Photo by Chris MacGregor.

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FUNDING OBJECTIVES Making grants that have meaningful impact in the complex area of Environment & Conservation is a challenging but important aspect of the Foundation’s philanthropy.

We focus our efforts on supporting urban and rural communities to better manage our natural resources and preserve biodiversity in the face of challenges such as land degradation, limited water resources and climate change.

We aim to support the development and promotion of frameworks and strategies to preserve and foster Australia’s future biodiversity and water/land management.

Projects that have a strong volunteer component, work with multiple stakeholders, promote sustainable approaches to agriculture and/ or incorporate a strong science underpinning are prioritised.

REVIEW The past year represented a period of transition in the Environment and Conservation program area. Due to previous multi-million dollar commitments and our new policy of only issuing grants above $100,000, the Foundation was unable to accept any expressions of interest. The four grants made this financial year were all from invited applications.

Consequently, the past 12 months have been an opportunity to embark on a period of research in the focus areas we support.

EMERGING THEMES From our perspective, there is an enormous energy and momentum in the environment sector at the moment. Environmental nongovernment organisations are becoming more focused on collaboration, as the need for a common, united voice becomes apparent.

The grants issued this year by the Foundation were selected for their transformative approaches to large-scale environmental issues. The ANU Sustainable Farms Initiative is a prime example of what we like to see in the expressions of interest we receive: projects that are highly collaborative, ambitious in their scope, led by high calibre researchers, which demonstrate the potential to achieve excellent financial leverage.

PRIORITIES From 2018, the Environment & Conservation program area will be open for expressions of interest once per year in March. As highlighted by our updated funding objectives, the Foundation sees land and water management as key priorities, and we look forward to receiving applications for large-scale projects looking to create real impact.

Right: Dr Shanta Barley and Prof. Jessica Meeuwig with field gear destined for the Great West Australian Transect.

Photo credit: Matthew Galligan.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Australian National University

Invasive Species Council Inc

University of Western Australia

$2,000,000 over five years Sustainable Farms Initiative: Healthy Farmers Healthy Farms Healthy Profits

$250,000 over two years Environmental biosecurity risks and pathways project

This five-year project aims to significantly improve environmental, economic and social outcomes in rural Australia by providing data to help farmers make decisions and adopt practices that are ecologically sound, and focused on their farms’ long-term sustainability.

One of the most common themes in EOIs received by the Foundation is invasive species which is one of the top three threats to biodiversity and a major cause of extinction in Australian animal species.

$123,500 The Great West Australian Transect: understanding ocean wildlife recovery in Commonwealth Marine Reserves

The Sustainable Farms Initiative aims to demonstrate that farms that are better managed environmentally, are better off financially and together these can improve farmers’ mental health and wellbeing.

Professor Lindenmayer, the lead researcher, and his team at ANU have been involved with a range of farm-based projects over the last 20 years, from which this present project has emerged.

This work has culminated in a significant dataset which allows for evidence-based recommendations and decision-making.

This grant to the Invasive Species Council will support their efforts to protect the Australian environment from potential and future invasive species through early intervention and preventative strategies.

This project will develop a national priority list of potential insect and plant disease invaders, identifying their likely pathways into Australia, and their potential for impact.

This information will be essential in strengthening Australia’s biosecurity systems, stopping harmful insects such as fire ants and pathogens such as Myrtle Rust from establishing themselves in Australia.

Ocean wildlife has declined globally by almost 90% over the last 50 years, a phenomenon which has significant implications for the health of the planet, and for seafood as a global food source.

To address this concern, Australia has become a global leader by establishing 58 Commonwealth Marine Reserves around our coastline, however, there is currently no commitment to monitoring these marine reserves and minimal data on what species they support.

To address this lack of data, lead researcher Professor Jessica Meeuwig and her team will deploy mid-water stereo-video systems to survey three of the marine reserves.

This is an innovative non-invasive method of monitoring the diversity and abundance of ocean wildlife in these reserves, and to evaluate their impact in reversing the decline of marine biodiversity. Ultimately, this proofof-concept project aims to develop into a monitoring agreement for all marine reserves.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Health & Disability PROGRAM MANAGER DR ALBERTO FURLAN

121

EOIs RECEIVED

12

SITE VISITS

22

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

11

GRANTS APPROVED

$2,415,000

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES In the Health & Disability program, the Foundation prioritises funding for innovative programs that improve health outcomes for the Australian community through large-scale public health initiatives and/or programs that enhance employment opportunities for people with a disability.

Our grants target programs that help improve quality of life for those in our community living with disability or illness and support programs that focus on the prevention of diseases.

