philanthropyOz Blog

Grantmaker Spotlight: Kids in Philanthropy

This post written by Amanda Miller, Kids in Philanthropy.

Photo: Kids in Philanthropy launch, 27 May 2012

Kids in Philanthropy (KIP) is a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Foundation. It is an innovative new philanthropic fund created to teach children the art and skill of giving. KIP, which was launched on Sunday 27 May 2012, will focus on building social awareness, a social conscience and a practice of giving in kids for kids. The ultimate aim of KIP is to build social awareness among kids and by doing so create opportunities for knowledge sharing, friendship, encouraging a spirit of sharing and cultural exchange.

KIP will involve children in workshops to teach them about all aspects of philanthropy guiding them through fundraising and the development of programs to help make a genuine difference to the lives of their peers living in Sydney and Melbourne’s disadvantaged suburbs. There will also be events enabling the kids from KIP and the programs they fund to work together and celebrate their achievements.

KIP, which was the idea of Dr Catriona Wallace and two of her five children, is supported by an Advisory Board, who provided the seed funding, and includes experts in community-based philanthropy such as the Sydney Community Foundation’s Kristi Mansfield, psychologist Dr Tracey Pillinger and child philanthropy consultant Melanie Greblo.

Photo: Kids in Philanthropy launch, 27 May 2012

Children aged from five to 18 will be able to participate in KIP along with their families, forging stronger connections between parents and children around their values and giving. While the initial program is set in Sydney, KIP will become a national initiative.

The first project to be funded by KIP is a Technology and Learning Program designed specifically for children in the middle years aged eight to 12 years olds, who attend various schools in Fairfield, in Sydney’s south west - one of Sydney’s most disadvantaged local government areas. Developed as a result of extensive community consultation working with Fairfield City Council and schools, the Technology and Learning program will be piloted by KIP and will provide the most disadvantaged children with the opportunity to participate in technology, music, art and sporting programs - activities and care they might otherwise miss out on.

At KIP’s launch on Sunday, attended by over 200 people, some of the children involved with KIP spoke about what philanthropy means to them and why they are excited to be involved with KIP.  Dr Catriona Wallace spoke about her personal story and why she founded KIP, and Amanda Bray of Fairfield City Council, together with Fairfield Youth Advisory Council speakers, spoke about the needs of the Fairfield community and the impact the program will have.

To get involved with KIP visit www.kip.org.au or call the Sydney Community Foundation on (02) 9251 1228.

Philanthropy Popquiz Re-Launched

You may have heard of - and hopefully participated in - the Philanthropy Popquiz which Stacey Thomas of The Myer Family Company has run on a weekly basis via email and Twitter for over a year. The Philanthropy Popquizzes are intended as interesting conversation starters around the relationship between philanthropy, the community organisations philanthropists seek to assist, and the people that interact with both.

Stacey has generously offered Philanthropy Australia the chance to take over the Popquiz and after a couple of months’ hiatus it is ready for re-launch. We’re looking forward to sharing these snapshots of opinion and generating some conversations!

In keeping with Stacey’s successful format, we’re sticking with one topic per quiz which should take no more than 3 minutes to complete. Results from previous popquizzes will be available on our website; you can also subscribe to the fortnightly email update via the Popquiz page. We’ll share the results here on the philanthropyOz Blog, and also encourage discussion via Facebook and Twitter.

This fortnight’s Philanthropy Popquiz is on:

Public Reporting

Do you make your annual report (including financial statements) available, and why?

http://www.philanthropy.org.au/popquiz

We encourage you to participate and share with your networks. And of course, if you have any burning questions for consideration as future popquizzes, please leave your suggestions in the Popquiz comments.

New edition of Australian Philanthropy Journal: Philanthropy in the West: mining the richness of spirit

Philanthropy in the West: mining the richness of spirit is the theme of our latest issue of Australian Philanthropy, Issue 81, May 2012.

Philanthropy as a social phenomenon often has cultural or religious roots, and is imbued with historical references: think of the influence of the gold rush on the national economy and the creation of the first foundations from those profits. Australia is now reaping the profits of a resources boom, and some of the great energy and expertise that has driven the accumulation of this wealth is now being redirected to sharing the bounty.

Western Australia is a hotbed of creativity, and philanthropy is thriving - with Governor McCusker donating his salary to charities, Andrew and Nicola Forrest donating $80 million worth of shares and options, and new offices for philanthropy advisors being established in Perth. What mindsets and movements are behind these extraordinary stories? How widespread is the ‘generosity gene’ in WA, and how can the West foster greater philanthropy, both in terms of dollars and impact?

