Looking for the latest sector news? Catch up on what’s happening across the world of funding, philanthropy, and research with the latest updates from Team SG’s busy research team.
The research team at Strategic Grants spend hundreds of hours every month reviewing newsletters, funder sites, LinkedIn and many other resources to find funding and grants to enter and update in the Grants Expertise Management System (GEMS) for our for-purpose clients.
We also share relevant articles with the rest of Team SG as our commitment to keeping up-to-date with what’s happening across the sector here at home in Australia and New Zealand, and across the globe.
Here are some of highlights from the past month.
Latest sector news
The sector has seen a flurry of activity with key events and launches.
A few we’ve been keeping tabs on are the Philanthropy Australia conference held in Adelaide last month, the launch of She Gives and the release of the Future Foundations for Giving final report by the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission.
Amid all this, we’ve been exploring others’ perspectives and discovering additional articles and insights on funding and philanthropy.
Philanthropy Australia conference – Adelaide, August 2024
Team SG’s Geoff and Jo were two of the over 1,000 delegates. Read their wrap-up here: https://www.strategicgrants.com.au/2024/08/09/philanthropy-australia-2024/
Not the only one to pen their thoughts, there have been many take-aways shared from other attendees. Here are some links to some that we have been reading:
https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/a-reflection-on-the-conference/
https://creative.gov.au/news/stories/inspiring-philanthropy
https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/the-future-of-philanthropy-and-why-it-matters/
She Gives
She Gives is a movement that seeks to highlight women’s giving at any scale, to any cause, accelerating positive social change. Their ambition is to celebrate, share, and inspire women’s giving in Australia.
They launched an initial paper explaining their campaign, rationale and research agenda this month with events across the country. You can download the paper here.
Read more (including key takeaways from Team SG’s Bianca Williams via Linkedin):
Future foundations for giving – Inquiry report
There has been quite a bit of commentary around this report and whether it goes far enough to encourage doubling giving by 2030 and how the Deductible Gift Recipient Status may change.
Says Sue Woodward AM, ACNC Commissioner, “There will no doubt be lively debate around some of the recommendations in the report, and we have already seen that starting to play out.
“Ultimately, our role as the independent regulator is to implement policy which is set by government. If there are any changes that result from the inquiry in future which impact our work in regulating the sector, we will ensure we provide clear guidance and messaging so the sector is well-prepared and resourced.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to support a culture of giving, especially through our Charity Register. It is a valuable tool for donors and philanthropists to verify the transparency of organisations they might support, with information such as where a charity operates and the people or causes it supports.”
Read the report: https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/philanthropy/report
And some articles we enjoyed:
Philanthropy New Zealand – Release of three new case studies on disaster preparation and response
There’s been some great (and inspirational!) reading around how philanthropy and funding impact the recovery of communities after disasters in New Zealand.
Case study one: Unleashing the power of localized disaster philanthropy https://philanthropy.org.nz/composite-of-interviews-on-localising-philanthropy
Case study two: Businesses supporting disaster resilient communities https://philanthropy.org.nz/community-engagement-as-a-business-imperative
Case study three: Navigating Cyclone Gabrielle recovery and reflections on philanthropic partnerships https://philanthropy.org.nz/navigating-cyclone-gabrielle-recovery-and-reflections-on-philanthropic-partnerships
The Bequest Report – Reshaping Australia by passing on more than assets by JBWere
Further reporting on the inter-generational transfer of wealth that is occurring now, and solutions to how this can improve funding and income for charities. Not only this but as reported “Charitable bequests, whether one off or from a past gift to a charitable trust or foundation, regularly make up 20 of the largest 50 annual philanthropic gifts in Australia.”
https://www.jbwere.com.au/campaigns/bequest-report
Upcoming industry events
Virtual: Online member briefing: Next steps in response to the Productivity Commission’s Giving Report
28 August
Please join Philanthropy Australia CEO Maree Sidey and Executive Director for Policy, Government Relations and Research, Krystian Seibert for a briefing and Q+A on Philanthropy Australia’s initial thinking on the report’s key recommendations.
Register here: https://philanthropy.eventsair.com/member-consultation-on-production-commission-report/registration
Virtual: National strategy for volunteering’s first three-year action plan
28 August 2024
Panel discussion including lead stakeholders discussing their role in Action Plan 2024-2027. Special guest the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP.
Hosted by Volunteering Australia CEO, Mark Pearce.
Presentation by National Strategy Director, Zac Reimers.
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/presenting-action-plan-2024-2027-online
In person: Fundraisers on the Hill
20-21 November 2024, Parliament House
Presented by Fundraise for Australia, this year’s Fundraisers on the Hill will offer opportunities to build relationships with lawmakers and boost your knowledge of advocacy work. There will be a half day of programming on November 20 ahead of Hill visits the following morning. A full agenda of the event, including speakers will be made available soon.
More information, and tickets, here: https://events.humanitix.com/fundraisers-on-the-hill
Virtual: Not-for-profit finance week
2-5 September September 2024
Not-for-Profit Finance Week is a celebration of ideas, knowledge and financial capacity-building for the $100 billion Australian not-for-profit sector.
The aim of this event, held in September 2024, is to increase the profile of the not-for-profit sector, bolster the financial capacity and sustainability of the sector, and provide support for the staff, board members and treasurers carrying out the important task of overseeing the finances.
Register here: https://www.communitydirectors.com.au/training-courses/not-for-profit-finance-week
In-person: Strategic Grants grant-seeker workshops
A half-day practical workshop full of grants best-practice learnings.
As always, the Strategic Grants team are here to help with all your grant-seeking needs, including building a customised grants calendar for your non-profit which includes Trusts, Foundations and Public and Private Ancillary Funds. Find out more about our grants database GEMS, and sign up for your free demo, here.