The number and diversity of organisations working in this sector reflects that demand for specialised solutions to the complex, multi-faceted challenges faced by people living with chronic illness and/or disability.

The Foundation sees new technology and shared learnings as key to realising new opportunities for organisations working in this sector and achieving better outcomes for the community.

REVIEW

Main: Growability participants studying Certificate II Horticulture at Sunraysia TAFE (L–R): Jack Night, Austin Saunders, John Jamieson Lang and Jesse Grayling. Image by Vision House Photography.

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After reviewing and evaluating our grantmaking process, we have made a number of changes to the guidelines and priorities in the Health & Disability program.

In Health, we aim to maximise the impact of our grants by funding projects that

improve health outcomes for the Australian community through public health initiatives. In Disability, historically we have supported a wide range of projects that enhance the lives of people with disability, however, our evaluation tells us that grants that have had the greatest long term outcomes are those projects that focused on providing pathways to employment.

Therefore, over the past 12 months we have prioritised projects which support disabled people to secure and maintain a job.

EMERGING THEMES In response to the changing funding guidelines, the application process this year has been highly competitive, with the calibre of applications received extremely high. Key themes this year among successful grantees were projects that had clear vision, were outcomes driven with a strong focus on evaluation.

PRIORITIES Moving forward, with our health funding we will prioritise projects that seek to engage a growing number of individuals, maximising their impact. In Disability, we encourage applications which are based on evidence and research, providing sustainable approaches to increasing employment opportunities for individuals with a disability.

Right: The Daybreak app, by Hello Sunday Morning, gives community members the instant support they need, regardless of their circumstances.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Christie Centre Inc

Jobsupport

Hello Sunday Morning

$120,000 over two years GrowAbility: Propagating partnerships

$350,000 over two years Establishing Evidence-based Open Employment Support for People with Significant Intellectual Disability in Brisbane

$250,000 over two years Prevention of Alcoholism through Digital Health Coaching

It is well recognised that access to employment opportunities is a key factor in developing confidence, financial independence and opportunities for social inclusion for people with disabilities, yet many disabled people are excluded from this opportunity, particularly in rural areas.

GrowAbility is a program which provides opportunities for people with disabilities to pursue a Certificate II in Horticulture.

Through a hands on learning environment, this project equips participants with the skills and knowledge required for a career in the horticulture industry. The project is structured as a social enterprise with the plants propagated by participants providing an ongoing revenue stream, thus ensuring sustainability in the future.

Jobsupport is the leading organisation in Australia providing employment pathways for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

In 2016, Jobsupport celebrated 700 people placed in jobs throughout Sydney and Melbourne. Its success is based on a personalised approach to job placement and ongoing support for both employees and employer. Our funding will allow Jobsupport to expand its service to Brisbane. Once established, Jobsupport will achieve financial sustainability through NDIS and Commonwealth Disability Employment Service funding.

In the first year, funds will be used to build community expectations for this program, establish a referral pathway for school leavers, obtain premises, and recruit staff.

In the second year, grant funding will be used to address operational shortfalls until sufficient client numbers are attained.

These foundation steps are critical to the establishment of a sustainable transitionto-work and open employment support service for people with intellectual disability in the Brisbane metropolitan area.

Hello Sunday Morning (HSM) is an alcohol behaviour change initiative whose mission is to change Australia’s relationship with alcohol, and to ensure all Australians have access to evidence-based treatment options.

Through their Daybreak app, HSM provides 8000 users with peer support, motivational interviewing and self-guided psychoeducation and monitoring.

Our funding supports HSM to introduce digital health coaching into the Daybreak app. This service will be delivered by trained professionals through a live chat function in the app. The use of a digital platform makes it an attractive option for people seeking personalised, on-demand assistance. Through partnerships with the Primary Health Networks this service will be integrated into the mainstream health system.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Medical Research PROGRAM MANAGER DR ALBERTO FURLAN

In 2016–17, the Foundation did not award any Medical Research grants due to prior financial commitments to large multi-year grants.

This program area reopened for applications in early fiscal 2018.

Support for medical research has been a cornerstone of the Foundation’s funding since it was established, with commitments of $60 million made to the sector. The Foundation has a proud history of supporting Australia’s leading medical research institutes, particularly in their formative stages when leverage is crucial for funding and endorsement.

Even before he established his foundation, Sir Ian Potter, together with Ken and Baillieu Myer, provided start-up funding for The Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine.

Over its 50 year history, the Foundation has made establishment grants to a number of major centres and institutes including The Ian Potter Centre of Cancer Genomics and Predictive Medicine at The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the National Trauma Research Institute at Alfred Hospital, the Bionic Ear Institute, and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.

Main: Professor Peter Choong (left) and Andrew Batty, CEO of Anatomics. Photo by Mark Chew.

