The Ian Potter Foundation’s philanthropy is guided by our funding principles which underscore specific funding objectives in each funding area.
The 2019 Questacon National Invention Convention delegates with His Excellency General the Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove (then Governor-General of Australia).
Grantmaking across all program areas is underpinned by the following funding principles:
Excellence
We support organisations, programs and individuals who are outstanding in their field.
Prevention
To maximise the value of our grants, we try to identify and support projects that address the causes of any problems rather than treat the symptoms. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach.
Innovation
We seek to fund organisations, programs and projects that take a new approach to solving problems, especially those that can be evaluated and have potential for expansion and further development.
Leverage
Our grants have greater impact when combined with support from volunteers and other sources such as other trusts and foundations, government, and business. We are happy to be one of a number of supporters of a program.
We encourage grantees to have collaborations and partnerships that facilitate combining knowledge and resources to achieve a shared goal.
Long-term thinking
We try to fund projects that will continue to have an impact well beyond the period of our grant. The long term sustainability of the project is an important consideration.
Social leaders
We aim to cultivate leadership in the Australian social sector that is highly skilled, well prepared and best placed to fulfil an organisation's mission.
Given the significant obstacles faced by many of Australia’s Indigenous people, The Ian Potter Foundation has developed specific funding guidelines for all Indigenous projects we consider.
The Foundation’s funding of Indigenous projects will focus on:
It is our intention that through this approach, the Foundation’s philanthropy is making a meaningful and lasting contribution, supporting a vibrant, healthy community in which good ideas can be explored and every person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
For Indigenous Australians, walking alongside and working with them will increase their capacity and ensure that they are best placed to manage their own futures.
In late 2017, The Ian Potter Foundation joined the ranks of the Gates, Ford and Getty Foundations to become the first non-US foundation included in Glasspockets, an initiative that champions philanthropic transparency in an online world. Glasspockets promotes the value of transparency in philanthropy, encouraging philanthropic organisations to be more open in their communications, shedding further light on how private organisations are serving the public good.
To be included in the Glasspockets directory of philanthropic foundations, The Ian Potter Foundation had to demonstrate how it disseminates its mission statement, methods of contact, finances, processes and learnings. There are 25 elements that comprise the 'Who Has Glass Pockets?' assessment. The point of the assessment is for each foundation to have a road map to guide an internal discussion about what level of transparency makes sense for the foundation. Essentially it is a window into our internal and external communications strategy. The Foundation's Glasspockets profile can be viewed by following the link below.
Glasspockets is an initiative of Candid. (formerly Foundation Center).
To learn more about the Foundation’s work please visit the Knowledge Centre to view annual reports, case studies, our grants database and gain further insights on our grantmaking.
We're Social
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.