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Backing the Future grants will be awarded to individuals advancing VFFF’s mission of Backing Young People. 

Since 2013, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation has offered a unique opportunity for recent graduates who are interested in immersing themselves in the philanthropic sector. Working for VFFF enables the Grants Trainee to develop a broader understanding of the processes undertaken in philanthropic work.

This quarter, VFFF approved 6 new grants totalling $1,104,319.

On 17 and 18 March 2022, VFFF’s Program Manager, Contributing to Society Natalie Buckett attended the Moree Youth Forum. Hosted at Moree’s SHAE Academy, the youth-led event provided an opportunity for “young people to come together, grow connections, come up with ideas and make plans for what they want to see for Moree”, as well as “learn new skills on how to make change.”

In late November, the VFFF team was delighted to play host to the first retreat of Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA). 23 for-purpose CEO’s from urban, regional and rural areas in NSW and the ACT spent three days together as part of their ten month program as the inaugural SILA cohort. We greatly enjoyed the opportunity to share our workspace with this group of exceptional leaders and the delivery team from The Centre for Social Impact.

This quarter, VFFF approved eight new grants totalling $3,577,281. Click on each organisation to find out more about their work.

News Collaborative Funding Round In 2020, a group of foundations came together to consider the serious consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for many for-purpose and arts sectors organisations. VFFF took part in this philanthropic collaboration, the COVID and Beyond NFP Recovery Project. Five funders (VFFF, Ian Potter Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Sidney Myer Fund…

In August 2020, the VFFF Grants Committee approved $48,500 towards the Men4Respect program, run by YFS in Logan, Qld. This program is a fantastic example of using peer-led education to tackle a persistent social issue, and is delivered by paid Youth Ambassadors. Men4Respect Coordinator Andrew Taukolo provides some insights.

For many young people in out-of-home care, approaching their 18th birthday can be daunting. The Home Stretch campaign seeks to extend the age of leaving care from 18 to 21, providing greater stability and security for young people who may already be having a rough time.

This quarter, VFFF approved 12 new grants totalling $3,019,907.

Click on each organisation to find out more about their work.

The official opening of Hotel Etico in Mount Victoria on 5 June was a special day that celebrated the hard work of the many people involved in the set-up of Australia’s first social enterprise hotel.

In June, VFFF Directors approved a special family distribution grant for $1.3m over three years to support the Guardian Australia in developing a rural and regional media network and the Centre for Media Transition (CMT) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) to undertake research on post philanthropic business models which will support and sustain commercially viable news media enterprises in rural and regional Australia.