In 2019 we're delighted to be supporting 21 fantastic projects from across Australia, with funding of $200,000 from the Bank Australia Impact Fund.
AbilityMade
Using 3D scanning technology AbilityMade will create custom made 3D printed ankle-foot orthoses for refugee and asylum seeker children in NSW. Traditionally children have had to endure an invasive plaster casting process which can be distressing but 3D scanning technology allows for a contactless and instantaneous scan, which can significantly reduce stress and anxiety levels for these children.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Refugees and asylum seekers/Diversity and inclusion: Disability Inclusion
Project location: NSW
Local branch: Sydney CBD
How to get involved and show support: If you have any contacts who might help reach more refugee children with disabilities, please reach out at hello@abilitymade.com
About this community customer: AbilityMade is a for-purpose technology company that uses 3D technology to create better health outcomes for children with disabilities.
This project is a collaboration by AbilityMade, Northcott, Northcott Innovation and NSW Refugee Health. Northcott is one of the largest disability services provider in NSW and Northcott Innovation creates new and unexpected solutions for people with disability.
Check them out:
Website:
https://northcottinnovation.com.au/project/refugee-3d-orthotic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abilitymade/
Ballarat Frolic Festival
In its third year, the Ballarat Frolic Festival is a week-long, not for profit, volunteer run festival celebrating LGBTIQA+ regional arts and culture. Running 7 – 13 November the festival has something for everyone including Carnival Day, art show, bush dance, cabaret, trivia, garden tours and more.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Diversity and inclusion: LGBTI + inclusion
Project location: Ballarat, Victoria
Local branch: Ballarat
How to get involved and show support: Come along from 7-13 November and take part in the wonderful program of events.
Or:
- Volunteer
- Add an event or special offer to the program
- Host a stall at the Carnival Day on Saturday 9 November 2019
- Sponsor the festival
See www.frolicfestival.org or visit Facebook for more details.
About this community customer: Ballarat Frolic Festival is Ballarat's LGBTIQA+ arts and culture festival, providing networking and connections for Ballarat's LGBTIQA+ community and a safe space for them to meet and celebrate.
Check them out:
Website: https://frolicfestival.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrolicBallarat/
Birth for Humankind
The Safer Beginnings project will connect 24 pregnant women from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds with focused one-to-one practical and emotional support from a professionally trained volunteer birth support worker. It will facilitate more supportive birth and early parenting experiences for these women, their families and communities in Greater Metropolitan Melbourne.
Grant value: $9,955
Grant category: Refugees and asylum seekers
Project location: Melbourne region
Local branch: Fitzroy
About this community customer: Birth for Humankind provides free one-to-one pregnancy, birth and early parenting support services for women experiencing financial disadvantage and a range of other complex social risk factors. The organisation aims to achieve more equitable health and well-being outcomes women, families and communities in Melbourne who are experiencing disadvantage.
Check them out:
Website: https://birthforhumankind.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/birthforhumankind
Instagram: @birthforhumankind
Linked In: https://in.linkedin.com/company/birth-for-humankind
Brisbane Tool Library
The Brisbane Tool Library is expanding. Each week more items are rescued from landfill and a larger space is needed. The grant will support the team in saving and processing more tools, expanding inventory and location. The community will be able to borrow more tools, building together a larger circular economy.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Environmental conservation, financial inclusion
Project location: Brisbane
Local branch: West End
How to get involved and show support: The Brisbane Tool Library organises various workshops in their space at the State Library of Queensland, such as recycled timber activities, bike repairing, introduction to power tool.
About this community customer: The Brisbane Tool Library allows people to borrow hand and power tools, and other equipment, such as camping and sport gear, party and kitchen appliances. Based on a circular economy, we are building a more sustainable society, reducing consumption and waste going to landfill. All the items have been saved from landfill.