Right: VCCC during White Night 2017.

Image by Pete Glenane courtesy of Plenary Group.

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Currently, the Medical Research program area prioritises support for world class biomedical research to bring new preventions and cures closer to reality, through the use of new technology and innovative practices. To this end, the Foundation considers grants for the provision of equipment and capital infrastructure to support outstanding

research groups. Collaboration is also a key attribute of the projects funded, as it is vital for researchers to share and capitalise on knowledge. The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that encourage crossinstitutional collaboration.

In fiscal 2017, the Foundation did not have a Medical Research round due to prior financial commitments to large multi-year grants that will run through to 2018. For fiscal 2018, applications in the Medical Research program were open in Round 2 (2017). This hiatus allowed some breathing space to review past medical research grants and gain insight to new potential fields of research that are on the cusp of the next medical breakthrough.

The Foundation looks forward to continuing its support for world class biomedical research that will bring new preventions and cures closer to reality, through the use of new technology, innovative practices and knowledge collaboration.

Significant recent and current examples of the Foundation’s Medical Research program funding are presented here.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS

Funding innovation for future cure Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research The Ian Potter Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine $3 million over 4 years (2012–2016) Personalising treatment Since 1965, the Foundation has awarded 19 grants totalling almost $5 million to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical research (WEHI). The largest of these was in 2012 towards The Ian Potter Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine, a partnership between WEHI and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). This world-class Australian research centre is devoted to matching disease treatments to a person’s genetic makeup.

WEHI and MCRI stated in their final report in 2016 that ‘the genomics equipment purchased through the Potter Centre was the catalyst that sparked a new era of collaborative research in genomics and enabled Victorian institutions to take a lead role in integrating genomics into routine health care and to become a world leader in the use of genomics in patient care.’

This grant was also significant in terms of it leverage. As a result of this initial investment by the Foundation, the Victorian Government has since invested $25 million to expand the Melbourne Genomics Alliance which also includes a further eight research centres. The National Health and Medical Research Council has also committed $25 million to establishing the Australian Genomics Health Alliance which will draw on the learnings of the Melbourne Alliance and the early work facilitated by the Foundation’s initial grant.

Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) $15 million over six years (2012–2018) Benchtop to bedside and back

The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (AMCD) Major grant awarded 2017 $2.5m over 3 years (2021–2023) Engineering future care

In early 2012, the Foundation made its equal largest grant ever of $15 million to the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre project. The VCCC was formally opened by the Hon Jill Hennessey, State Minister for Health in July 2016. The VCCC is a collaboration between four cancer research institutes and one of the most important in the Southern Hemisphere. The unique aspect of the VCCC is the co-location of researchers, educators, clinicians and patients designed to facilitate translation of research to treatment.

The Ian Potter Centre for New Cancer Treatments on Level 13 of the VCCC, provides a home for the Peter Mac led Immunotherapy Research Program, the Australian Genome Research Facility, the Cooperative Research Centre for Cancer Therapeutics and the Innovative Clinical Trials Centre.

‘Immunotherapy is the first totally new treatment modality for cancer in over 50 years, and is already revolutionising cancer care as we know it.’

— PROFESSOR JOE TRAPANI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CANCER RESEARCH, PETER MACCALLUM CANCER INSTITUTE

The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) will be Australia’s first hospital-based bio-engineering research and education hub. It will bring together clinicians, scientists, engineers from hospitals, academia and industry to solve clinical problems. The grant made in 2017 has been awarded under the Major Grants stream.

A prior grant from the Foundation in 2016, contributed funding to the development of an Advanced Bio-fabrication Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne to enable multi-disciplinary research into rebuilding damaged or diseased limbs. This project proved to be an incubator for the ACMD which has been formed with the support of major universities, research institutes, St Vincent’s Hospital and the bio-tech industry.

ACMD will also facilitate delivery of tertiary education through a translational research lens with strong multidisciplinary partnerships. Medical staff and students within ACMD will learn and work alongside teams of biomedical engineers.

This will facilitate cross-discipline research and implementation of new technologies with the help of industry partners.

Breakthrough patentable discoveries can also generate significant revenues. It is, therefore, expected that ACMD will yield powerful economic benefits, as well as improved patient and healthcare outcomes.

‘Over the next four years, the [Melbourne] Alliance will be able to offer diagnosis and treatment to up to 2500 patients for conditions including epilepsy, leukaemia, cancers, childhood diseases and inherited neuropathies.’

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Science PROGRAM MANAGER NICOLE BORTONE

21

SITE VISITS

6

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

4

GRANTS APPROVED

$855,000

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES The central focus of the Foundation’s Science program is support for exceptional and visionary early career and established scientific researchers, with the aim of making a long term contribution to thinking and knowledge in Australia and scientific infrastructure.

