Our Impact

Research and Learnings

VFFF is working to increase the transparency of our work and is pleased to share resources.

COVID-19 and Beyond NFP Recovery Collaboration Project

Decent Work - Research to Date March 2022

Contributing to Society Consultation August 2021

Caring for the Environment Consultation August 2021

Christianity Consultation 2019

In 2018, VFFF introduced new funding guidelines that
focus our Christianity funding on young people.
In October 2019, VFFF consulted with faith based
organisations to help inform how this funding might
amplify the initiatives that are exciting to young people
and be informed by what young people are interested
in.

The following presentation summarises this
consultation and what the findings mean for future VFFF
Christianity funding.

Research Paper: Amplifying the Voices of Young People May 2021

Research Paper: Young People & the Environment May 2021

Research Paper: Employment May 2021

CIRES Working Paper: Fair Education NSW

Learnings for grantmaking practice 2020

Fair Education Program

Growing Lachlan

Learnings for grantmaking practice 2017

VFFF strives to ensure its grants have the greatest possible impact. With this in mind, in 2017 we analysed 206 grant acquittals submitted between June 2012 and June 2017. The aim was to strengthen future grant making by better understanding the characteristics of grants that perform well and those that don’t. What we learnt continues to inform our work.

The Learning from grant performance document shares our learnings from success and failure. Please note that this document reflects the author’s interpretation of VFFF’s experience of this particular group of grants.

Wisdom Project

The Wisdom Project is a collection of stories from the inaugural cohort of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship that completed the program more than 20 years ago. Drawing on the balance of time and experience, these stories document the paths taken by the Fellows since the conclusion of their first programme.

The Wisdom Project provides a candid snapshot of the challenges inherent in ethical leadership, and how the Fellowship continues to inform the professional and personal lives of the Fellows long after its conclusion. Our sincere thanks to author John Landmark and all the inaugural Fellows for their generosity in sharing their stories.

Children and Prison Program

In April 2014, we conducted discussions with local people in Dubbo, which has high rates of youth recidivism as well as thriving young Aboriginal people, to identify ways to increase the number of those on positive pathways and reduce the numbers in and out of custody.

The resulting report, Dubbo Conversations, taps into local knowledge and experiences to reveal practical insights and suggestions about what works, what is needed and what can be done – to change the path of children on track for juvenile incarceration.

Sir Vincent Fairfax - 100 Years

To mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Vincent Fairfax on 26 December 2009, VFFF made nine commemorative distributions, totalling $6,848,000. In selecting these organisations, Directors had in mind the founder’s involvement and personal interest in them.

This book is a celebration of these distributions, and provides some background to Sir Vincent’s life, his family and the work of the Foundation he created.

Sir Vincent Fairfax 100 Years Commemorative book