Check them out:
Website:https://brisbanetoollibrary.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneToolLibrary/
Carringbush Adult Education
‘Learning Through Play’ is an education program for pre-school aged children, whose mothers are of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, many with experiences of family violence. Multicultural childcare workers will engage the children in research informed play-based pre-literacy activities. This project will run concurrently with a financial well-being program tailored to the mothers’ needs.
Grant value: $3,910
Grant category: Diversity and Inclusion: Financial Inclusion / Gendered and family violence / Refugees and asylum seekers
Project location: Richmond and Collingwood, Victoria
Local branch: Kew
Castlemaine District Community Health
Let's Get Proud aims to promote equality for young people in Mount Alexander Shire who identify as LGBTIQ+ and improve their mental health and well-being. The program will include a series of workshops designed in collaboration with existing local youth networks and delivered by skilled LGBTIQ+ youth facilitators. The workshops will provide an opportunity for LGBTIQ+ young people in Mount Alexander Shire to provide feedback on the services they want in the community going forward.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Diversity and inclusion of people and communities who are LGBTIQ+, live with disability, or are experiencing financial or educational exclusion.
Project location: Mount Alexander Shire, Victoria
Local branch: Castlemaine
How to get involved and show support: For anyone who would like to get involved, contact letsgetproud@cdch.com.au
About this community customer: Castlemaine District Community Health, for over 30 years, has operated in the Mount Alexander Shire area providing a wide range of services and supports to the community. Its key objective is to design and provide programs that ensure community members receive primary health, preventative care and support services that are accessible and of the highest quality.
Check them out:
Website: www.cdchcastlemaine.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Castlemaine-District-Community-Health-983705601802138/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CastlemaineDCH
Community Legal Centres Queensland
This project will build the capacity of Queensland Community Legal Centres to be culturally safe and accessible workplaces and services for First Nations employees, volunteers, clients and community members.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Reconciliation
Project location: Queensland
Local branch: West End
How to get involved and show support: Sign up to the CLCQ newsletter via the website
About this community customer: Community Legal Centres Queensland provides support and advocacy for 34 independent, community-led community legal centres operating across Queensland.
Queensland’s community legal centres provide free information, legal assistance and referral, representation and casework, community education and advocacy for vulnerable clients and communities facing legal problems.
Check them out:
Website: https://communitylegalqld.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitylegalcentresqld/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CLC_Qld
Connecting Country (Mount Alexander Region) Inc
Brush-tailed Phascogales are carnivorous marsupials with distinctive bushy tails. Once widespread in Victoria, they’re now threatened. This project empowers volunteer citizen scientists to collect scientific phascogale data, allowing informed conservation decisions. Monitoring of Connecting Country’s 450 phascogale nest boxes is essential to determine if phascogales are still declining, or if management actions are helping.
Grant value: $9,650
Grant category: Environmental Conservation
Project location: Mount Alexander region, Victoria
Local branch: Castlemaine
How to get involved and show support: Apply to become volunteer citizen scientists to check nest boxes. Connecting Country are looking for volunteers with physical capacity who are willing to attend training and make an ongoing commitment to the project.
Become a member of Connecting Country and/or subscribe to eNews: https://connectingcountry.org.au/news-events
About this community customer: Connecting Country is a not-for-profit community organisation that aims to increase and restore biodiversity across the Mount Alexander Shire and surrounds in central Victoria. Since beginning in 2007, we've worked with over 200 landholders and community groups to enhance more than 8,000 hectares of habitat for local plants and animals.
Check them out:
Website: https://connectingcountry.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectingcountry
Elizabeth Evatt Community Legal Centre
‘Pathways to Safety and Freedom’ will provide legal advice and support to women and children experiencing family violence so they can more confidently navigate their future.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Family and gendered violence
Project location: NSW
Local branch: Sydney CBD
About this community customer: EECLC is a small, community run not for profit service organisation located in the Blue Mountains, which aims to increase access to justice for the most vulnerable in our community. EECLC provides a broad range of free legal services across the Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands region of NSW.
