Our Previous Partners

• Funding Period 2016-2017
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 13 people

The Greater Charitable Foundation supported the Phase II trial of Beyondblue’s Friends and Family Support Program (FFSP) from 2016-2017. This program’s aim was to provide support for families and friends of a person who has attempted suicide. Family and friends have a major role to play in reducing the likelihood of a further suicide attempt, and this program aimed to provide vital information and an evidence-based understanding of how to support a loved one through such a difficult period.

• Funding Period 2014-2017
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 1498 occasions of service were undertaken; 350 individual paediatric oncology patients benefited (up to 16 years of age)

The Greater Charitable Foundation provided funding to Camp Quality from 2014-2017, supporting their Child Life Therapy program at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital. Child Life Therapists teach coping strategies to help children deal with their illness, inside and outside hospital. The aim is to reduce the stress and anxiety that can be associated with hospitalisation by focusing on the child’s development, social and emotional wellbeing, and in turn, the wellbeing of the entire family unit. Greater Charitable Foundation funding enabled more than 1,000 Child Life Therapy sessions each year in the paediatric oncology unit at John Hunter Children’s Hospital. In 2016, the Greater Charitable Foundation also won the La Trobe Financial Standard Philanthropy Award for our support of the Child Life Therapy Program.

• Funding Period 2017-2019
• Region Supported Hunter and Central Coast
• People Supported More than 100 patients and carers

Greater Charitable Foundation funding supported a Hunter/Central Coast-based Financial Counsellor for people affected by cancer. A cancer diagnosis can cost almost $150,000 and around one-quarter of people diagnosed with cancer, and more than one-third of carers, report financial stress. The program connected patients and their families with a qualified Financial Counsellor who provided information, support and advocacy to help alleviate that stress. Greater Charitable Foundation funding enabled more than 100 patients and carers to access this free service, resulting in over $80,000 of debt being waived. The beneficiaries reported positive outcomes, including a reduction in financial burden, better access to hardship programs, and improved mental and emotional health.

• Funding Period 2016-2017
• Region Supported Hunter, South Coast, North Coast, Central West NSW
• People Supported More than 200 people

Greater Charitable Foundation funding enabled the Cancer Patients Foundation to roll out their Look Good Feel Better Program in Newcastle, Dubbo, Grafton and Bomaderry. The free national community service program teaches cancer patients how to manage the appearance-related side-effects of cancer treatment. Women, men and teenagers participated in practical workshop demonstrations covering skin care, make-up and headwear, helping empower them to face their cancer diagnosis with confidence. More than 200 community members participated in the Look Good Feel Better program thanks to Greater Charitable Foundation funding, while Greater Bank employees also participated as volunteers in the program in Penrith and Muswellbrook.

• Funding Period 2017-2018
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 87 families

CanTeen was supported by the Greater Charitable Foundation from 2017 to 2018 to deliver a new Family Support Project, aimed at improving the wellbeing of families when a parent has cancer. A fulltime social worker supported parents being treated with cancer in hospital, focussing on open and honest communication about cancer within the family - a key need of adolescent and young adult children. The social worker also connected families with local CanTeen support services, as well as CanTeen’s 24/7 Online Support Platform. Additionally, findings from a CanTeen study of the impact of cancer on family dynamics, along with insights from the social worker, formed the basis for an information guide for parents with cancer who have children aged from 12 to 25 years. The guide helps parents talk to their family about cancer and acts as a companion through this challenging time.

• Funding Period 2011-2016, 2017-2020
• Region Supported Hunter, Central Coast, Central West, Northern Rivers, Riverina
• People Supported 122

Cerebral Palsy Alliance has been the beneficiary of two funding partnerships with Greater Charitable Foundation. From 2011-2016, funding supported the Ignition, Ignition Lite and Emerge Mentoring programs, pairing Greater Bank employees with teenagers and young adults living with cerebral palsy and related physical disabilities. The programs helped participants learn new skills, gain more confidence and prepare themselves for continued study or employment. More than 50 Greater Bank staff volunteered their time as mentors, giving close to 700 hours each year to the program.

Between 2017 and 2020, Greater Charitable Foundation Funding supported the Early Response Therapy Program for babies at risk of cerebral palsy in NSW. The program provides early intervention and care to babies diagnosed with cerebral palsy or diagnosed at risk of cerebral palsy (CP), and their families, in the critical first year of the baby’s life.