The Foundation prioritises support for collaborative projects where there are multiple partners involved and where there is strong financial support from the applicant organisation among other funding partners, for example, the ARC, other philanthropics and industry.

REVIEW There were four grants awarded in 2016–17 including Museums Victoria and the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation both of which have been long term partners of the Foundation. The grants awarded to them for the Great Melbourne Telescope and Cyclone shelter were necessary infrastructure grants.

The Academy of Science and the University of Adelaide also received funding this year from the Foundation.

EMERGING THEMES The Foundation is not looking for run-ofthe-mill research projects; we are looking for innovative and collaborative projects

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that will really change the tide and have broad-ranging benefits for Australia.

Two grants made this year exemplify what the Foundation is looking to support in the future. The Academy of Science project will create a decadal plan for taxonomy in Australia. This is a forward thinking project that will provide benefits for multiple sectors.

The University of Adelaide’s Remaking Living Reefs project will provide lessons and a blueprint for the expansion of the reef at this site and future builds at other sites.

Both these projects are collaborative with multiple partners involved in both the funding and delivery of the projects.

PRIORITIES The aim of the Science program is developing the research capacity of all disciplines with a particular focus on fellowships. We seek to support high quality scientific research programs led by early career and established researchers directed at developing and strengthening Australia’s scientific research and innovation capacity.

The Foundation’s most impactful grants have been for large scale projects and fellowships. It is hoped this move to larger scale multiyear projects will maximise the Foundation’s impact in this sector.

Main: Ulysses butterflies (Papilio ulysses) in CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra. © CSIRO. Right: Field experiment conducted with oyster farmers to determine whether oyster larvae prefer to settle on limestone, concrete, or other oysters.

Image credit: D. McAfee

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Australian Academy of Science

The University of Adelaide

$205,000 over 3 years Biosystematics and taxonomy in Australasia and its region

$300,000 over two years Remaking Living Reefs: native oyster reefs for the restoration of fish populations and water quality

Biosystematics and taxonomy is the discovery, naming and classification of all of the world’s living organisms. The study of the evolutionary relationships between these species is fundamental not just to our understanding of biology, but also biosecurity, agriculture, conservation and drug discovery.

Through extensive stakeholder engagement and collaboration this project will develop a 10-year strategic plan for biosystematics and taxonomy in Australia, working to build capacity and sustainability throughout the sector.

By identifying strengths, weaknesses, priorities and opportunities in the biosystematics sector, this project will build the capacity needed to prevent further species decline and extinction, and contribute to research on controlling invasive species.

Native South Australian oyster reefs, once one of Australia’s most extensive coastal habitats, have now been fished to functional extinction. Professor Sean Connell and Dr Dominic McAfee of The University of Adelaide are restoring 20 hectares of native oyster reef off the Yorke Peninsula in collaboration with the South Australian Government and The Nature Conservancy.

The restored oyster reef will increase marine biodiversity, improve the quality of coastal waters and increase recreational fishing and tourism on the Peninsula.

Sixty artificial reef structures are currently under construction.

At its completion, this will be the largest, most comprehensive artificial reef in the southern hemisphere. The applied research conducted by Professor Connell and his team has significant potential for longterm and wide-scale impact.

‘The Foundation is delighted to

be supporting this high quality applied research project with a grant of $300,000 over two years. Reef restoration not only has environmental benefits in terms of coastal biodiversity and clean water but it also provides employment and economic benefits for regional communities.

The project is also a unique collaborative partnership between state government departments, the University of Adelaide and The Nature Conservancy which increases the potential for long-term and wide-scale viability of future reef builds and the resulting benefits for the environment and communities.’

— MR CHARLES GOODE AC, CHAIR, THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Major Grants

8

GRANTS APPROVED

7

SITE VISITS

$25m

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

Main: Orygen’s new mental health centre will house up to 500 staff and help treat thousands of young people each year. Image courtesy of Billard Leece Partnerships.

Inset Bottom: Main entry to the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning from the Zoo. Artist’s impressions courtesy of NBRS Architecture.

Inset Top Right: The Hedberg, Collins Street, Hobart.

Design by Liminal Architecture with WOHA Architects and Arup. Indicative render by Doug + Wolf.

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OVERVIEW In 2016 the Foundation’s Board of Governors decided to introduce a Major Grants stream, sitting outside the funding objectives for the Foundation’s established program areas. Going forward the Foundation will be allocating half its grant budget to Major Grants. These are substantial grants to major projects many of which transcend our core grants areas and are usually paid over a number of years.

