Wisdom gained: Perpetual’s lessons from 10 years of impact giving

Perpetual Private has released an insights report looking at the data from a decade of their IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program (IPAP).

The 10 years in question were unprecedented in Australia and internationally, with the Covid-19 pandemic, catastrophic bushfires, Brexit, wars in the middle East and Ukraine, the increasing effects of climate change and at least four Australian prime ministers.

Jane Magor, Perpetual Private’s National Manager – Philanthropy & Non Profit Services reflects that this was a time for the foundations and individuals they work with to lean into their strategies.

“With so much change, we saw people asking: ‘Is this new challenge something that aligns with the strategy of our foundation and should be funded? Or is this something that I should be supporting with my own personal wealth or other sources?’

“And this is where having a strong strategy comes into play. Why does our foundation exist? What’s our purpose?” Jane said.

“Many philanthropists and foundations have adopted a strategic approach to their giving, with a clear vision of the types of organisations, causes, and sectors they choose to support in the long-term. This approach allows philanthropists and their families to invest in community outcomes that are not achievable in one-to-three-year time horizons, but may take decades, or even generations to achieve.”

Since 2015, Perpetual Private has partnered with philanthropists and helped them distribute more than $1.2 billion into communities, including $270 million via IPAP.

The data in the report reveals:

• A focus on local communities and issues.
• An increase in untied funding.
• A rise in projects supporting LGBTIQ+ individuals and communities have increased from a zero base in 2015 to $775,000 in 2024.
• An increase in funding for activities to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities from 20 grants in 2015 to 32 in 2024 (a rise of $1.1 million).
• A growth in prevalence of activities focusing on women and girls – doubling from 90 in 2015 to 223 in 2024.

“I’m very proud about the gender lens that we’ve taken to our program. For more than a decade, we have worked closely with Julie Reilly OAM at Australians Investing in Women. This has helped us to integrate questions around having a gender lens to philanthropy into the IPAP application form,” Jane said.

“We’re also moving from asking for data about the gender balance of the not-for-profit boards – which are now 51.5% average female – to also ask whether the board positions are remunerated, among other diversity factors. For example, the input of people with lived experience is becoming increasingly important.

IPAP facts:

• $270 million in funding distributed through 3,000 grants
• 15,000 applications submitted and assessed
• $78,000 average grant amount
• 21% success rate in 2024
• 67% increase in applications funded – from 218 in 2015 to 364 in 2024

Read the full report here: https://www.perpetual.com.au/insights/insights-from-decade-philanthropy/