SELECTED ARTICLES

 Feature Interview: Malcolm and Tonya McCusker (PDF)

Tonya McCusker, wife of the Governor of Western Australia, and Administrator of The McCusker Charitable Foundation, spoke to Louise Arkles about her family’s experience in giving.

 Feature Interview: Andrew and Nicola Forrest (PDF)

Back in 2001 Andrew and Nicola Forrest established the Australian Children’s Trust, to assist underprivileged children and young people. The Trust has a mandate of ‘helping people to help themselves’ and focuses on early intervention, empowering women with children, and supporting education, personal development and training for employment. Australian Philanthropy’s editor Louise Arkles spoke with Andrew and Nicola in February 2012 about how their philanthropy has developed over the past decade, and their ideas for growing the philanthropic pie.

 Collective giving: launching Impact100 (PDF)

By James Boyd

How collective giving, a growing phenomenon in the US, can help inform philanthropy, potentially enriching the lives of all Australians – and how WA is set to make a big impact.

Browse the full contents list on the PhilanthropyWiki

» Click here for more information on the Australian Philanthropy Journal

Our previous issue, Indigenous philanthropy (Issue 80, December 2011) is now available for Members to download from the PhilanthropyWiki here.

Staged timetable for ACNC operations

The Assistant Treasurer, David Bradbury, has announced that the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) will be implementing its reforms in a staged fashion in order to adequately and appropriately assist with the necessary transition.

The ACNC will commence operations on 1 October 2012 as previously announced. The governance standards and financial reporting framework will now commence on 1 July 2013, with the first financial reports for medium and large registered entities falling due after 1 July 2014. The ACNC will initially only regulate charities.

The Government will refer the draft ACNC legislation to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics for an inquiry over the Winter Parliamentary break, and will consider any recommendations the Committee makes before introducing the legislation later in 2012.

For more information:

• Assistant Treasurer’s Press Release
• ACNC Implementation Taskforce website
• Treasury NFP reform home page

Conference 2012 Update: New Keynote Andrew Forrest & Pre-Conference Seminar Registrations Open

New Keynote Andrew Forrest

We’re pleased to announce that philanthropist and Fortescue Metals Group Chairman Andrew Forrest will be joining the conference program as Keynote speaker.

Andrew is an active participant in philanthropy, with a focus on indigenous and children’s issues within his community.

About Andrew Forrest

Industry and philanthropic leader Andrew Forrest grew up on a remote Australian sheep and cattle station before attending university. He is the founder and Chairman of Fortescue Metals Group and the Australian Children’s Trust among other significant charities and companies.

After graduating in economics and politics, he built a career in investment banking, mining and farming. He has created some of the largest raw material exporters in the world, while pursuing major social issues on a domestic and international basis.

He has been awarded the Australian Centenary Medal, the Australia Sports Medal, Australian Social Entrepreneur of the Year, West Australia Citizen of the Year for his contribution to regional development and The Mining Journal’s Mining Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recognized widely as family orientated and a strong community and arts supporter and is very active in ventures to protect and help under privileged children locally and internationally.

» More information on the conference speakers

Registrations Open for Pre-Conference Philanthropy 101 Seminar

New to philanthropy? Are you a Trustee, grants administrator, foundation officer or a private donor? Come along on Monday, 3 September to learn about the unique structures, trends and nuances of organised giving in Australia - explore the who, what, why and how of philanthropy. Separate registration applies.

» Click here to register online

Program Update

The draft conference Program has been updated with additional speakers - including Andrew Forrest - and session information. We suggest downloading the new version if you’re already planning your conference days:

Click here to download the updated draft Program

» www.philanthropy.org.au/conference

Taxation Stats show another drop in giving

The ATO has released Taxation Statistics 2009-10. The figures show that while the number of Australians claiming a tax deduction for charitable giving increased in the 09-10 year there was a significant decrease in the amount given.

Some of the highlights include:

• Individuals claimed tax deductible gifts totalling $1,962 million, a decrease of 6.3%
• The number of private ancillary funds (PAFs) has increased to 955 (as of 31 October 2011)
• Giving by PAFs has increased to a total of $197 million in 09/10, an increase of 28.8%
• PAFs now have $2.2 billion in funds under management
• Workplace giving stats are included for the first time and show total workplace giving for 09/10 at $23 million

The full report and the detailed tables are available to download from the ATO website.