In early 2019, APS  was commissioned to review the funding outcomes associated with Future Generation Australia’s charitable investment in charities focused on children and youth at risk and Future Generation Global’s investment in youth mental health charities.

Twenty-two organisations were reviewed, which had received more than $21.1 million in funding from Future Generation since its inception in 2014.

An APS working group comprised of David Ward, Alex Lagelée Kean, Candice Van Doosselaere and Fiona Higgins was deployed to work closely with Louise Walsh, chief executive officer of the Future Generation companies, as well as the boards of Future Generation Australia and Future Generation Global.

The APS team assessed funding outcomes against agreed parameters of success (criteria and weightings), as well as analysing organisational effectiveness including finance and governance, leadership and strategy, performance culture and impact measures.

The project spanned eight weeks, involving the analysis of more than 400 resources, including business plans, annual accounts, and funding progress reports. In addition, the APS team conducted more than 100 individual interviews with key leaders within each charity under review.

Project lead Fiona Higgins said, “It was a demanding process, but the methodology applied was rigorous and consistent for every single entity reviewed. Since completing the project, we’ve received positive feedback from the charities under review that they appreciated the comprehensive, professional approach that Future Generation took in commissioning this review. APS was delighted to contribute to the considered approach that Future Generation takes with its funding in general.”

Future Generation chief executive officer Louise Walsh said, “APS helped us to ensure Future Generation’s significant social investment continues to create measurable improvements in the lives and mental health of young Australians. We are grateful to APS for their commitment to the review and assistance in ensuring we continue to fund high-impact charities.”

Future Generation is the second-largest private funder of youth mental health services in Australia. It has also committed to working with other private sector funding partners, governments, health and business to address the structural issues that plague the provision of mental health support to young people. As part of this commitment, Future Generation is commissioning a report on the absence of private sector funding in mental health relative to its annual health and financial impact.