APS board member, co-founder and Chair of the Eureka Benevolent Foundation (EBF), Belinda Hutchinson, and her Foundation Director, Jess Perrin, spoke about their current education grant round and what EBF looks for in a high-impact philanthropic partnership.

Key needs

Among a wide gamut of education applications received from across Australia, the EBF team found the following recurrent themes in pressing needs:

• High levels of student disengagement. 40% of applications referenced the risk or reality of children disengaging from education early.
• The need for capacity-building in the teaching profession. A significant number underlined the importance of teacher training, beyond core pedagogical skills and explicit instruction, in techniques and strategies for behaviour management and mental health.
• Vulnerable cohorts. Addressing inequities in educational outcomes was a priority for many, with a focus on First Nations students, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those in rural, regional or remote Australia.

Top tips for funders  

When reviewing applications for potential support, the EBF team considers typically the following.

• To what extent are participants experiencing disadvantage and are under-served in educational outcomes?
• How will outcomes and impact be measured, understood, evaluated, embedded for learning, then sustained beyond the life of the project through sharing of findings?
• Are there possibilities for a wider impact at a systems level – i.e. scaffolding or supporting other organisations, or influencing education reform?

Charities spotlighted

The EBF team was particularly impressed by the following charities and initiatives.

Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT) & Homelands School Company (NT)   

KKT is an Indigenous-led organisation established by Traditional Owners of the Djelk and Warddeken Indigenous Protected Areas (65,000 square kms of Arnhem Land) to support their vision for healthy Country. Since its establishment in 2010, KKT has partnered with eight community-owned Aboriginal organisations to strengthen their capacity to live and work on their ancestral homelands. Following decades of inconsistent, insufficient and often times totally absent public education, KKT is now working with the Homeland School Company over the next three years to bring full-time, bi-cultural, community-owned education to the Djelk IPA homelands.

Shoretrack (NSW)

ShoreTrack works with young people aged 10 to 25 years old, especially those who are at risk of disengaging or no longer engaged in employment, education, or training, experiencing significant disadvantage. Through referrals from schools, family, community, the Transition to Work program, or community services agencies, ShoreTrack works with identified young people to provide the kind of holistic, flexible and long-term support needed to help them re-engage back at school and community, in education or training, or on pathways to employment including trades and other employment opportunities in the local community.

Y- NSW (NSW)

Y-NSW, believes in the power of inspired young people. Right now in Australia however, young people at risk are disadvantaged by the current school suspension disciplinary approach and they are striving for a better way forward with an internationally-proven program, Alternative Suspension. Alternative Suspension (AS) transforms the student’s suspension period away from school into a positive experience, fostering personal development and autonomy. By putting disengaged students in an environment that promotes self-worth, goal setting, the acquisition of social skills and community respect, the program seeks to increase its participants’ resilience and ability to persevere in education, reducing the number of repeat suspensions.

Yadha Muru Foundation

The strategic goal of Yadha Muru is for Indigenous children to reach high school with the same achievement levels as their non-Indigenous peers, maximising their chances for success in high school and beyond. This goal will be achieved by establishing a network of small, local, high expectations K-6 schools for Indigenous students formed as a partnership between local Indigenous communities and established schools. The effectiveness of this model has been proven by the successful pioneer schools. Yadha Muru facilitates each school being structured to suit the needs of the local community in partnership with an established school.

For further information on these, please contact kstone@australianphilanthropicservices.com.au