PHILANTHROPY 500
Collective Giving for Geelong

100 people @ $500 = $50,000 high impact gift to our local community
A new way of giving to the Geelong Community Foundation

TO JOIN US
DONATE $500 NOW or GIVE $100 A MONTH for five months.

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What is Philanthropy 500?

Philanthropy is for everyone: everyone should have the opportunity to create positive social change in their community. Established in 2000, the Geelong Community Foundation has over 100 substantial donors, all who understand the purpose and fulfilment that philanthropy brings. In 2017, Philanthropy 500 was established to engage new donors who are keen to contribute to supporting our community and to experience first-hand the high impact of collective giving.

Contrasting to individual donations made to the Geelong Community Foundation to date, Philanthropy 500 (P500) provides a collective giving group within the Geelong Community Foundation that will make a lasting difference to the people of the Geelong region.

How it works

Philanthropy 500 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 gift made by one hundred people will be pooled to make a $25,000 grant to a local charity of the group’s choosing and to establish a $25,000 endowment fund in the group’s name. 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 $20 million from which income is derived for annual distribution as grants. Administration of the fund is just 1% of corpus.

Community wellbeing impact

In 2017, the inaugural grant will focus on making a valuable impact on community wellbeing in the Geelong region. The Philanthropy 500 Support Group and Foundation Grants Committee will assess grant applications and the P500 Members will gather at a special event in November to hear finalist presentations and vote on which local charity will receive a transformative grant of $25,000. The finalists and successful grantee will benefit from a raised public profile, potentially attracting additional funding.

Why join?

Philanthropy 500 is inclusive, informed, rewarding, social, powerful and crucial to a sustainable community.

The Geelong Community Foundation believes more people would be philanthropic if inspired to be so. This circle of giving engages younger generations and other new donors to understand the importance and benefits of philanthropy. By providing an accessible entry level for family giving, Philanthropy 500 is also an opportunity to build children’s awareness of philanthropy. P500 members will experience the satisfaction of being involved in powerful, engaged philanthropy.

While donor involvement and learning about the community is key to Philanthropy 500, donors can gain insights into our community by attending presentations by community leaders who are doing incredible work in our region addressing community wellbeing challenges. 

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.