• Funding Period 2019-2021
• Region Supported Gold Coast
• People Supported 3012 children and their families

The Child Life Therapy (CLT) Program at Gold Coast University Hospital is designed to help counteract the fears, misconceptions and anxiety that hospital experiences can provoke for children. This is achieved through distraction therapy, as well as medical play activities that support the child’s developmental, social and emotional wellbeing. More than 3000 children and families were supported through the course of the partnership through a range of initiatives developed and implemented by the hospital. This included a mock MRI simulator that prepared children and families for the procedure, online orientations to theatres, as well as age-appropriate activities, toys and sensory regulators for use in the waiting room. The success of the partnership has enabled the hospital to demonstrate the program’s efficacy and long-term value to the community, which enabled them to secure permanent and recurrent funding.

• Funding Period 2016-2020
• Region Supported Hunter, New England/North West, Central West, Mid North Coast, Illawarra
• People Supported 3,749 students

From 2016 to 2020, Greater Charitable Foundation provided almost $700,000 in funding for Clontarf Foundation's In-school Re-engagement Program for many at-risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male students who would otherwise not attend or have very low school attendance in various centres across regional NSW. By addressing issues relating to long-term disadvantage at a grassroots level, Clontarf Foundation are bringing about sustainable change by mentoring, counselling and working in partnership with teachers, parents and the community to ensure each student's educational needs are met. Our funding enabled the organisation to help 3,749 students - including 353 Year 12 students – across a four-year period.

• Funding Period 2011
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported More than 1000

In 2011, the Greater Charitable Foundation began assisting Everymind (formerly the Hunter Institute of Mental Health), in partnership with John Hunter Children's Hospital and Kaleidoscope Children's Health Network, to develop a new set of resources and interventions promoting resilience, mental health and wellbeing for children with chronic illness and their families. The Child Illness and Resilience (CHiRP) team developed a package to help families maintain and promote their resilience and psychological wellbeing following a hospital visit. Based on research into families currently living with a child with a chronic illness, the resources provide practical strategies to deal with distress or other immediate problems as well as give parents greater confidence in using positive parenting approaches and coping strategies.

• Funding Period 2016-2018
• Region Supported Hunter, Mid North Coast
• People Supported 34 organisations and their beneficiaries

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) were supported by the Greater Charitable Foundation from 2016 until 2018 as part of a collaboration for a community initiative known as Innovation for Community Impact (I4CI). The program focused on addressing pressing and persistent social issues facing communities in 10 LGAs in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions, including domestic and family violence, education disengagement, criminal behaviours, and unemployment. I4CI also presented a unique opportunity for philanthropy and government to work together, sharing approaches, practices, and enabling support for smaller grassroots organisations that can't typically access government grants or funding from larger philanthropic organisations. The charitable organisations our funding supported through I4CI included Dress For Success, Jenny’s Place, Australia’s Magna Carta Institute and the Malpa Institute.

• Funding Period 2016-2018
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported Up to 400 people

From 2016-2018, Greater Charitable Foundation’s partnership with Harry Meyn Foundation supported the Harry's House Respite Program, which assisting Hunter-based families affected by childhood cancer. The program provided emotional and financial support to families who had to travel away from home for their child to receive treatment in the form of free short-term or respite accommodation. Harry’s House addressed that need. While the funding ensured that more than 250 people could utilise the Harry’s House retreat, the partnership also provided Greater Bank employees the opportunity to volunteer their time to take part in working bees at the house. Employees also donated gifts for the families who stayed at Harry’s House, as well as hampers for families staying at Harry’s House during the Christmas period.

• Funding Period 2012-2021
• Region Supported National
• People Supported 100+ stroke survivors and their family members

Greater Bank’s support of HMRI goes back more than 23 years and in 2011 the organisation became one of Greater Charitable Foundation’s inaugural funding partners. Over the past decade the partnership has supported the work of the HMRI Stroke Research Team as they undertook clinical trials, including most recently that of ‘modafinil therapy’ in stroke survivors to assist in alleviating post-stroke fatigue and improving post-stroke quality of life. HMRI’s current MIDAS2 study (Modafinil in Debilitating Fatigue After Stroke 2) being undertaken in hospitals in Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, as well as Liverpool is investigating whether the drug, Modafinil, taken for 56 days is safe and can alleviate stroke-related fatigue. This has been made possible through more than $500,000 funding by Greater Charitable Foundation.

