‘Great example of female-led philanthropy’: Paula McLean’s $1m gift and the Stella Prize
It must have been a Zoom call for the ages. Philanthropist Paula McLean had left the board of the Stella Prize, Australia’s groundbreaking literary award for female writers, at the start of 2021. Later that year, board members informed her that they were planning to use the organisation’s 10-year anniversary celebrations to try to secure the remaining $2 million needed to endow the prize money in perpetuity. It was a bold target and they only had 10 months to achieve it.
120 events, the 400th edition of Philanthropy Weekly and a sold-out Canberra summit – what a year!
It’s time for members to renew with Philanthropy Australia, so we thought it a good time to reflect on the membership year just past.
Philanthropy Australia launches Women’s Giving and Philanthropy initiative
As people across Australia gather to mark International Women’s Day, Philanthropy Australia celebrates by launching our Women’s Giving and Philanthropy initiative. Women’s philanthropy has emerged as a distinct area using innovative and creative methods to improve local, national and global communities. Pat Burke OAM, Senior Advisor at Philanthropy Australia and a key driver of this initiative, explains how it aims to grow and support women’s philanthropy with resources, research and inspiring stories as a key part of our mission to support ‘more and better’ giving.
‘Giving circle magic’: The gift that grew and grew from a group of Melbourne women
This is a story of a giving circle and the impact of one of its gifts that grew beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. The initial $60,000 grant came from the Melbourne Women’s Fund to help an inner-city community organisation provide early intervention support for women in contact with the criminal justice system. A few years on, it has led to outstanding results and millions of dollars in government backing to expand the program across the city.
Awards Showcase event location announced
The Australian Philanthropy Awards Showcase event will be a celebration of good practice philanthropy.
This Month in Philanthropy – In Pictures
Welcome to the first instalment of our new gallery designed to showcase notable events, launches, project updates and other activities happening in our busy member community.
Philanthropy gets behind bid to revitalise regional journalism
Since leaving Philanthropy Australia as our former storyteller, Nick Richardson has made an interesting transition – not just to the role of Melbourne Press Club CEO, but to being a grantseeker. He talks about the experience and how it has led to an innovative philanthropic partnership to support cadetships for school leavers from diverse regional communities to embark on journalism careers.