Poverty and Disadvantage

A funding program of the Sidney Myer Fund

We take a broad view of poverty: it includes the lack of secure income, culture, housing, health, community relationships, and employment, as well as a lack of financial resources.

The links between poverty and poor health are well known. Despite growth in national and world economies, poverty and related socioeconomic inequalities in health remain significant. Health in indigenous communities in Australia is among the worst in the developed world.

Impoverishment and disadvantage have an impact on all aspects of life, over generations, and diminish health, participation, and life itself.

Our goals are to address underlying problems that give rise to poverty and disadvantage, and to find ways to strengthen systems, services and communities to prevent impoverishment and to reduce its impact.

LARGE GRANTS PROGRAM

Following a period of review, research and consultation, we have identified the following priority areas for the Poverty & Disadvantage Large Grants Program:

  • Indigenous poverty
  • Child and family poverty

    • We have identified a range of projects for each of these areas and will be fully committed to the development of these exciting opportunities for the next 3 - 5 years.


    SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

    Myer Family Philanthropy supports projects that benefit the Australian community, and strategies that address:

    Symptoms:

  • Alleviate the negative effects of poverty and disadvantage

    New Initiatives:
  • Pilot new ideas about how to address poverty and disadvantage

    Capacity Building:
  • Strengthen communities' abilities to deal with poverty and disadvantage

    The current priority areas for the Poverty and Disadvantage Small Grants Program are as follows:
     
  • Communities experiencing social and economic exclusion with particular emphasis on
        Indigenous Australians, asylum seekers and refugees, and people living in isolated
        rural and remote areas of Australia

  • Children and young people from impoverished backgrounds whose opportunities for development and
        advancement are curtailed
     
  • Small, discreet projects that meet the needs of a community rather than supplementary
        funding for large projects.  A small, discreet project will be considered to have a total budget
        of up to $50,000    .

    Applications now open: The Small Grants Program in Poverty and Disadvantage is now accepting applications for funding.  There are no specific closing dates and applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

    Grant size: Grants are capped at $10,000, and are made for a one-year period only.  The requested amount may be part of a budget of up to $50,000.

    Number of applications: Only one application can be considered per applicant. Exceptions are made when multiple applications are received from universities and other large organisations where they represent different faculties, departments or schools, and the proposals are unrelated.

    How to apply: If you wish to apply for a small grant in the area of Poverty and Disadvantage please refer to Applying for a Grant section of this website.































     



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