Hunter benefits from Foundation 2019 Funding Round

Greater Charitable Foundation has committed more than $1 million in funding to six charity partners as part of its 2019 grant round, bringing the Foundation’s total contribution to community groups to more than $9 million since its establishment in 2011.

The Foundation has maintained its strong links to the Hunter, with more than a third of this year’s funding going to organisations that will rollout programs across the region, including Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern NSW, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Youth Off The Streets, Clontarf Foundation and KidsXpress.

Ronald McDonald House, based on the grounds of John Hunter Children’s Hospital, provides accommodation and support for families of children who have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Funding from Greater Charitable Foundation will allow them to facilitate the Ronald McDonald Learning Program that helps children with a serious illness return to school by providing them with individualised educational support tailored to suit their specific needs.

Ross Bingham, Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern NSW Chief Executive Officer, said that serious illness can have a lifelong impact on a child’s education and future wellbeing if no intervention is provided.

“Currently, there are serious gaps in the education system when it comes to supporting children living with chronic illness or injury, and they can very easily fall further behind, or even cease attending school altogether.

“The Learning Program is a life-changing initiative which benefits students and their families by providing students the support and advocacy they need to succeed, now and into the future.

“The program is based here in the Hunter but supports families from across Northern NSW. It is tailored to the specific needs of each child by providing tuition support, education liaison with their school, as well as a range of educational activities at the house.

“This funding from Greater Charitable Foundation will ensure that up to 200 students will be supported by the Learning Program over the next two years”.

A total of six grant recipients were selected, including both new and previously funded partners, each receiving between $33,000 and $260,000 to deliver crucial services to those in need across the Hunter, North Coast, Northern Rivers, Illawarra, Central Coast, Central West, New England and the Riverina region. 

Greater Charitable Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Anne Long, said the Foundation, now in its eighth year of giving, is delighted with the calibre of organisations and programs they will be supporting over the next 12+ months and is looking forward to the positive impact they will have on their respective communities.

“The response to this year’s grants program was unprecedented, with almost 230 applications being submitted; more than any other year. The shortlisting and assessment process was not easy given the quality of submissions, but we are extremely happy with the organisations we have chosen to partner with this year,” Anne said.

“Through this year’s funding program we were able to support a broad range of partners across our area of operation; however, we have maintained strong links to the Hunter through the allocation of almost $400,000 to groups in the region. This takes our total funding allocation in the Hunter since 2011 to more than $4.6 million.

“We are exceptionally proud of the positive impact we have made over the past eight years and are looking forward to working with our latest group of partners to help change the lives of those they support.”

The Foundation’s six new partners will join the ranks of five existing charities who remain under contract to deliver prevention and support programs across the areas of health, youth development, education and medical research.

2019 Successful Charity Partners Operating in the Hunter Region:

• Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern NSW (Northern NSW)
  The Ronald McDonald Learning Program aims to help children who have suffered a serious illness return to school, by providing them with individualised educational support tailored to suit their specific needs.
• KidsXpress (Newcastle & Hunter Region)
  A specialist trauma-focused children’s mental health organisation, KidsXpress will deliver six trauma-informed professional development workshops to help build the capacity of service providers, educators and not-for-profit organisations in the Hunter Region to better recognise and respond to trauma-impacted children.
• Youth Off The Streets Limited (Cessnock)
  The Hunter Suspension Program is aimed at addressing the high rate of school suspensions and expulsions in the Hunter region by offering a tutoring and support program for young people to access while they are suspended from High School.
• Clontarf Foundation (Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Narromine, Nowra, Wellington, Wollongong, Dubbo, Orange, Port Macquarie, Singleton, Tamworth and Taree)
  The Clontarf Foundation’s in school re-engagement program provides intensive daily mentoring and support for many at-risk teenage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male students who would otherwise not attend or have very low school attendance.
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance (Newcastle, East Maitland, Central Coast, Ballina, Orange, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga)
  The Early Response Therapy Program for Babies at Risk of Cerebral Palsy in NSW is focused on ensuring early intervention and care is provided to babies at risk of cerebral palsy, and their families, in the critical first year of the baby’s life.