These grants recognise and consider iconic or major projects and are frequently in association with a Commonwealth and/or State Government grants. The Foundations’

grant often provides leverage encouraging further philanthropic support.

Projects are proactively sought out by the Foundation’s Governors and staff.

Select applications are then considered once a year by the Foundation’s Board.

The establishment of the Major Grants stream aims to protect funding allocations for the Foundation’s core program areas while ensuring the Foundation’s tradition of large, catalytic grants can continue to assist the delivery of key major projects in the community.

GRANTS The Australian Ballet $1.5 million ‘Raise the Roof’ Redeveloping the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre The Raise the Roof project will help achieve key goals for The Australian Ballet, creating high quality facilities appropriate for the company’s increasing dancer numbers and world class artistic activities.

The project will include upgrading facilities for artists, dancer health, rehabilitation and fitness, education and community engagement.

The University of Sydney, University Museums $5 million over four years Chau Chak Wing Museum This grant supports the development of the Chau Chak Wing Museum designed to house the University’s Macleay and Nicholson Museums and Art Gallery. The new museum will be a purpose built facility located at the main entrance to the University. The Chau Chak Wing Museum will aggregate these major cultural and scientific collections for public display in a state-of-the-art facility, greatly enhancing teaching, research and public engagement with one of Australia’s outstanding cultural collections.

The University of Tasmania $5 million over four years A Creative Industry and Performing Arts Centre for Tasmania The Creative Industry and Performing Arts (The Hedberg) project will be a new collaborative multi-functional space in Hobart for the creative industries and performing arts, providing an exceptional environment for crossdiscipline creativity and thinking and an amazing cultural asset for the Tasmanian community. Once complete, it will encompass the Theatre Royal, the University Conservatorium of Music and the Creative Exchange Institute, a new research institute with a focus on performance, design and creativity.

Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Health $3 million over five years Orygen Capital Project This grant supports the establishment of modern health care and research facilities that will provide the base for Orygen’s national and international leadership of innovative clinical care, cutting edge research, and education and training.

The $78 million project will rebuild dilapidated premises currently housing Orygen’s mental health researchers and clinical services in substandard facilities in Parkville, Victoria.

Zoological Parks Board of NSW $1.5 million over four years Taronga Institute of Science and Learning – a global centre of excellence for conservation The Taronga Institute of Science and Learning (a $30.7 million project) will bring together the zoo’s strong science, education and conservation teams under the one roof. The institute will be the third facility of its kind in the world and the first in the southern hemisphere. It will allow for university and industry partners to be co-located at the Institute increasing uptake of research opportunities and bring STEM programs to life for students from pre-Kinder to PhD level. The Foundation is pleased to mark the zoo’s 100th Birthday with this major grant.

Guide Dogs Victoria $2.5 million over five years The future is in sight Guide Dogs Victoria are undertaking a major capital project ($18.7 million) that includes the refurbishment of administration facilities, a low vision clinic, an auditorium/ education centre, a sensory garden/walk, a dog day care, a veterinary hospital, a café and residential facilities. The Foundation’s grant will directly contribute towards the client support building within the ‘urban village’ providing a significant upgrade to residential facilities and spaces for intensive and directed learning.

St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne) Ltd $2.5 million over three years Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery This grant supports development of the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) and will commence in 2020.

The ACMD will be Australia’s first hospital-based bio-engineering research and education hub. It will bring together clinicians, scientists, engineers from hospitals, academia and industry to solve clinical problems. The ACMD will be a centre for collaborative research, education and training focused on bioengineering.

See further information on page 23.

University of Melbourne: Faculty of VCA and MCM $4 million The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music This grant will assist The University of Melbourne to relocate the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music to the new Southbank Arts Precinct. A new, fitfor-purpose, world-class Melbourne Conservatorium of Music building, the Ian Potter Southbank Centre, will bring all Faculty music teaching together in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct allowing for improved learning and development outcomes, strengthening relationships with aligned organisations and building strong synergies with the Victorian College of Arts.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift PROGRAM MANAGER NICOLE BORTONE

11

SITE VISITS

3

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

3

GRANTS APPROVED

$875,000

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

FUNDING OBJECTIVES

EMERGING THEMES

Grants made through The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift aim to improve the opportunities available for disadvantaged children and lay the foundations for future positive health, social and educational outcomes. These grants are made through several program areas including the Arts, Community Wellbeing, Environment & Conservation and Education, reaching children of varying ages and circumstances. The common thread of the grants is that they support education and encourage an interest in the environment, or the arts and literature, to create opportunities for personal development and assist children to overcome barriers that may limit their achievement.

