2019 Campaign Now Open

150 people @ $500 = $75,000 high impact gift to our local community
A new way of giving to the Geelong Community Foundation

TO JOIN US
DONATE $500 NOW, $100 A MONTH for five months or $42 PER MONTH ongoing.

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What is Philanthropy 500?

Philanthropy 500 (P500) is the starting point of your philanthropic journey. It harnesses the power of collective giving to fund transformative grants through the combined contributions of individuals, families and businesses. 

P500 provides an accessible entry point for like-minded donors across all generations to pool their donations, support their community and experience the grant-making process first-hand. Events are held for P500 donors throughout the year that provide education on their chosen impact area, offer networking opportunities, celebrating shortlisted grantees and selecting the final grant recipient.

How it works

P500 aims to highlight unmet needs in our community, to increase involvement in philanthropy across Geelong and support life-changing community programs. Our strategy is to make one primary grant each year and to grow an endowment fund collectively.

A $500 donation made by 150 people will be pooled to make a grant to a local charity of the group’s choosing and to add $37,500 to the P500 endowment fund. Interest from the endowment fund will also be added to the 2019 grant.  Donations are fully tax-deductible. The P500 endowment provides a lasting gift to our community. Your contribution is added to the Foundation’s existing corpus of over $22 million from which income is derived for annual distribution as grants. Administration of the fund is just 1% of corpus.

Grant Theme

The P500 grant theme for 2019 will be family support. We reached out to our donors at our 2018 vote night to obtain input into where they think our grant funding should go in 2019.  Grant applications will open in August 2019.  The P500 Support Group and Foundation Grants Committee will assess applications from organisations who are making a difference in the area of family support in our region.  P500 donors will gather at a special event in November 2019 to hear finalist presentations and vote on which local charity will receive the transformative grant. The finalists and successful grantee will benefit from a raised public profile, potentially attracting additional funding.

Why join?

• Start your philanthropic journey with like-minded people
• Fund a transformative grant through a $500 donation
• Be actively involved in the grant-making process
• Broaden your understanding of challenges faced in the Geelong region
• Be a part of a contemporary, inclusive and rewarding opportunity

P500 is inclusive, informed, rewarding, social, powerful and crucial to a sustainable community.

This collective giving program engages donors across all generations to understand the importance and benefits of philanthropy. By providing an accessible entry level for family giving, P500 is also an opportunity to build children’s awareness of philanthropy. P500 donors will experience the satisfaction of being involved in powerful, engaged philanthropy.

While donor involvement and learning about the community is key to P500, donors can gain insights into our community by attending presentations by community leaders who are doing incredible work in our region addressing challenges in the grant theme area.

Join us to make a lasting difference A gift of $500 or more secures your place in this giving circle.

DONATE $500 NOW or GIVE $100 A MONTH for five months or $42 PER MONTH ongoing.