Organisations addressing the prevalence of mental health, tackling domestic violence and supporting nature conservation are some of the diverse recipients of the latest round of community grants from the National Australia Bank (NAB), announced today.
The 29 projects supported through NAB’s 2016 grants programs bring the total investment in community organisations during the past three years to more than $6 million, delivered through the NAB Foundation and NAB Community Grants.
NAB Group Executive, Governance and Reputation, Michaela Healey, said the grants are recognition of the vital role that these organisations play in strengthening communities.
“Without not-for-profit groups, and in many cases the efforts of dedicated volunteers, too many Australians would miss out on the critical support they need,” Ms Healey said.
“The grants help to both enhance the wellbeing of Australians and to build the long-term sustainability of the community organisations that support them right across the country.
“Investing in our communities builds social cohesion, financial inclusion and a stronger economy that not only benefit our customers; but others in the community as well.”
Projects supported include:
- a pilot project that integrates mental health care into healthcare clinics through an online platform
- a bakery training program to recruit and train unemployed young people
- an evaluation of the impact of a regional domestic violence intervention service
- an evaluation of the effectiveness of an Indigenous Life Skills program
- a fund used to purchase remote properties with high conservation value
NAB’s grants programs are administered through categories targeting social inclusion, mental health, access to services in rural and remote areas, empowerment of young Australians and helping not-for-profit organisations to build a sustainable community business into the future.
NAB FOUNDATION 2016 GRANT RECIPIENTS
Black Dog Institute
The NAB Foundation $200,000 grant is helping to fund the Black Dog Institute’s first of a kind pilot project that integrates mental healthcare into GP clinics through an online platform that supports cost-effective accessible screening, early intervention, treatment and follow-up for those experiencing anxiety and depression.
Garvan Research Foundation
The NAB Foundation’s $144,000 grant is enabling the next stage of a neurogenomics project that aims to identify the genetic causes of bipolar disorder. Identifying the genes which carry damaging mutations will give researchers an understanding of the molecular basis of this severe psychiatric condition, helping to facilitating more effective diagnosis and personalised treatment.
Smiling Mind
The NAB Foundation $250,000 grant is supporting a major upgrade of the Smiling Mind technology platform to support increasing demand and enable future growth. Smiling Mind provides accessible, life-long tools based in mindfulness meditation – with the goal to create happier, healthier and more compassionate people.
Top Blokes Foundation
The NAB Foundation $50,000 grant is helping to scale the Junior Top Blokes Mentoring program to areas of need in New South Wales and Queensland. Top Blokes Foundation is piloting a licence arrangement as a cost-effective and sustainable form of regional expansion. The Junior Top Blokes mentoring program is a 16-week interactive schools program that uses peer mentoring to tackle issues that teenage boys aged 14-17 struggle with including risk-taking, peer pressure and mental health – and aims to inspire young men to reach their potential.
Rural and remote mental health
The NAB Foundation $50,000 grant is helping to fund the extension of the Be Aware Out Here (BOAH) program to more Australians who live and work in rural and remote Australia. BAOH aims to create a hidden army of people within local communities who are empowered with the knowledge, understanding, and confidence to improve the mental health of themselves, their friends, loved ones and the community as a whole.
University of South Australia
The NAB Foundation $100,000 grant is supporting the University of South Australia to develop and test an online, self-help intervention with and for Australian farmers, to see if it helps them better cope with things beyond their control such as drought. The project builds on the team’s previous work that shows farmers who cope most successfully with drought are those who adopt ‘acceptance’ (and humour) as coping strategies.
STREAT
The NAB Foundation grant of $250,000 is helping to fund the development and delivery of STREAT’s new bakery training program in Collingwood, Melbourne, and to recruit and support the first classes of aspiring young bakers. STREAT provides marginalised youth with long-term financial and social inclusion. With the majority of STREAT’s trainees isolated and suffering from significant mental health issues (82%), the project outcome will be for these marginalised young people to be connected and thriving with a health life, job and home.
NAB COMMUNITY GRANT RECIPIENTS
The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will fund the delivery of Unconscious Bias training for Executive Managers and key senior staff of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. This initiative is aligned to their broader commitment to support a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Berry Street
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will support fourteen members of the Berry Street executive leadership team to complete The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Business School program, ‘Futures Thinking and Strategy Development’. This will support Berry Street to further develop their 2016-2019 strategic plans and navigate future opportunities and challenges.
Housing Choices Australia
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will enable eight members of Housing Choices Australia’s leadership team to participate in Pollyanna Lenkic’s Building Sustainable High Performing Teams program. This process will support them to strengthen and build capacity through their transition to a national structure and strengthen their position as a leading affordable housing provider.
Lifestyle Solutions
The $49,500 NAB Community Grant will enable seven members of Lifestyle Solutions’ Executive Leadership team to undertake Deloitte’s Impact Measurement Development Program. This will build capability and capacity for impact measurement and revenue diversification aligned to their strategic priorities.
