Charities operating in New South Wales and Queensland can apply for grants of up to $350,000 to improve life outcomes with practical and life-changing initiatives.

The Greater Charitable Foundation is offering funding to eligible charities for programs of either 12 months or two-to-three years, with grants starting at $30,000. The successful programs will operate in the areas of health and wellbeing or education, employment and training.

Chief Executive Officer of Greater Charitable Foundation, Anne Long, said: “The Foundation provides grants which cover the cost of staffing as well as program evaluation – in many instances – which are both of great benefit to not-for-profits, enabling them to not only operate the program but to also assess its effectiveness.”

Over the last eight years, the Foundation has provided more than $8 million in funding to 28 different charities through NSW and South-East Queensland. Its current charity partners include the McGrath Foundation, Clontarf Foundation, Cancer Council NSW and OzHarvest, among many other major charitable organisations.

Each year, the Foundation offers $1 million in funding to charitable organisations that work to improve the life outcomes of their beneficiaries. Volunteering has been a key part of the Foundation, with Greater Bank employees providing volunteer or pro bono support to charity partners. In the last 12 months, more than 200 staff lent a hand.

“An evaluation undertaken by London-based New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) in 2015 highlighted the immense value and importance of these additional supports to not-for-profits as they work to raise their profile and further fund their activities,” Long said.

The Greater Charitable Foundation has been part of collaborative funding initiatives, such as joining Hunter-based organisations in providing support to those affected by the droughts in the Upper-Hunter region of NSW. From 2016-18, the Foundation also collaborated to address persistent social issues facing communities in NSW regions.

Preference of the current grants will be given to programs that have a clear strategy for the funding and have plans to address organisational governance and capacity. It will also be beneficial to have a plan for how Greater Charitable Foundation will fit into the plan for the grants and an overview of any intended outcomes.

For more information on the grants visit https://www.greater.com.au/charitable-foundation