• Funding Period August 2019 – December 2020
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 70 educators; 11 children

The delivery of trauma-informed workshops for educators in the Hunter and Lake Macquarie regions by KidsXpress was made possible by a one-year partnership with Greater Charitable Foundation. These educators were trained on the effects of traumatic stress and how it impacts children, which in turn, empowered them to intervene early to improve a child’s emotional wellbeing, potentially breaking a cycle of trauma and giving children a better chance to achieve their potential. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation diverted its funding support of KidsXpress that enabled the facilitation of a trauma-informed School Partnership Program within a public school in the Penrith region. The program supported 11 children aged between 6 and 11 who had been identified as requiring one-on-one therapy to cope with their experiences relating to adversity in the home environment; chiefly family violence, abuse and neglect, grief and loss, and intergenerational trauma.

• Funding Period 2016-2019
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported More than 600 patients

Greater Charitable Foundation supported the McGrath Foundation from 2016 to 2019, providing almost $400,000 to fund a dedicated McGrath Breast Care Nurse, Helen Moore, who provides individualised care and support to people with breast cancer and their families across the Hunter region. In 2019 alone, 850 individuals were diagnosed with breast cancer in the Hunter New England and Central Coast region and over 1,000 people required support and care. McGrath Breast Care Nurses provide invaluable physical, psychological and emotional support to families from diagnosis and throughout treatment. During our funding period, Helen supported more than 600 patients and their families throughout the Hunter region.

• Funding Period 2018-2019
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 24 school counsellors; 200 schools

National Centre for Childhood Grief (NCCG) is the only organisation of its type in Australia that provides free, unlimited counselling to bereaved children. Greater Charitable Foundation funding supported an intensive workshop on ‘Children’s Grief’ for 24 school counsellors in the Hunter Region and the distribution of more than 200 ‘Grief Resource Packs’ to rural and regional schools throughout NSW. The workshop was developed after NCCG identified that school counsellors desperately require the skills and knowledge to better support bereaved children, while the Grief Resource Packs contained information about grief and bereavement, counselling references, and contact information for the Centre. Feedback showed that 93% of respondents found the grief resource packs helpful and a valued addition to their work and their school.

• Funding Period 2016-2020
• Region Supported Hunter, Gold Coast
• People Supported 3400 people

Greater Charitable Foundation funding supported the development and roll-out of the Nutrition Education Skills Training (NEST) program throughout Newcastle and the Gold Coast. NEST equips people in need, those facing food insecurity, and charitable agency staff with valuable skills and knowledge on nutritious healthy eating choices, low-cost meal planning, food shopping, healthy cooking and ways to minimise food waste. Our funding supported more than 230 NEST workshops, enabling almost 400 people to take part in the program. In July 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foundation funding was diverted to support OzHarvest’s ‘Food Essentials Boxes’, providing 3,000 vulnerable families in Newcastle and the Gold Coast with nutritious food items when they needed it most.

• Funding Period 2015-2016
• Region Supported Hunter, Central Coast, North Coast
• People Supported 18 women

In 2015, Raise was successful in receiving funding from the Greater Charitable Foundation to deliver their Bump Program for young pregnant and parenting girls aged between 13 and 23 in Gosford and Newcastle. The young women undertook weekly mentoring sessions with an experienced mother and attended nine monthly workshops covering topics including employment pathways and resumés, goal setting, healthy nutrition, positive mental health, body image, healthy relationships and more. Upon completion, Bump participants graduated with a TAFE Certificate I and a clear set of goals towards further education and employment. A Greater Bank employee mentored a young woman through the program, helping her to receive her Certificate.

• Funding Period 2012
• Region Supported National
• People Supported 1526

With funding from the Greater Charitable Foundation, ReachOut (formerly the Inspire Foundation) were able to pilot a new online App aimed to improve the mental health of young men (aged 14-25) by challenging them to complete missions that will boost their confidence, develop their resilience and improve their mental fitness.

Greater Bank staff and their families assisted in the testing of the new website.

• Funding Period 2019-2021
• Region Supported Regional NSW
• People Supported 478 students; and 550 nights accommodation for 82 families through COVID funding

Ronald McDonald House, based on the grounds of John Hunter Children’s Hospital, provides accommodation and support for families of children who have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Funding from Greater Charitable Foundation allowed them to facilitate the Ronald McDonald Learning Program that helps children with a serious illness return to school by providing them with individualised educational support tailored to suit their specific needs. The program is based in the Hunter but supports families from across Northern NSW. It is tailored to the specific needs of each child by providing tuition support, education liaison with their school, as well as a range of educational activities at the house.

