MenuFuture2, the foundation of the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA), has announced the awarding of $148,600 in new grants to 15 not-for-profit organisations in 2021.
Future2 has now committed over $1.5M in grants since its inception in 2007.
FPA members endorse every dollar awarded by the Future2 Foundation to the Future2 Make the Difference! grants program. Future2 actively supports projects that give hope to 12 to 25-year-old Australians around the country who are experiencing social, financial or physical hardship.
Future2 Chair Julie Berry CFP® GAICD said the work of charitable organisations right across Australia is recognised and supported by the Future2 Make the Difference! grants program.
“We are grateful for the generosity of FPA members and supporters of Future2 who commit their time and energy to help make a meaningful difference to their communities,” Ms Berry said.
“For the second year in a row, charities and not-for-profits have faced immense challenges due to the enduring impact from the pandemic. Lockdown after lockdown has created so much uncertainty and affected the running of fundraising initiatives. Despite this, I’m delighted that Future2 has been able to provide 15 organisations with funding to assist in the important work they do.”
Projects funded this year range from support for young people living with a learning disability, support for young people in remote locations to access education and employment opportunities by acquiring a driving license, as well as crime prevention and resilience programs for at risk young people.
View the full list of grant recipients and watch short videos about each organisation on the Future2 website future2foundation.org.au.
Next year’s grant applications open mid-2022, with information available at future2foundation.org.au.
2021 Future2 Make the Difference! Grant Recipients
ACT
Outward Bound (ACT), Tharwa ACT
Endorsed by Bhavna Patel
The Menslink Rite of Passage program is a 5-day program with Outward Bound. It is an adventurous journey into Namadgi National Park where 15 young boys plus mentors are guided in the program by Outward Bound facilitators. By taking these young men outside of their home communities and into a natural environment, they can gain a clear perspective on their situations, history and future. Compared to sitting with a mentor or social worker in a sterile office, the boys respond far more positively to help and guidance when on an Outward Bound program. They will partner with Menslink who offer counselling and mentoring services for young boys in the ACT community.
NSW
The Girls & Boys Brigade, Surry Hills NSW
Endorsed by Jasmine Theophile CFP®
The Girls & Boys Brigade mission is to support children and youth in need by providing educational and recreational opportunities that build life skills as a foundation for a brighter future. The primary objective of the Youth After-School Drop-In Program is to provide youth with the support and opportunities they need to navigate the challenges of growing up, avoid crisis and develop a positive view of the future. It does this through a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive environment where youth can go to after school to relax, find respite, access resources and participate in activities.
Participate Australia, Croydon NSW
Endorsed by William Johns CFP®
Participate Australia supports people who have an intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities since 1983. They currently support over 500 people and their families. Participate Australia has successfully run a paper based financial literacy program since 2008 to support people with intellectual disabilities learn to count, and how to handle money. This has grown from four participants completing it in 2008, to a total of over 265 participants having completed this program. The Future2 grant will allow this paper-based system to be converted to a comprehensive financial literacy learning management system (LMS) that can be accessed via the web on all devices. The program is called Making Money Easy (MME).
LeaderLife, Dubbo NSW
Endorsed by Xenia McGee AFP®
LeaderLife supports young people between the ages of 12 – 24 years old in Dubbo who are at risk of early and prolonged contact with the criminal justice system, early school leavers and those experiencing a difficult time.
The proposed project scope encompasses activities including:
- Education and Training: focus on the practical application of literacy and numeracy in every environment.
- Community Engagement and Diversion: A variety of skill-based, voluntary activities including garden and asset maintenance, and community events.
- Social Enterprise: Opportunity to attain paid employment and work experience within the Soil2Soul social enterprise.
- Wrap-Around Wellbeing Support: Access to holistic wellbeing, counselling, referrals to external service providers and access to suitable accommodation and private and public transport.
Human Nature Adventure Therapy, Ballina NSW
Endorsed by Shane Hayes (Retired) CFP®
Human Nature offers in-depth, nature-connected mental health interventions for young people aged 14 – 24 from across the Northern Rivers NSW region, who have experienced complex trauma and significant mental health issues.
Involving participants from our existing Elev8 program, the Transitions project focuses on providing skill building opportunities for vulnerable young people reaching pivotal moments in their lives and supporting them to form positive future pathways. Human Nature Adventure Therapy was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2019.
QLD
Fair Go Australia, Brisbane QLD
Endorsed by Brian Dooley CFP®
Founded in 2009 Fair Go Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that distributes its’ funds into its wellbeing and mentoring programs to positively and permanently change the lives of hundreds of vulnerable, young and older Australians. This program is a capacity building program that teaches valuable life skills providing students with a mental toolkit to tackle life’s challenges. Eight, 90-minute workshops are delivered over 8 weeks. The program encourages growth in self-confidence, self-worth, and self-motivation. Students identify who they wish to become and set personal, family, educational and employment goals. The workshops are scaffolded providing students with a supportive framework for learning.
yourtown, Brisbane QLD
Endorsed by Natalie Gordon
yourtown is currently one of the largest providers of youth services in Australia. They deliver an extensive range of programs and services that assist young people to overcome barriers, build confidence in their abilities, and find their place in the community. The program will allow forty young people who are transitioning through work and life skilling programs as part of the Transition to Work program to participate in a series of interactive group-based workshops dedicated to essential financial literacy education so they can make the best of their future income.
