Check out all these community groups who receied the funds via the Community Impact Grants last year!
The Ballarat Foundation distributed almost $150,000 through its annual grants programs in 2022.
Raven Collective Services and Training
Raven Collective Services and Training
Uniting Vic Tas – Breezeway Meals Program
Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative – Indigenous Youth Leaders Connecting to Culture Camp
Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre – Our Garden Supporting Our Kitchen Social Enterprise
Aboriginal Literacy Foundation – Post Covid Literacy Catch Up for Youth
Ballarat Community Health – Go 4 Green 2.0
Art of the Minds Inc. – Living with Purpose
Uniting Vic Tas – Meals for Change Cafe Meals Program
Hilltop Church – Phoenix Breakfast Club
Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative – Back to School Program
Salvation Army – LARF (Life skills, Activities, Relationships, Fun)
Wendouree West Exodus Community – Family Camp
Basketball Ballarat – Phoenix College Sport Employment Training Program
Redan Football Netball Club – Redan Football Club Disadvantage Fund
Vic Country Futsal – Futsal Ballarat Primary School Girls Competition
Ballarat Lawn Tennis Club – Tennis for the Disadvantaged
YMCA of Ballarat Youth Services Inc – ReCranked Bike Recycling Program
By identifying the vital measures of equity, social prosperity and community development we can establish a vision for a fairer, more sustainable and flourishing community. Vital Signs is a community health check using data.
By understanding our community, we can develop actions through collaboration and connection to enable that vision. The previous Vital Signs report was conducted by the Ballarat Foundation in 2011. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of new data from the 2021 Census, the Ballarat Foundation is taking a community leadership role in being a catalyst for change.
Regina came to Raven Collective at the end of 2022 to participate in the work ready program. She has a background of violence within her own home from another family member. Living a life where she was subjected to violence made her feel unsafe and vulnerable. Her life was constantly unpredictable, confusing, and scary.
Raven Collective’s work experience helped her regain confidence in the workplace and she was able to update work skills that she already had.
The Ballarat Community Hub is a visionary long-term project designed to drive positive community impact.
In April 2022, the state government announced it would provide more than $1 million in funding to support the redevelopment of the Ballarat Foundation premises in the heart of Lydiard St to enable the vision to become a reality.
As the community reconnected post-COVID19, so did the volunteer organisations offering a range of volunteer positions which were steadily taken up.
To assist the Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) and to acknowledge National Volunteer Week, the Ballarat Foundation held a Volunteer Expo at Barkly Square in May.
Jaylem is an enthusiastic, young man who joined the L2P program in 2021 coming from a single-parent household and had no other community connections outside of his mother.
Recently, Jaylem sent the L2P program a beautiful note saying, “If I didn’t come to the program, I wouldn’t be working in the job right now as I needed my Ps to drive a car for work.” Lorraine and Jaylem formed a great association during the 120 hours of driving practice, and this really helped Jaylem become a safe, independent driver and a confident young man.
Research clearly shows that reading to children is a key way to develop literacy skills. The program enables this by building a home library.
The Ballarat Reads program delivers Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books to children each month from birth to 5yrs of age.
In 2022, a total of 3648 books were posted to 411 children participating in the program in the Ballarat area including 75 children who received their graduation book on turning 5 years of age.
The FRRR Back to School program is a practical, positive program that makes a real difference in the lives of children by providing $50 gift vouchers to schools to assist students in need. The vouchers are redeemable for items such as school uniforms, clothing, shoes, school bags and stationery items necessary to engage and participate at school.
The Ballarat Foundation has been working with FRRR since 2005 to deliver the Back to School program and in 2022 there were 780 vouchers distributed to families across 43 primary schools in the Ballarat region.
A night of sequins, music and dance collided with fundraising and philanthropy at the Dancing with our Stars 2022 Gala. The glittering event was hosted by Julia Zass and Tim Bone as our Stars and their dance partners dazzled the audience with their moves.
The event saw Larna Gull, Randhir Sewgolam, Emily Sweet, Fhil Vella, Ellen Jackson, Ewen Fletcher, Belinda Pilcher, Jack Van Der Heyden and Natalie Dickinson take to the dance floor and collectively raise $211,607 for the Ballarat community.
Dancing with our Stars Champion – Larna Gull with a fundraising total of $100,784
Judge’s Choice – Fhil Vella and Emma Learmonth
People’s Choice – Randhir Sewgolam and Alicia Wang Sheludko
Thank you to Shelley Ross, The Dance Studio Ballarat, and our dance partners for volunteering their time to make our Stars look fantastic on the dancefloor.