The Foundation awarded three grants this year through The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift. These were awarded to the Sydney Story Factory, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and to the Beacon Foundation. All three projects are quite different.

REVIEW The focus of The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift is largely on improving literacy skills or encouraging children to engage with the environment in line with Mr Sewell’s lifelong love of literature and nature. Projects that seek to improve health and educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people are also considered favourably. Applications are invited directly.

The first grant awarded through The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift was in 2004. Since that time $4.7m has been awarded through this sub-fund in support of programs for disadvantaged Australian children and young people across Australia.

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The Sydney Story Factory ‘One for All’ program is focused on improving literacy skills of the secondary students involved in this drama program. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden’s Early Years project is focused on improving health outcomes for young children and encouraging them to engage with the environment. The Beacon Foundation’s eBeacon platform seeks to improve employment pathways for secondary students in rural and regional settings by connecting them with a range of professionals to show the range of career pathways that are available today. All three projects fit strongly with the funding objectives of The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift.

PRIORITIES Given the significant multi-year commitments the Foundation made this year through the Gift, it is unlikely any further applications will be invited for 2017–2018.

Main: Early years students watering their kitchen garden. Image courtesy of Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

Right Inset: An early years student full of concentration during a kitchen class. Image courtesy of Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation $300,000 over 3 years Kitchen Garden Early Years Program This grant will assist the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation to customise their very successful kitchen garden program for early childhood centres. The kitchen garden program is currently being delivered in over 800 Australian schools across Australia and has been evaluated independently twice and been shown to produce improvement in students’ food choices and kitchen lifestyle behaviours.

There is accumulating research demonstrating that childhood obesity needs to be addressed at an earlier age, highlighting a need for investment in food education in the early years. This early childhood program is being developed in response to evidence and demand from the early childhood sector.

Funding from the Foundation will specifically support the development and delivery of early years educational resources and a professional development program.

The program will be rolled out to an estimated 546 early childhood educators and over 8000 children over three years.

With approximately 10,000 early childhood centres across Australia there is significant potential for scale.

Beacon Foundation $495,000 over 3 years eBeacon – Developing an innovative online platform to revolutionise school education across Australia The aim of the eBeacon model is to improve career aspirations and pathways for disadvantaged secondary students in Australia. The model encompasses an online interactive platform of resources called eBeacon and an online mentoring program called MyRoad.

The Beacon Foundation have been running programs in schools since 1988, and the eBeacon platform will enable them to expand their reach without expanding their physical presence. eBeacon was developed in response to demand from schools, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas, for access to relevant and engaging careers education, support and opportunities. It has been co-constructed with industry and schools across Australia.

The platform aims to be more than a resource for careers teachers. It is also a way for teachers to connect and learn from industry in support of all subject areas including Science, Maths and English as well as specialist subjects.

There is nothing else like this currently available in Australia. There are information websites, and online mentoring programs (via email) but nothing as robust and comprehensive that takes advantage of online video-conferencing technology and Beacon’s strong volunteer base and student/ teacher resources. As an online platform, the model has great potential for scale.

The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift is not a program area of the Foundation but a subfund that the Foundation manages. Mr Alec Prentice Sewell (1909–2003) of Toolangi,Victoria was a businessman, writer and poet.

He bequeathed a large part of his estate to The Ian Potter Foundation and expressed a wish that it be used for the ‘maintenance, education, welfare and benefit in life of needy children’.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 To read the full list of grants in this program area, please refer to the grants database on our website.

Knowledge & Learning PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: LAUREN MONAGHAN TRAVEL AND CONFERENCE CRAIG CONNELLY SECTOR SUPPORT DR ALBERTO FURLAN INTERNATIONAL LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Philanthropy Australia’s strategic map with five priority areas to achieve more and better philanthropy

Connecting & Convening Linking the philanthropic community

Leadership & Advocacy

PDF

Professional Learning & Services

Making the case for philanthropy

Building sector capability

Better Giving Hub

Organisation Effectiveness

Interactive platform to connect, share and build resources

Data & Insight Collaborative information sharing

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Sector Support

2

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

2

GRANTS APPROVED

$159,200

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

OVERVIEW Sector Support is a sub-category of the Knowledge & Learning program area established by the Foundation in 2016–2017.

The key objective of Sector Support is to support philanthropic and not-for-profit peak bodies to undertake multi-disciplinary sector-wide initiatives that are unique or innovative. This funding area is also intended to promote quality professional development opportunities for leading Australian NFP CEOs and senior executives.

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EXEMPLAR GRANT Philanthropy Australia $150,000 over 3 years More and Better Philanthropy More and Better Philanthropy is a multifaceted strategy of Philanthropy Australia that will support Australia’s philanthropic sector to build its collective voice, capacity, impact and influence through quality resources, advocacy, networks, thought leadership and development.