Fight4Balance, Brisbane QLD
Endorsed by Mark Everingham CFP® LRS AEPS
Fight4Balance (F4B) was established to fill a gap in wellbeing services for adolescent youth with learning disabilities (LD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) associated with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down syndrome, Acquired Brian Injury, Fragile X syndrome and other undiagnosed LD/ID.
mySwimClub is a water-based program designed specifically for adolescents with learning and intellectual disabilities, and their families. The program includes three phases aimed to improve confidence and safety in the water, progressing towards independent swimming.
VIC
Aboriginal Literacy Foundation, Melbourne VIC
Endorsed by Peter O’Connell CFP®
The Western Victoria Post COVID19 Response Aboriginal Tutoring Program seeks to compensate for the severe disadvantage that Indigenous students have experienced during school closures and lockdowns in 2020. Many Aboriginal families live beyond the range of distance education and others do not have computers or laptops suitable for these programs.
The aim of this program is to alleviate the negative affect of COVID19 on this most vulnerable group of young Australians. By providing students with a weekly tutorial session outside school, the student has the opportunity to acquire skills at his/her own pace without the stress of having to compete in a normal classroom situation. Most students will also receive a mentor.
Kyabram Blue Light, Kyabram VIC
Endorsed by Peter Ryan CFP®
Kyabram Blue Light programs focus on crime prevention, specifically on identifying and addressing the needs of young people, including those at risk of engaging in antisocial behaviour or criminal offending. We provide education, crime reduction, life skills coaching, and host cultural, social and sporting programmes for youth aged between five to 18 years. KyFit is a weekly program delivered throughout the school year to young people in need aged 12-18. Participants in the program have included victims of family violence and people who identify as indigenous. The sessions involve team building activities and physical training where police members and youth participants are actively engaged, working together and building rapport.
The Good Life Farm, Yarra Valley VIC
Endorsed by Ion Whykes CFP®
The program will financially support vulnerable young people in the Yarra Ranges to participate in 10 weeks of an Intensive Life and Social skills program. Children and youth attending programs at The Good Life Farm are engaged in experiential learning about social skills, animal husbandry, building and construction, Permaculture, cooking and diet, and outdoor recreation.
Our primary aim is to provide education and connection throughout this program, and support the situation the young person finds themselves in. We will support and nurture the young people at their own pace and utilize our existing knowledge and team of youth workers and friendly farm animals.
TAS
West Moonah Community House, West Moonah TAS
Endorsed by Todd Kennedy CFP®
West Moonah Community House is a not-for-profit organisation that supports disadvantaged people in their community by providing a range of services including educational and training programs, social activities, physical recreation, art and craft programs and preschool. West Moonah Community House runs a training program for young people struggling to learn Road Safety and Road Rules by offering learning in the four main mediums Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Written and Visual. Through this program, young people are able to become confident in their knowledge and ability to obtain their Learner’s permit. The grant will benefit young people identified by local high schools, TAFES and youth agencies.
West Moonah Community House was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2019.
WA
Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (fish), Perth WA
Endorsed by Fran Hughes CFP®
FISH provides opportunities for Aboriginal people to share their wisdom and insights to the broader community, to teach people how to connect and care for each other and for country, whilst closing the gap and breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma, poverty and engagement with the justice system. The focus of the organisation is: “by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
The Books for All program will provide Indigenous-authored books to young people most in need.
St. Vincent de Paul Society WA, Canning Vale WA
Endorsed by Sharna Meinertz AFP®
The St Vincent de Paul Society WA (Vinnies) aspires to an Australia transformed by compassion and build on justice. We advocate on social justice issues including homelessness, poverty and disadvantage, and help people in need to build their individual capacity and resilience. “Soul’d Out” is a music program designed to engage vulnerable and marginalised young people as a tool for self-expression and coping with the daily stresses associated with being at high risk of or experiencing homelessness. The program provides young people real life positive learning opportunities that empower them to build self-confidence and resilience, and to better connect and engage in their local communities.
The Good Chat Foundation Osborne Park WA
Endorsed by Fran Hughes CFP®
The Good Chat Foundation develops programs to improve the mental health of disadvantaged youth in Western Australia through sporting programs.
The Thriving Communities program is run in partnership with the Ngaanyatjarra Council to deliver sporting programs to young indigenous people. These sporting programs are designed to empower young people to develop skills in a controlled environment, educate young people about the impacts of emotions and feelings on their behaviour, develop a sense of purpose through sport and improve communication skills by providing a positive role model as a coach.
The goal of this program is for the young people to graduate with more than improved physical and mental health.
