philanthropyOz Blog

Private Sector Support for Australian Universities

Global Philanthropic has released a new report, Revenue from Private Sources for Australian Universities, authored by Dr Daniel McDiarmid. The report examines the extent of private support for Australia’s 41 universities, and provides a table and chart which detail the level of support in the form of donations and bequests, scholarships and prizes, non-government grants and sponsorships. The table and chart average results over three years to smooth out the year-to-year variations.

The report also suggests some ways in which the Commonwealth government might improve the financial reporting of university revenue by providing clearer guidelines for reporting of private revenue, with the hope of focusing institutions on the value of private revenue and leading to increased accuracy, transparency and donor confidence.

Download the report as a PDF from Global Philanthropic’s website.

$18m pledge from Wotif.com founders kick starts educational fund

Philanthropy Australia received the following press release about the University of Queensland Endowment Fund:

The University of Queensland Endowment Fund (UQef) was launched in Brisbane on Monday 25th February with an $18 million kick start from UQ graduates Graeme Wood and Andrew Brice.

In a ceremony held at UQ’s Customs House, Mr Wood and Mr Brice (co-founders of accommodation website Wotif.com) committed $8 million worth of Wotif.com shares between them with Mr Brice pledging a further two million shares over the next two years and Mr Wood pledging a further $2 million over the next five years. According to Wotif.com’s share price in late February this equates to an overall total of approximately $18 million.

“UQef will provide opportunities for major benefactors to support academic initiatives that they feel need stronger emphasis or more rapid development, including named Chairs and research programs,” Mr Brice said.

Mr Brice and Mr Wood said the motivation to create the fund followed a universal trend of benefactors wishing to become more engaged with their contributions.

Discussing the ongoing trend, Mr Brice commented: “Engagement with the donation process is desirable because it offers accountability and motivation. Donors are interested in being actively involved in the process and seeing the positive impact that their support has on the individual, industry or the community.

Mr Wood said he and Mr Brice hoped the opportunity to personalise the process, would help spark an increase in the level of educational philanthropy throughout Australia.

“In the US it is a practice for major universities to have an independent body that philanthropists can direct their contributions through and retain a degree of control over how their money is spent,” Mr Wood said.

“We recognised the opportunity for a similar avenue for support at UQ.”

UQef will be overseen by a board consisting of UQ alumni and prominent business people including Mr Wood, John Wiley of Carnegie Wylie, Tim Crommelin of ABN AMRO Morgans and Darryl McDonough of Clayton Utz, who will ensure the expectations of benefactors are met.

UQef will work in partnership with UQ to provide the best possible outcomes for the students of UQ and the future of the University.

The University of the Queensland’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Greenfield, said the UQef initiative showed tremendous foresight, and was an initiative that universities everywhere would welcome.

“It is rare for an Australian university to benefit from this scale of donation from alumni, yet graduate philanthropy is likely to be a hallmark of internationally competitive Australian universities in the not-too-distant future.

“We are delighted that Andrew and Graeme have chosen UQ as the target of their personal generosity and the prescribed private fund,” Professor Greenfield said.

New Positions Vacant & Events

New Positions Vacant:

• Database and Supporter Services Manager
  (Australian Conservation Foundation, Melbourne)
• Relationship Development Coordinator
  (Australian Conservation Foundation, Melbourne)
• Supporter Liaison
  (Australian Conservation Foundation, Melbourne or Sydney)

New Events:

• Successful Strategies in Aboriginal Organisations
  (28th Feb, Carlton/Melbourne)
• Business and Human Rights Workshop
  (5th March, Melbourne)
• Effective Annual Giving Workshop
  (AbaF, 6th March, Sydney)
• PPF Network
  (12th March, Philanthropy Australia Members only, Sydney)
• International Guest Speaker: Ken Wilson of the Christensen Fund
  (15th March, Philanthropy Australia Members only, Sydney)
• Indigenous Affinity Group
  (17th March, Philanthropy Australia Members Only, Sydney)
• PPF Seminar
  (17th March, Sydney)
• AEGN Climate Change & Philanthropy Workshops
  (18th March, Melbourne; 9th April, Sydney)
• Arts Affinity Group
  (8th April, Philanthropy Australia Members only, Sydney)
• 2008 Communities in Control Conference
  (16th-17th June, Melbourne)
• 12th National Conference on Volunteering
  (3rd-5th September, Gold Coast)
• Social Venture Partners 2008 Conference
  (2-4 October, USA)
• Philanthropy New Zealand Conference
  (16th-17th March 2009, NZ)

Gardiner Foundation and Dairy Innovation Australia announce new investment in health and nutrition research for the dairy industry.

The Dairy Health and Nutrition Consortium, a joint initiative of the Gardiner Foundation and Dairy Innovation Australia, was launched yesterday.The main business for the new Consortium will be to commission research to discover and substantiate health benefits from the consumption of dairy foods. It will invest $12.5 million dollars in new research for the dairy industry over the next five years.

The Gardiner Foundation has committed $5 million with $7.5 million from the industry partners and significant in-kind investment from research providers. Foundation Chairman, Chris Nixon said that the Gardiner Foundation Board had identified the need for a collaborative investment to encourage Australia’s outstanding medical research talent to identify and promote the health benefits from consumption of dairy foods.

www.gardinerfoundation.com.au

$6m gift to National Gallery of Victoria from Allan Myers

Lawyer Allan Myers, QC, who is a long-time supporter of the NGV & president of its trustees since 2004, has given the gallery its biggest ever cash donation - $6 million towards a new fund for buying Asian art.

Find our more on our Topical Issues: Major Donations page.

(Backdated - 13th February, 2008)

A Great Form of Love: Women philanthropists in Australian history

Barbara Lemon, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, presented a radio documentary on women philanthropists which aired on Hindsight (ABC Radio National) on Sunday 10 February 2008.

‘A Great Form of Love: Women Philanthropists in Australian History’ profiles eight generous Australian women, spanning 150 years: Anne Fraser Bon, Dr Una Porter, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Barbara Blackman, Jill Reichstein, Eve Mahlab, Toni Joel and Trisha Broadbridge.

Traditionally, Australian women’s philanthropy has focused on voluntary work, while large-scale giving has been the province of men. However a small number of Australian women have given significant sums of money to charitable causes alongside their wealthy male counterparts. Many nineteenth-century Australian women philanthropists were born in Britain, and all were influenced by the well-established tradition of philanthropy there. Few, though, had aristocratic or wealthy origins. Most inherited from husbands or fathers who were self-made men. Their philanthropy was informed by pragmatism, initiative and determination, and was rooted in voluntary work.

By the end of World War II, many Australian women had grasped the opportunity of employment and gained increasing control over money. In the 1960s and 1970s, women began to emerge as leaders, and philanthropy was professionalised. Women’s philanthropy has since moved further away from its nineteenth century origins in charity to form part of the third sector of Australia’s economy, often with the aim of enabling social change.

The program makes fascinating listening and is available to download from the Hindsight website.

Positions Vacant

• Philanthropy Trust Administrator - Trust Company Ltd
• Youth Leadership Project Manager - The Foundation for Young Australians
• Initiative Manager - Indigenous Specific Position - The Foundation for Young Australians
• Grants Executive - Helen Macpherson Smith Trust
• Senior Charitable Trust Consultant - State Trustees Ltd

See further information on these positions at our Positions Vacant page.