This grant will fund two components of the More and Better Philanthropy strategy. The Foundation will fund the commissioning of a report providing an analysis of the economic impact of philanthropy in Australia. The findings of this report will be used to support Philanthropy Australia’s advocacy to government on behalf of the philanthropic sector.

In collaboration with Gandel Philanthropy, this grant will part fund Foundation Maps Australia (FMA), an online platform to share grant data from Australian philanthropic foundations.

FMA represents the start of an ongoing project to promote transparency and improve sector-wide effectiveness and collaboration.

International Learning & Development EXEMPLAR GRANTS

10

KidsXpress

Geeveston Community Centre Inc

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$18,500 KidsXpress’ CoLed Group Expressive Therapy: Developing Pathways to Recovery & Connections from Theory to Practice

$19,000 Community Economic Development Research Trip

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

GRANTS APPROVED

$84,000

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

OVERVIEW The International Learning & Development program area offers senior staff of notfor-profit organisations the opportunity to spend a period of time overseas visiting like-minded organisations to learn international best practices in their relevant sectors.

With enhanced skills and knowledge, these NFP leaders can then disseminate their learnings throughout their organisation and the wider NFP sector in Australia.

Main: Expressive Therapy takes place in the therapy centre designed by children, for children. Photo courtesy of KidsXpress.

Dr Ben Rockett, General Manager for Programs at KidsXpress, travelled to the USA and UK in late 2016 to meet with leading scholars with expertise in each component of the KidsXpress therapy program for children impacted by childhood trauma.

Dr Rockett visited Professor Michelle Forinash and Dr Nisha Sajnani at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Dr Sam Carr and his colleagues at the Early Childhood Studies unit at the University of Bath in England; and Professor Antonia Bifulco and her colleagues at the Centre for Abuse and Trauma Studies at the University of Middlesex also in England.

Dr Rockett aimed to learn the latest research ideas and gain insights relating to each of KidsXpress’ underpinning theories – Attachment, Trauma, and Neurodevelopmental Theory – and how current thought leaders from these fields can shape KidsXpress’ continuing program developments.

In turn, Dr Rockett provided his international colleagues with transdisciplinary evidence from both KidsXpress’ internal and independent studies, in the hope of developing international research interest in this model of reparative early intervention therapy for children – a model which currently exists only in Australia.

In May 2017 Michael Higgins and Chris Devenish, co-managers of Geeveston Community Centre, travelled to the USA where they spent three weeks learning the operational model, structures and procedures of two leading community development organisations: Intervale Farms and the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO).

During their time at CEDO they met with the leaders of a range of organisations working towards enhanced economic, environmental and societal benefits for all people who live in the area. At Intervale Farms they contributed to the planting of 550 tamarack trees in the conservation nursery and learnt about diverse ownership structures from pioneers in collective farming.

Since returning to Australia they have been working towards developing a community supported agriculture model at Geeveston Community Centre which will be centred on education, healthy eating and growing food. They are also negotiating with the local council for a large parcel of public land to be available for small food growers utilising the Intervale model of collective ownership.

Furthermore, they have now entered a formal partnership with the Huon Producers’ Network to support a group of local, organic farmers as they progress towards increasing their farm gate sales.

This trip has facilitated key international projects including research collaboration.

KidsXpress has also obtained significant direction for how the therapy model, data collection processes, and sector engagement could be enhanced.

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The Ian Potter Foundation Annual Grants Report 2016–17 Main: Inaugural Language, Literacy and Learning Conference, Perth, 2017. Image courtesy of DyslexiaSPELD Foundation WA.

Conference

64

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

32

GRANTS APPROVED

$214,562

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

OVERVIEW The sharing, exchange and dissemination of knowledge is an important aspect of the Foundation’s commitment to excellence and to our desire to build capacity within Australia’s not-for-profit sector. The Ian Potter Foundation’s Conference program supports the exchange and dissemination of ideas and knowledge across a global stage assisting organisations to bring keynote speakers of international renown to Australia. The speakers impart their knowledge and expertise to conference delegates in Australia to inspire new thinking and foster learning.

Conference grants are a great example of how relatively small grants can have a significant impact. A new approach or way of thinking can make a significant difference to a NFP organisation and that ripple effect can inspire a fresh focus, spark new research, create networks and knowledge-sharing frameworks.

Grants are made through this program area to assist with the travel and accommodation costs of hosting an international keynote speaker.

Inset: Zero Suicides in Healthcare Conference, February 2017, speakers (L–R): Dr M Hogan, Dr K Turner, J Hawgood, M Welsh, J Martin, D Mobbs, D Covington, L Darwin and Dr B Ahmedani.

