Fri, 4 Apr 2025
What’s been happening in the philanthropic and not-for-profit sector in the past few weeks? This article includes a summary of four different media releases: the awarding of the 2025 Snow Fellowship to a WEHI medical researcher; the Teach For Australia alumni awards ceremony; a major gift to advance the conservation of objects with historical and cultural significance; and a new agreement to co-fund innovative diabetes research.
New Snow Fellow is unlocking cancer at the source
The Snow Medical Research Foundation has awarded its prestigious 2025 Snow Fellowship to Dr Alisa Glukhova from WEHI. The Fellowship provides $8 million in funding over eight years to support Dr Glukhova’s groundbreaking cancer research. The long-term backing gives Dr Glukhova and her team the security and freedom to focus on tackling one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment – finding new ways to stop the disease at its source.
Dr Glukhova’s work looks at how cells communicate and what happens when those signals go wrong, leading to diseases like cancer. By using advanced imaging techniques, her research hopes to uncover new ways to develop more precise and effective cancer treatments with fewer side effects. The Fellowship provides the stability needed to drive this research forward, offering real hope for new breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
Chair of Snow Medical, Tom Snow, highlighted the Foundation’s commitment to funding researchers willing to take bold steps toward innovation.
“The Snow family believes in backing exceptional minds who take risks and challenge the limits of scientific discovery. Alisa’s research is exactly the kind of high-impact, world-changing work that needs long-term support to thrive. She has consciously chosen to apply her outstanding structural biology skills in an area often avoided by others due to its complexity and degree of challenge. Alisa is aware of the risks, however, with this Fellowship, she will have the independence and stability to push the boundaries of biomedical science and deliver real outcomes for patients,” Mr Snow said.
Photo above – left to right: Dr Alisa Glukhova, Dr Nicholas Kirk, Susovan Das, Dr Wessel Burger and Harpriya Ramakrishnan.
Inaugural Teach For Australia alumni awards celebrate the impact of teachers and education’s leaders
Left to right: Jigna Desai, Tim Warwick, James Bayard, Michaela Epstein, Jane Hansen AO, Steve Barrett, Kath Sobey, Jennifer Ames and Melanie Henry.
Fifteen outstanding teachers and education leaders have been recognised at the inaugural Jane Hansen Teach For Australia Alumni Awards ceremony held on 27 March 2025. The alumni were honoured for their work to advance educational equity, spanning classroom and school leadership, system reform, community engagement, and stakeholder collaboration.
With the generous support of the Hansen Little Foundation, which has been a significant partner of Teach for Australia, a $1,000 award has been granted to the outstanding teachers and leaders in recognition of their impactful work.
Teach For Australia Founder and CEO, Melodie Potts Rosevear OAM congratulated the award winners and thanked the Hansen Little Foundation for their support.
Jane Hansen AO said she was honoured to support the inaugural Jane Hansen Teach For Australia Alumni Awards.
“At the Hansen Little Foundation, we are committed to creating a legacy of significant, positive and enduring change for all Australians,” Jane Hansen AO said.
“Teachers and education leaders do one of the most important jobs in the world. They help shape the futures of the young people they teach and play a critical role in building their aspirations. That’s why we are proud to partner with Teach For Australia to empower more high calibre educators and leaders to join the profession.
“The Jane Hansen TFA Alumni Awards honour these 15 remarkable alumni, celebrating their profound impact on communities facing disadvantage, inspiring children to believe in themselves, dream big and embrace curiosity.”
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Cultural conservation centre to become part of world-leading research institute
Students of the Grimwade Centre, Zeejay Tan (at left) and Chuqing Huang (right) restoring an object of cultural and historical significance
Transforming the cultural health of the nation and our region and responding to emerging threats to cultural legacies will be the core focuses of a new institute in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne.
The establishment of the Robert Cripps Institute for Cultural Conservation, which will expand upon the pioneering work of the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, was announced last week by the University of Melbourne.
Minsmere Pty Ltd, as a subsidiary of the Cripps Foundation, has donated $15 million to establish the Institute, building upon a $6.9 million donation from the Foundation in 2013. The Cripps family has been a deeply engaged partner of and philanthropic donor to the Grimwade Centre for more than 25 years.
The Grimwade Centre is a global leader in cultural materials conservation, research and teaching. This gift will enable the critical next phase of its development and help address increasing challenges to the security of cultural heritage, including the climate crisis and related disasters, global conflicts, mass migration and a dearth of vital conservation expertise.
Recent work of the Grimwade Centre includes the restoration of Australia’s 1297 version of the Magna Carta, reconstruction of church heritage in the Philippines, identification and remediation of ‘poisonous’ 19th century books, and the recovery and restoration of objects damaged in Victorian floods.
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New agreement to fund the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI)
Left to right: Lauren Kelly (MPT Connect), Professor Elif Ekinci (ACADI Director), Glen Noonan (Diabetes Victoria CEO), Susan Alberti AC
Diabetes Victoria and ACADI (headquartered at the University of Melbourne) have announced a 10-year funding commitment to support ACADI’s diabetes research. ACADI has already made significant advancements in the field and this partnership will ensure ongoing impact of the centre.
The new partnership reflects a shared vision to improve the lives of people impacted by diabetes, which is Australia’s fastest-growing chronic condition. Around 90 Victorians are among the 300 Australians diagnosed with diabetes every day. That’s one Australian diagnosed every five minutes.
The 10-year collaboration ensures ACADI’s continued leadership in driving impactful, cutting-edge diabetes research across Australia.
“We have seen a strong commitment from ACADI to engage the community in diabetes research,” Diabetes Victoria CEO Glen Noonan said.
“Together we will ensure lived experience is at the centre of diabetes research, with more effective and sustainable solutions. This will ultimately improve health outcomes and empower people to play an active role in their own wellbeing.”
Strategic priority
Foster, Inspire
Subject
Arts and culture, Health, Research, Schools