Check them out:
Website: https://www.eeclc.org.au/
Facebook: facebook.com/eeclc.org.au
GA Medical
GA Medical will develop unique, extra small orthopaedic, external fixation, threaded pins to assist Veterinarians with the reduction and fracture treatment of small birds and other small terrestrial mammals and reptiles. Using unique proprietary stainless steel from Japan, that has been proven to aid the healing of bone tissue.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Environmental Conservation
Project location: Australia wide
About this community customer: GA Medical specialises in the design and development of medical devices, apparatus and consumables for wildlife, avian, marine mammal and fish surgery and healthcare, providing custom made vital medical instrumentation to assist veterinarians who treat Australian wildlife.
Check them out:
Website: www.ga-veterinary.com.au
Instagram: @ga_veterinary
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gamedicalveterinary
LinkedIn: Girius Antanaitis
Email: info@gamedical.com.au
HoMie
HoMie’s ‘next steps’ program will work with four young graduates of Youth Junction’s accredited barbering program. Across 12 HoMie VIP Days, HoMie will support these young people affected by homelessness or hardship to equip them with skills, confidence and experiences to be more work ready and better prepared for their future.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Diversity and inclusion: Educational inclusion / Homelessness
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Fitzroy
How to get involved and show support: HoMie’s brand intends to ‘make caring cool’ – aiming to make donating easier for the general public through the innovative platform of simply ‘buying a shirt’. From each shirt sale, 100% of profits are distributed to young people experiencing homelessness or hardship, via HoMie’s social impact programs.
Check out the Fitzroy store, shop and be served by one of the friendly Pathway Alliance Interns or staff members.
About this community customer: HoMie is a streetwear clothing social enterprise that uses 100% of its profits to provide brand-new clothing, training and job opportunities to young people affected by homelessness or hardship.
Check them out:
Website: homie.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homie.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homie.com.au/?hl=en
Human Nature Adventure Therapy
The grant will support the Recre8 Young Women’s Adventure Therapy Program, a therapeutic program for young women aged 14-19 in the Northern Rivers and Southern Gold Coast region. It empowers young women to overcome trauma and abuse, disadvantage, drug and alcohol dependence, mental health and other challenges, to powerfully transform their lives through a four-month program which includes a ten day outdoor expedition to grow skills and resilience.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Educational disadvantage, Disability inclusion, Financial inclusion, Family violence
Project location: New South Wales/ Queensland
Local branch: Sydney CBD
How to get involved and show support: Donate to the program here.
Email Recre8@humannature.org.au to volunteer at Human Nature Adventure Therapy community events or to provide graphic design, marketing, media, publications support.
About this community customer: Human Nature Adventure Therapy is a charity established to operate Nature-based Adventure Therapy Programs to assist vulnerable, disadvantaged and/or at-risk youth aged 14 – 19 primarily from the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast Regions. Their vision is for a world where young people triumph over adversity and thrive.
Check them out:
Website: www.humannature.org.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humannatureadventuretherapy/
inTouch, Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence
The Wattle Project targets unemployed women from migrant and refugee backgrounds who are victim-survivors of family violence and have moved on from that experience but need support to claim their place in society. inTouch, through partner organisations, will provide an internship and prepare them for future employment.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Diversity and inclusion of people and communities who are LGBTIQ+, live with disability, or are experiencing financial or educational exclusion; Gendered and family violence
Project location: Melbourne
Local branch: Fitzroy
How to get involved and show support: Sign up for their eNewsletter at https://intouch.org.au/
New Wattle Project calls for support from businesses:
For over 35 years, inTouch has stood beside some of the most vulnerable women in our community – those that have experienced family violence. We recently established our inSpire initiative to help women move on from their experience and rebuild their lives.
As part of inSpire, we have a new and exciting opportunity – the Wattle Project. This project provides an opportunity to ex-clients of inTouch to find sustainable pathways to employment through completing an internship.