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EXEMPLAR GRANTS The Heart Research Institute Ltd $3,500 To bring three keynote speakers, Professor Jen Pierre Despre, Professor Sir Nilesh J Samani and Professor Kathy Griendling to the Joint Australian Vascular Biology Society, Australian Atherosclerosis Society and the ‘High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia Scientific Meeting’, Tasmania, 7–10 December 2016 The major theme of this conference was the causes, prevention and treatment of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes and kidney diseases. The international keynote speakers presented cutting edge research in their respective fields to 237 delegates. As a combined meeting of three major cardiovascular research societies this conference presented a unique opportunity for research dissemination and networking among researchers.

Suicide Prevention Australia Limited $8,000 To bring two keynote speakers, Mr David Covington and Dr Mike Hogan to the ‘Zero Suicides in Healthcare Conference’, Sydney, 27–28 February 2017 This two-day conference was attended by 70 heath care professionals from 13 countries and all Australian states and territories.

Zero Suicides in Healthcare is an international movement which addresses the estimated 20% of annual suicide deaths of individuals who have taken their own lives after engaging with the healthcare system.

The speakers discussed the development, implementation and evaluation of the Zero Suicides in Healthcare model, highlighting

challenges and opportunities from overseas and ways in which the program can be adapted for local needs.

Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation $10,000 To bring four keynote speakers, Professor Kenn Apel, Professor Susan Gathercole, Professor Kate Nation and Professor Pamela Snow to the ‘Language, Literacy and Learning – Improving outcomes for all Australian children’ conference, Perth, 30 March–1 April 2017 This three-day conference presented current research findings on factors influencing the successful acquisition of skills in language and literacy to a multidisciplinary audience of over 500 Australian and international delegates.

The conference was attended by a range of education stakeholders including teachers, principals, allied health professionals, psychologists and parents, all of whom are concerned with the effective education and support of all school-aged children, including those with learning disabilities.

Topics presented by the keynote speakers included the role of orthography and morphology in extending literacy skills of older students, the link between language and literacy development, and the effect of poor working memory on learning.

All keynote speakers promoted the use of high quality, evidence-based programs and teaching practices, tailored to the individuals needs of the student.

Travel

90

FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

49

GRANTS APPROVED

$77,100

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTS APPROVED

OVERVIEW The Travel program enables promising early career academics and researchers to present their work at international conferences and exchange knowledge with their peers through participation in professional development opportunities.

Supporting early career researchers to attend conferences and training enhances the researcher’s professional development and their research through valuable feedback from and collaboration with contemporaries in their field.

Ultimately, these benefits filter through to the wider community through their research and the investment in Australia’s best and brightest minds.

While most Travel grants are awarded to university-based researchers, they are also available to TAFE staff and indeed the staff of any eligible organisation that may have similar potential and opportunity.

EXEMPLAR GRANTS James Cook University $1,500 Dr Paul York, Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, to attend and present at the International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW12), Nant Gwrtheyrn, Wales, UK, 14–30 October 2016.

This grant assisted Dr Paul York to attend the International Seagrass Biology Workshop. Dr York presented his research on the ecological and economic impact of declines in tropical seagrass on small fish and prawn assemblages. Attending this workshop provided Dr York with the opportunity to gain valuable feedback in his area of research, and to network with fellow international researchers, which led to his involvement in a collaboration for a series of research papers.

University of New South Wales $1,500 Dr Hemant Kumar Singh, School of Engineering and Information Technology, to attend the 2016 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (IEEE SSCI 2016), Athens, Greece, 5–10 December 2016.

The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health $2,000 Dr Despina Ganella, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, to attend the 49th annual meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP), San Diego, USA, 9 – 11 November 2016 and the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), San Diego, USA, 12–16 November 2016.

This grant enabled Dr Despina Ganella to chair and present at the 49th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, to attend the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, and to give an invited talk at the Developmental Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Columbia University. As a result of this travel Dr Ganella received an invitation to submit a symposium proposal for The Pavlovian Society Meeting later in 2017.

Since being awarded this grant, Dr Ganella has been successful in obtaining a University of Melbourne early career researcher grant.

This grant supported Dr Hemant Kumar Singh to attend and present his research at the 2016 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence. As a result of attending the conference Dr Singh was invited to speak at the University of Surrey.

Right: Dr Hemant Singh, UNSW Top Right: Dr Despina Ganella, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health presenting her paper at ISDP in San Diego.

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THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION Level 3, 111 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia 03 9650 3188 admin@ianpotter.org.au ABN 42 004 603 972

ianpotter.org.au