DWOS People’s choice winners Randhir Sewgolam and Alicia Wang Sheludko
Run for a Cause returned for the first time as a physical event since 2019. Hundreds of dedicated runners descended on Victoria Park on Sunday 20 November for the McGrath 10km event, Showbiz Cinemas 5km event and the Y Kid’s Dash. More than $30,000 was raised for the Ballarat Christmas Appeal.
The day could be summed up with the use of a few short words – rain and wind, but plenty of fun and smiles. We are incredibly proud to organise this event for the community, not only to provide a fitness opportunity for many, but to offer an engaging and enjoyable activity for the whole family.
The event is the largest community fun run in the Ballarat area and was once again sponsored by Federation University.
In mid-2022, the Ballarat Foundation and radio station 3BA 102.3FM announced the stewardship of the Ballarat Christmas Appeal and Ballarat Winter Appeal would transfer to the foundation.
The community response was incredible. More than $133,000 was raised through corporate, individual and in-kind donations, with tens of thousands in toys, food, clothing and other necessities also contributed by community members.
The inaugural Pitch Up crowdfunding event was held at Regent Cinema Ballarat in August, raising more than $65,000 for three important Ballarat projects – Eureka Mums, Ballarat Men’s Mental Health and Ballarat Housing Fund.
Supported by event partners The Funding Network, dozens of community members raised their hands in support of the project which “pitched” proposals for support to the audience.
“I believe it is up to the more fortunate, to help close the gap and look after others less fortunate.”
I grew up in a family where we weren’t well-to-do, although we always had food on the table each mealtime, but there were no extras however we had what we needed “we didn’t go hungry.”
I have managed to have a fortunate life, as time has passed, and I live a comfortable life now.
I see people struggling to look after themselves and their families out there, the government isn’t looking after those in need. There is a fine line when you are in need to stay on the right track.
Feeding your family and being able to get where you need to, when you need is important.
Giving makes me feel good, knowing we are making difference in our local community. We have been giving for around 40 years through the United Way and other charities. Education is a large part of working towards narrowing the gap of the disadvantaged.
Ballarat Foundation United Way Inc is a DGR1 status, not-for-profit public benevolent institution which has been supporting the Ballarat community for more than 35 years.
A Ballarat region where everyone is free from disadvantage and empowered to prosper.
The Ballarat Foundation is a catalyst for positive community change by enabling philanthropic solutions to social problems. We promote socially responsible giving, engage donors, build community partnerships, deliver grants and operate programs which reduce disadvantage and encourage connection, cohesion and prosperity.
We are committed to being honest, respectful, consistent, and ethical in our behaviour, relationships and work.
We strive to be the best we can be, innovate and are passionate about producing positive community impact in all activities we undertake. Consistently questioning our work and practices will help us achieve our ambition of community- leading operations.
We are accountable to our supporters, partners, and the communities we serve. We take responsibility for the stewardship of the funds we raise and will ensure our distributions and reporting are transparent.
We embrace and promote diversity and fairness within the communities of the Ballarat region. We are committed to actively supporting and promoting diversity across leadership, staff, volunteers, participants and grant recipients.
We recognise that enabling and working with others is key to efficient and effective resolution of disadvantage.
The Ballarat Foundation broke new ground in 2022 in delivering positive community impact and projects which will define our short and long-term vision.
The great generosity of the Ballarat community saw $657,458 gifted through fundraising and Sub fund donation activities – the largest calendar year contribution since the establishment of the Ballarat Community Fund in 1983. Without our donors, we cannot sustain our long-term positive impact.
We look forward to continuing all of these great relationships into the future as we connect people, promote philanthropy in fresh and innovative ways and most importantly help build a community that is just, equitable and free of poverty.
Thanks to our generous community, partners, volunteers and the team at the Ballarat Foundation, 2022 has been a successful year allowing us to meet and exceed our vision and impact on Ballarat.
For the 2022 financial year, the Ballarat Foundation continued to make a positive and lasting difference to the people in the Ballarat region. As we strive to continue and increase the impact, it is vital that we focus on maintaining and growing the corpus – through donations, bequests and well managed investments.
The Ballarat Foundation acknowledges the Wadawurrung people, the traditional owners of the lands and waterways in our region. We recognise their diversity, resilience, and the ongoing place that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold in our communities. We pay our respects to the Elders, both past and present, and commit to working together in the spirit of mutual understanding, respect and reconciliation.
