Bennelong Foundation Grants on offer for ECEC services

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services who run programs that build literacy, numeracy and STEM capabilities in children could be eligible for funding support from the Bennelong Foundation – a philanthropic organisation who dedicate themselves to creating healthier, more productive and inclusive communities. 

 

Other eligible programs include those that provide mentoring and coaching programs for staff, or access to vocational training opportunities for adolescents and adults. Programs serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with a refugee background, newly arrived migrants and culturally and linguistically diverse communities were especially welcomed, Bennelong said. 

 

A spokesperson said that whilst the Foundation has a number of areas of interest, it strives to support organisations and projects that possess certain principles and/or criteria. 

 

Program funding is allocated into two key areas – education training and employment, and community health and wellbeing. 

 

Education Training and Employment

 

Programs in this category provide access, equity and inclusion opportunities to education and training or that support and build pathways to sustainable employment:

 

• Build numeracy and literacy skills for preschool, primary school and secondary school students

 

• Build numeracy and literacy skills for adolescents and adults

 

• Building STEM capabilities for preschool, primary school and secondary school students

 

• Supporting student wellbeing and fostering school engagement

 

• Mentoring and coaching

 

• Access to vocational training opportunities for adolescents and adults

 

• Building learning skills through art or music programs

 

• Programs providing access to entrepreneurial and business foundations.

 

Community Health and Wellbeing

 

Grants allocated in this category aim to assist organisations that conduct programs with the express purpose of improving the physical health, nutrition, and well-being of the Australian community.

 

• Programs promoting participation in physical activity and sport

 

• Improved nutrition intake

 

• Programs promoting social inclusion and cohesion

 

• Empowering communities and community development

 

• Settlement and transition support for new Australians

 

• Programs promoting cultural identity

 

• Programs supporting family preservation.

 

The offered Grants make funding available to maintain established programs, to support the  growth or sustainability of an organisation, program or project, expand current programs, initiate new programs or programs that assist with growing need for the services an organisation provides.

 

Funding is also available for innovation, with large multi-year grants for new projects accepted by invitation only. 

 

Bennelong encouraged interested parties to conduct “a self check” by carefully considering if their project aligns with Bennelong’s primary focus areas and meets its funding criteria. 

 

Expressions of interest for the Foundations April 2020 Grant round close 2 December 2019. 

 

More information about the key criteria, how to, and important dates is available on the Bennelong Foundation website, which can be accessed here.