DVC – Government and Society Seminar Series

1. DVC – Government and Society Seminar Series PRESENTATION “Community Foundations : A sound foundation for strengthening communities” Dr. Charles R. Lane Executive Director Community Strengthening & Volunteering 20th October 2004

2. Department for Victorian Communities • Challenge: • How do we build stronger communities in a modern world? • New technologies. • Impact of global economy • How do we address justice and equity issues in this context?

3. Department for Victorian Communities • Traditional societies have social institutions to achieve • the common good • Investments in time, energy and resources • Barabaig children relate to paternal uncles • Aboriginal understanding that alone you die!

4. Department for Victorian Communities • Today it’s more than survival • But communities are challenged by self-interest • Materialism & individualism • Tony Vinson reveals correlation between low levels of • social cohesion and social dysfunction

5. Community strengthening works COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS DRIVE A WEDGE IN THE CYCLE OF DISADVANTAGE Limited Education and Low Birth Weight are strongly associated (0.45) The connection is even stronger (0.55) Low social cohesion with High social cohesion The connection is much weaker (0.12) with (Vinson (Jesuit Social Services) CommunityAdversity and Resilience Report 2004)

6. Department for Victorian Communities • Governments and community organisations cannot do it all • Government has means, but not well connected to communities • Offers services to ameliorate social problems • Community organisations have connections, but not the • means to alter causes of disadvantage

7. Department for Victorian Communities • Community Foundations offer potential to fill void • Australia has proud, but not long history of CFs • Small and vibrant • First CFs 1980s by ANZ – Victorian Community Foundation

8. Department for Victorian Communities • But by 2000 only 5 CFs in operation with 2 in abeyance • Difficulties: • Non-conducive legal & tax restrictions • No champions • Too reliant on philanthropy • Outcome of constraints in scale and capacity

9. Department for Victorian Communities • Today 26 CFs • Assets @ $40m • Give circa $2m annually • New interest and growth of CFs

10. Department for Victorian Communities • Constraints remain • Definitional Qs surround ITEC and DGR status • Difficulty acquiring DGR status as Public Fund • Grants from PF must go to DGR • Few DGRs in rural Australia • Now PPFs Offer alternative for donors (>200) • $225m corpus • $13m donations

11. Department for Victorian Communities • Best CFs rooted in community v. endowment & fee for • service model • Not about money! • Complimentary assets – knowledge, influence, networks • Less about community leaders • More about bringing together community interests to • produce public benefit

12. Department for Victorian Communities • Focus on foundations of community v. community • foundations • Independent facilitator of new partnerships • Within and beyond communities • Includes community groups, business and government

13. Department for Victorian Communities • Wholly consistent with DVC objectives • Exploration of how DVC can support evolution of CF sector