In addition to the program support, Greater Charitable Foundation provided additional funding in 2020 that ensured they were able to ‘keep the lights on’ for seriously ill children and their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Funding Period 2015-2016
• Region Supported Based in the NSW Southern Highlands and supporting young people nationally.
• People Supported 128 students

From 2015-2016, the Greater Charitable Foundation funded the Sir David Martin Foundation Creative Arts and Vocational Education (CAVE) Program at Triple Care Farm (TCF). TCF is an award-winning residential rehabilitation facility for 16-24 year olds, providing treatment and support for young people experiencing addiction, mental health issues, trauma, abuse and homelessness. The CAVE Program assisted TCF students in overcoming their mental health and addiction disorders through new and innovative ways; exploring creativity and self-expression. The young participants engaged in music, art, and film-making to improve their mental wellbeing and assist them in learning vocational skills that aided them in securing employment upon leaving TCF.

• Funding Period 2011-2018
• Region Supported Hunter, Central Coast, New England, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Gold Coast
• People Supported 3115

Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia received more than $1 million in funding from the Greater Charitable Foundation from 2011-2018 that supported the Starlight Wish Granting Program; in-hospital programs at the Starlight Express Room at John Hunter Hospital (Newcastle); Starlight Outreach program in regional hospitals; and the production of 'Livewire Zine', a magazine with content created by young people in hospital, for young people in hospital. In 2017 alone, our partnership was able to provide 1,516 positive experiences to children in hospitals throughout regional NSW and the Gold Coast. In 2018, Starlight nominated Greater Charitable Foundation and our Greater Bank employee volunteers for the QLD Volunteering Awards in the Corporate Volunteering category. We made it to the top 3 finalists in the State, showcasing the support and passion our organisation and employees demonstrated for Starlight over the years.

• Funding Period 2017-2018
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 3000 students

Tantrum were successful in receiving more than $100,000 in funding from the Greater Charitable Foundation to support the re-development and roll-out of their Opening Doors interactive performance and workshop program. Opening Doors aims to educate young people around the causes and impacts of domestic family violence and the support available to anyone experiencing these issues. The flexible structure of Opening Doors directly engages students in a conversation about the situations portrayed in the play and provides an opportunity to actively problem-solve and explore avenues of support. Greater Charitable Foundation funding enabled the delivery of Opening Doors to more than 3000 students across New South Wales, improving their knowledge about domestic violence and how to access the available support services.

• Funding Period 2017-2021
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported 223 families

From 2017 to 2021, Greater Charitable Foundation provided almost $450,000 in funding for University of Newcastle’s Healthy Youngsters Healthy Dads program, the world’s first father-focused obesity prevention program for preschool-aged children. The program provides fathers with the knowledge, parenting skills and motivation to improve their health and become healthy role models for their children. Our funding supported more than 220 families in the Hunter Region and has offered ongoing benefits to maintain the wellbeing in their household. Based on research into child obesity, physical activity, screen-time and health behaviours, the program involved sessions that the dads and their pre-schoolers attend, as well as two dads-only workshops to teach fathers evidence-based parenting skills to optimise their child’s physical activity, dietary behaviours and social-emotional wellbeing.

• Funding Period 2013-2015, 2019-2022
• Region Supported Hunter
• People Supported Suspension program – 40 young people, Outreach program – 16,774 instances of support

Greater Charitable Foundation’s first partnership with Youth Off The Streets occurred from 2013 to 2015, with the funding of the Hunter Valley Futures Program. The grassroots, street-based model engaged young people "on their own turf" to build a rapport and then connect them with local support services, the labour market, education, family and community services. Greater Bank employees attended several Outreach sessions to assist in the delivery of the program to teenagers throughout Cessnock and the Lower Hunter.

The high rate of school suspensions and expulsions in the Hunter New England region drove Youth Off The Streets to pilot the Hunter Suspension Program in 2019, made possible through additional Greater Charitable Foundation funding. The program offered tutoring and a support program for young people while they were suspended from high school. The program also worked closely with the young person’s family, their school, and local community organisations, to assist their transition back into the school setting.