philanthropyOz Blog

3 Upcoming Events

• Members Only: International Perspectives Panel Session (22nd November, Melbourne)
• Full Members Only: Making a Difference - One Canadian foundation’s approach to maximizing impact (14th November, Melbourne)
• Maimonides Society: Philanthropic Fun and Foresight (4th December, Melbourne

Go to the Events Calendar for more information.

Pre-orders now being taken for the new Directory of Philanthropy

We are currently taking pre-orders for the 2008/2009 edition of The Australian Directory of Philanthropy.

Listing 350 trusts and foundations, The Australian Directory of Philanthropy is the key resource for those seeking funding. Featuring tips on how to apply for grants, write submissions, and tax information, the Directory is an essential resource for not-for-profit organisations, charities and community groups.

The new edition will contain important tax information to help grantseekers understand what needs to be supplied to foundations in any application for funding.

You may pre-order the Directory via our Publications page, to receive it in the first week of December.

Current Online Directory subscribers need not re-apply for an online subscription; the new information is now live in the Australian Directory of Philanthropy Online.

2 New Positions Vacant

• WA Manager, Artsupport Australia (Perth, WA)
• Grants Officer, Victoria Law Foundation (Melbourne, Vic)

Go to the Positions Vacant page for more details.

New resource for grantmakers - The Grants Classification System

At Philanthropy Australia we have been working on developing on a standardised ‘common language’ for philanthropy. We’re delighted to publish a new tool for grantmakers - The Grants Classification System. Designed to help trusts and foundations to classify, describe and report on their grantmaking activities, the Classification System provides a pre-determined, controlled vocabulary from which foundations can select those terms which best suit their needs.

The Classification System encompasses six facets:

1. Type of support
2. Organisation Type
3. Program Areas
4. Population Groups
5. Geographic Areas
6. Time Frame of Grant

Foundations can select terms from each facet, using the level of detail which best suits them, and customise it by adding in a further level of detail for their own internal use if required.

The intention is to standarise the terms used across the Australian philanthropic sector as far as practical, so that grantmaking can be documented and useful statistics on philanthropy collected which in ways that contribute to shared understandings.

Most foundations use some kind of pre-determined language to classify their grants, for the purposes of recording grant applications, describing the grants they make and reporting to stakeholders on their activities. By classifying grants and the projects they support, and archiving this information, an enormous amount of data can be retrieved, researched, collated and where appropriate, shared, thereby building the sector’s knowledge base.

The Grants Classification System represents a first step in producing a standardised grantmaking language, which we will build upon over time. The System will be reviewed annually, and we are very keen to gather feedback from our Members as to how useful they find this tool, and any new terms which could be added to better describe their work. Members are welcome to submit comments and suggestions to l.arkles@philanthropy.org.au

The Grants Classification System is available as a free download on the new “Grantmaker Tools” page on our Website.

PhilanthropyWiki is now live!

Philanthropy Australia is delighted to announce that the highly anticipated PhilanthropyWiki is now live!

The PhilanthropyWiki is an online encyclopaedia and archive of knowledge on philanthropy in Australia, which now provides a ‘first-port-of-call’ to the philanthropy and not-for-profit sectors, nationally and internationally, on philanthropic giving, charitable trusts, philanthropic foundations and the charity sector in Australia.

The development of the Wiki has been most generously supported by Macquarie Bank Foundation.

Visit the Philanthropy Wiki at www.philanthropywiki.org.au

The types of information contained within the PhilanthropyWiki include:

Philanthropedia (the Who, Where & How Much of philanthropy) - documenting historically significant people, organisations, statistics, issues and events that have occurred in Australian philanthropy.

Structures & Models - (the What of philanthropy) - categorising and explaining specific types of philanthropic bodies.

Practices - (the How of philanthropic giving) - Covering the practical information relevant to those in the sector.

Theories & Debates - (the Why we do what we do the way we do it) - encompassing information and/or opinions that are by nature analytical and/or theoretical.

Program Areas - Collating information relevant to funders on different areas of funding, such as Health, Social Justice or the Environment.

Web users will be familiar with the wiki model through sites such as Wikipedia, which is famous as a vastly extensive, multi-authored encyclopedia that is accessed and edited online in real time. The PhilanthropyWiki utilizes the wiki model in its own unique way. Philanthropy Australia’s Members (grantmaking trusts and foundations), invited academics and other philanthropy specialists are able to edit existing, and create new, pages. All contributions are constantly monitored by our administration team to ensure the veracity and clarity of information contributed.

The PhilanthropyWiki is a key component of Philanthropy Australia’s KnowledgeBank, a culmination of several years’ work on encouraging and embodying effective knowledge management in the sector. Throughout this process, we have come to understand the immense value of making use of the information technology at hand, recognising that supporting the effective use of IT in the not-for-profit sector is crucial to the sector’s progression towards effective knowledge management.

Other KnowledgeBank components include the Philanthropy Australia Website, The Australian Directory of Philanthropy Online, and the Philanthropy Australia Library Catalogue. Components that are still pending include the KnowledgeBank Search, the Grants Database & the Projects in the Pipeline Database.

For more information contact us at info@philanthropy.org.au or on (03) 9620 0200.

Position Vacant at WA Community Foundation

Sustainable Communities Manager, Western Australian Community Foundation (Perth, WA)

Go to the Positions Vacant page for more information.