Doxa
The $33,200 NAB Community Grant will support four members of the Doxa executive leadership team to complete The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Business School program, ‘Futures Thinking and Strategy Development’. This will support Doxa in seeking a systematic, knowledge-based approach they can apply as an innovative framework for future growth.
Australian Red Cross
The $50,000 NAB Community grant will enable sixteen members of Australian Red Cross’ leadership team to attend a tailored Emerging Leaders Program delivered by Melbourne Business School to further strengthen their capacity to achieve their mission. This will be achieved through supporting the development of a high performing, collaborative and diverse leadership group across Australia that is reflective of the organisational values and priorities, including the recognition of voluntary service and a commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment.
Children’s Protection Society
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will support Children’s Protection Society to work with the University of Melbourne to conduct an independent evaluation of EYEP, a unique model Early Education and Child Care Service. This model designed to target vulnerable and at risk children aged 0–5 years old. The evaluation will support their broader goal to positively influence the design of Australian childcare and education for the nation’s vulnerable children.
YWCA – NSW
The $50,000 NAB Community grant will support YWCA NSW to measure the impact of their Nowra Domestic Violence Intervention Service (DVIS). This will support their overall mission to improve outcomes for women and children.
Ovarian Cancer Australia Limited
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will enable Ovarian Cancer Australia to measure the impact of their ‘In Her Shoes’ support program as part of their vision to measure and scale the program nationally and identify gaps to inform future program development.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria
The $40,000 NAB Community Grant will enable Aboriginal Housing Victoria to evaluate their Life Skills program to optimise the positive benefits and improve targeting and effectiveness of the program.
Sacred Heart Mission
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will support Sacred Heart Mission in their work to scale their piloted Journey to Social Inclusion initiative. This will support better social and economic outcomes for those experiencing chronic homelessness and disadvantage.
Ardoch Youth Foundation
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will enable Ardoch Youth Foundation to undertake a research project that seeks to measure the impact of regular education volunteers supporting children’s learning in schools in disadvantaged communities.
batyr Australia Limited
The $45,000 NAB Community Grant will enable batyr Australia Limited to expand their peer to peer batyr@school mental health education program and run thirteen additional programs within schools in regional NSW as an identified area of high need.
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will support the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health to procure and store two C. elegans (worm) libraries. This will support their broader mission to establish enduring capacity for targeted manipulation of gene activities to better understand brain function and develop new treatments for brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Trust for Nature (Victoria)
The $45,000 NAB Community Grant will support Trust for Nature to build new connections and models for conservation investment through their Revolving Fund. The fund enables active engagement in conservation, leading to increased protection and better long-term management of natural habitat.
The Infants Home Child and Family Services
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will support upgrades to and expansion of The Infants Home Child and Family Services’ Sydney Child Development Clinic. This service addresses the growing need for integrated health and intervention services in Sydney’s inner west.
Nexus Primary Health
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will develop capacity for Nexus Primary Health to provide paediatric audiology services at Wallan GP Super Clinic following the identification of a lack of access locally for families with children experiencing speech delays.
Lentara Uniting Care
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will enable Lentara UnitingCare to recruit a dedicated resource to form strategic partnerships that support the training needs of its social enterprise Fresh Start Asset Services. The vision for Fresh Start is to identify and develop career pathways for asylum seekers, under the framework of a sustainable and scalable social enterprise.
Guide Dogs Victoria
The $40,000 NAB Community Grant will support Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV) to build the I.T component of a program they are leading with University of Melbourne to scientifically analyse and manage the breeding data of their Guide Dog colony. GDV operates a Guide Dog breeding program that produces 130 to 150 dogs annually. This initiative aims to improve dog welfare, decrease costs for rearing, training and veterinary treatment and achieve more efficient utilisation of GDV physical resources such as kennels, vans and equipment.
Cancer Council QLD
The $20,000 NAB Community Grant will enable Cancer Council QLD (CCQ) to upgrade digital communication systems at Charles Wanstall Apex Lodge. This facility is one of CCQ’s six accommodation lodges state wide that provide a free home-away-from-home for regional cancer patients and carers while undergoing cancer treatment.
Leukaemia Foundation
The $30,000 NAB Community Grant will support Leukaemia Foundation of Australia Ltd to develop a needs analysis and asset plan as part of their project to build a 20-apartment accommodation complex in Perth. This accommodation will provide regional families with a ‘home away from home’ free of charge, for as long as they need it.
Access 2 Place Housing
The $50,000 NAB Community Grant will fund the purchase of assistive technology for upcoming tenants of Access 2 Place Housing’s planned 10 house development in Kidman Park South Australia. The technology will assist people with a disability to live independently in their own home and minimise the need for on-site carers.
