Westpac Foundation has announced the 100 organisations across Australia to receive one of its 2019 Community Grants. An estimated 12,000 Australians will benefit from the grant funding, which help to deliver educational opportunities, employment pathways and improve quality of life for people who need it most.

Westpac Foundation CEO, Susan Bannigan, said, “With a goal to help change 100,000 lives for the better, building stronger and more inclusive communities is at the heart of our programs. We are extremely proud of the ongoing partnerships we have created with organisations in local communities around Australia and the opportunities they provide for those that need it most.”

Westpac Foundation Community Grant recipient, Green Collect is a social enterprise that creates jobs and employment pathways for people facing barriers to mainstream employment by delivering a waste collection service that keeps ‘hard to recycle’ items out of landfill.

Sally Quinn, CEO of Green Collect said, “This support from Westpac Foundation will allow us to increase our workplace support programs, which will help us better equip jobseekers with the tools they need to fulfil their work and life goals. By offering more mentoring in the workplace, we will be able to ensure that every person can address the particular barriers they face in gaining and maintaining employment to help build confidence, dignity and a secure future.”

“From an initial grant in 2012, our relationship with Westpac Foundation has deepened over the years enabling us to grow and scale, through funding, pro bono support and now also procurement opportunities,” Sally said.

Like Green Collect, 77% of the 2019 recipients have been previously funded by the Foundation, helping to build long-term partnerships to drive greater impact. “It takes more than funding to create sustainable change,” continued Susan. “That is why each grant recipient is also matched with a passionate Westpac employee volunteer to provide support through sharing their time and skills, beyond the monetary grant. Of last year’s grantees that received non-financial support, 95% have told us they found it effective or very effective, which is testament to the commitment of our people.”

As well as the Community Grants program, Westpac Foundation invests in social enterprises with a proven model for job creation to support people facing barriers to mainstream employment. Earlier in September, they announced the four social enterprises to secure funding through a new collaborative funding model designed to attract more funding to the sector.

Since 2012, Westpac Foundation Community Grants have provided $8.6 million to 879 organisations nationally. This year, they celebrate 140 years of supporting people in need.