We are inviting businesses and organisations to consider becoming a project partner and offer an internship to our women in Melbourne and surrounding areas. By partnering with us, you would be helping them gain valuable work experience, an opportunity they may not get otherwise.
About this community customer: inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence is a specialist family violence service that since 1984 is committed to enhancing culturally appropriate service responses for migrant and refugee people impacted by family violence. This includes prevention, early intervention, post crises, recovery, legal and migration support.
Check them out:
Website: https://intouch.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inTouchVic/
National Parks Association ACT
Butterflies play a major role in measuring the biological effects of climate change. For several seasons volunteers have collected butterfly data on species presence and abundance from survey sites at a range of locations across the Australian Capital Territory. This project will involve statistically analysing this data to create baseline information for their conservation.
Grant value: $8,360
Grant category: Environmental Conservation
Project location: ACT
Local branch: Canberra
How to get involved and show support:
Visit the website to subscribe to the newsletter and download NPAACT’s photos of butterflies taken in the ACT region - www.npaact.org.au
About this community customer: The National Parks Association of the ACT works to promote national parks, good park management, and the protection of our fauna and flora, scenery, natural features and cultural heritage through lobbying, education and by hands-on work parties. Other outdoor activities include field trips, citizen-science projects and bushwalks.
Check them out:
Website: www.npaact.org.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksAssociationOfTheAct/
Northey Street City Farm
This project will employ a First Nations person to strengthen partnerships and increase engagement with First Nations people; raise understanding about and respect for First Nations culture among the farm community; and incorporate First Nations knowledge into education programs, including knowledge around native plants, medicine and food production.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Reconciliation
Project location: Brisbane
Local branch: West End
How to get involved and show support: Attend public workshops and events at Northey Street City Farm and subscribe to the eNewsletter.
About this community customer: Northey Street City Farm’s purpose is to be an inspirational model of an urban permaculture farm which promotes and educates for sustainability. The Farm provides adult and youth education, sustainability and permaculture workshops, courses, tours, programs and events. We operate the City Farm Nursery and the Sunday Organic Farmers Market.
Check them out:
Website: https://www.nscf.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northeystreetcityfarm
Instagram: @northeystreetcityfarm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/northeystreet
Reconciliation Victoria
This project will involve the development of a campaign strategy to engage non-aboriginal Victorians in the conversation around Treaty. Reconciliation Victoria’s Treaty Engagement work is designed to inform and engage the non-Aboriginal community about the importance of Treaty/ies and raise awareness of how Treaty/ies will benefit the broader community and the role non-Aboriginal people play in reconciliation and advocating for Treaty/ies (guided by local Aboriginal voices).
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Reconciliation
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Kew
How to get involved and show support: Attend public workshops and events at Northey Street City Farm and subscribe to the eNewsletter.
About this community customer: Reconciliation Victoria is the statewide body for reconciliation across Victoria promoting a deeper understanding, respect and justice for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Road to Refuge
‘In My Own Words’ is a training fellowship designed to build a network of highly skilled refugee storytellers and inclusion advocates. The program will provide a series of skill-sharing and project development workshops on campaigning, narrative construction and media skills for budding refugee advocates, to help realise their storytelling projects. The purpose of this program is to help people with lived experience of seeking asylum to positively reframe the dominant narrative about refugees in Australia, and address some the leading inclusion issues facing the refugee community.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Refugees and people seeking asylum
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Fitzroy
How to get involved and show support: To get involved in the program, email info@roadtorefuge.com.au and use ‘Bank Australia’ in the subject line!
About this community customer: Road to Refuge believes that sustainable and safe refuge for all people seeking asylum will be possible when refugees are able to take back the narrative about their lives and experiences. They partner alongside refugees and people seeking asylum to ensure their voices are heard, respected and valued in mainstream debate.
The organisation does not seek to speak on behalf of others. Instead, it focuses on amplifying refugee voices and positioning their stories to ensure their insights and experiences are given the platforms they need to reclaim mainstream debate.
