Family and Community is a core value of the Davidsons team. We are committed to making a difference to the community and do this through the provision of honorary work, participating in activities and offering committee and board support in addition to providing sponsorships and building partnerships with community organisations. The Geelong Community Foundation is one of our community partners and we would like to share with you a bit about them given the role they play across the Geelong and Surf Coast region.
Who are the Geelong Community Foundation?
The Geelong Community Foundation are an example of a local organisation making a difference to our community. The Foundation was established in 2000 with the aim of making a positive and lasting difference to the people of the Geelong region. The Geelong community has needs that are not being met from other funding sources, and the Foundation encourages individuals, families, businesses and other organisations to make donations to help meet these needs, now and in the future.
The Foundation operates in four regions: City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliffe and the southern part of the Golden Plain Shire. It supports nine impact areas for grant-making: aged care, community wellbeing, training and education, family, the environment, health, heritage and the arts, research and innovation, and youth.
2022/23 Grant Announcements
On May 26th 2022, the Foundation celebrated the distribution of $1.26 million into our community in the 2022/23 financial year. “Our record total has been distributed to 61 organisations, who are doing some amazing work in our community. This brings the total grants we have distributed, since our formation in 2000, to $12 million,” shares CEO Gail Rodgers. Read more about the 2022/23 grant allocations here.
However, this year’s grant applications totalled nearly $3 million, therefore it is critical that the Foundation continues to grow its corpus in order to best support those in need within the Geelong region.
“Our focus this year has been on addressing key areas of disadvantage, mental health, domestic violence, education and training, social isolation, drug and alcohol support, preventative programs and housing needs. These are all key issues in our community,” explains Gail. “Clearly the need is great in our region.”
To meet this need from the Foundation’s income, its corpus has to reach $75 million. This is a great challenge and ongoing support from the community is required to make this happen.
As life continues to be uncertain for many in our region, we are asking you to add to your Fund or create a new Sub Fund with the Foundation before the end of the financial year. “Our success has been built on the continuing generosity of our donors, through their donations and gifts in wills,” shares Chairperson Michael Betts. “We continue to build our total funds under management. The investment return on this effectively enables us to keep giving forever. Even in times of great stress, our community foundation is a sustainable answer to philanthropy in Geelong.”
How you can help
There are many ways to give back through the Geelong Community Foundation.
Donations
A number of options exist for a donation to the Foundation’s tax-deductible Gift Fund. The different types of Sub Funds within the Foundation are Business, Personal, Gifts in Wills (Bequest) and Personal in Memoriam.
Join the P500 Program
An alternative to creating a Sub Fund is to become part of the P500 program, which harnesses the power of collective giving to fund transformative grants through the combined $500 contributions of individuals, families and businesses. P500 provides an accessible entry point for like-minded donors across all generations to pool their donations, support their community and experience the grant-making process first-hand.
Contact the Geelong Community Foundation
The Geelong Community Foundation is a true foundation, building a sustainable, long-term community asset. With your help, the more it grows and the more we can give. If you would like to learn more about the Geelong Community Foundation, please visit geelongfoundation.org or contact either the CEO Gail on 0431 059 905 or Development Manager Tony on 0417 334 434.
If you would like to learn about other organisations we support, visit our Community Engagement web page.
This article was written by Geelong Community Foundation’s Communication Office Ally McManus and edited by our Marketing Coordinator Meghan Carr.
All featured photos are credited to Laura Wilson.