Check them out:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoadtoRefuge/
Instagram: @RoadtoRefuge
Twitter: @Road2Refuge
Scarf Community Organisation
Support for three Scarf Dinner seasons in Melbourne restaurants, offering transformative opportunities to young people who’ve faced complex barriers to work. During Scarf Dinners, trainees build skills, confidence and networks through training, mentoring and paid work experience.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Refugees and people seeking asylum
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Fitzroy
How to get involved and show support: Attend a Scarf Dinner! Diners help create real-world, busy dinner services so trainees can gain experience. As a diner, you’re helping to directly fund Scarf programs. Book an Autumn Scarf Dinner at Stomping Ground Beer Hall. More information and bookings: http://www.scarfcommunity.org/Event/autumn-scarf-20
Sign up to the Scarf mailing list: http://eepurl.com/eZQF2
About this community customer: Scarf is a social enterprise using hospitality to transform lives. Scarf trainees are resilient young people seeking protection, and those from refugee and migrant backgrounds facing barriers to employment. Scarf mentors are hospitality professionals who volunteer their time to create a supportive, inclusive training and work experience environment.
Check them out:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scarfcommunity
Instagram: www.instagram.com/scarfcommunity
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user32735273
Sustain: the Australian Food Network
The 'Climate Smart Food' classroom will educate students and the community on climate appropriate food growing techniques including: regenerative growing and soil health, water harvesting and conservation methods, heat and drought tolerant crops and indigenous plantings.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Climate Change
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Melbourne
How to get involved and show support:
- Get in touch to volunteer https://melbournefoodhub.org.au/get-involved/
About this community customer: Sustain is a growing city, state-wide and national food systems think and do network of municipalities, regional food alliances and institutions. Their work spans local food economies, food justice, food culture and gastronomy, food education and literacy, food governance, food hubs, urban agriculture, and regenerative agriculture. One of Sustain’s major collective impact projects, Melbourne Food Hub, will be the site on which this classroom will be built. The Melbourne Food Hub is a place where the community can meet to engage with food through learning, growing, making, eating and sourcing fresh local produce. The Melbourne Food Hub will also be a place to support, incubate, and house local food enterprises and social businesses. The classroom will form part of the above ground urban farm activities on site.
Check them out:
Website:
https://melbournefoodhub.org.au/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sustainaus/
https://www.facebook.com/MelbourneFoodHub
Vic Physics
Girls in Physics Breakfasts, run across regional Victoria, bring together female secondary students and professionals working in physics or engineering to share knowledge and expertise and promote future careers in STEM.
Grant value: $10,000
Grant category: Educational disadvantage
Project location: Regional Victoria
Local branch: Melbourne
How to get involved and show support: If you know women working in physics or engineering who would like to attend a breakfast, please get in touch via the website.
About this community customer: The Vicphysics Teachers' Network is a committee of physics teachers, both current and retired, teacher educators and academics. The committee sees its role as supporting physics teachers and physics teaching, and it also seeks to encourage student participation in physics.
Check them out:
Website: https://www.vicphysics.org
Victorian National Parks Association
VNPA’s NatureWatch program engages citizen scientists to learn about Victorian remarkable Mountain Ash forests and monitor the presence of possums and gliders, including Victoria’s critically endangered faunal emblem the Leadbeater’s Possum, during their stag watching evenings to help monitor these amazing animals.
Grant value: $9,644
Grant category: Environmental conservation
Project location: Victoria
Local branch: Fitzroy
How to get involved and show support: Sign up to their monthly newsletters at https://vnpa.org.au/
Volunteer at an upcoming citizen science event.
About this community customer: Victorian National Parks Association is a leading nature conservation organisation. Our vision for Victoria is a diverse, healthy natural environment protected, respected and enjoyed by all. Our NatureWatch citizen science program partners community volunteers with land managers and scientists in ecological research that supports the protection of the natural environment.
Check them out:
Website: https://vnpa.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictorianNationalParksAssociation/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QiU-x0issTromnqpL0aHQ
