Two of Australia’s largest philanthropic foundations have joined forces with some of Queensland’s most generous locals to help improve the lives of children and young people now and into the future.
Minderoo Foundation and Paul Ramsay Foundation, renowned for their commitment to Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Australia, have invested in the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership’s (TQKP) new five-year strategy, which aims to transform outcomes for Queensland children and families within one generation.
They have joined the Queensland Kids Funders Alliance, a collaboration of local donors including The John Villiers Trust, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Hand Heart Pocket and The Bryan Foundation, with a combined investment of more than $23 million over 5 years aimed at creating a fairer, healthier Queensland for every child and young person.
Hand Heart Pocket CEO, Sara Parrott, said when funders combine forces and work with Governments and communities there is a huge opportunity for real change.
“Every young person needs to feel connected, and have access to opportunities to learn, play and participate in their community. Too often, however, young people don’t have access to these crucial parts of life, because of where they live or the resources available to their families or communities.
“Collaboration is key in addressing this inequity – as donors, government and community services, we’re all working toward similar goals, and when we align our efforts to support families and kids through partnerships like TQKP, the impact of our work can be much greater,” Ms Parrott said.
Minderoo CEO, John Hartman, said all Australians would benefit from increased support for children’s wellbeing.
“The wellbeing and potential of every child matters, not just to families and communities but to the future of our country. The Thriving Queensland Kids partnership is impactful collaboration in action. It will help grow the safety, health and opportunity young children need to thrive and strengthen the systems that support them for generations to come,” Mr Hartman said.
This strategic collaboration will amplify the philanthropies’ combined impact, while allowing flexibility for individual funders to support aspects of TQKP’s work that align particularly well with their philanthropic mission. For instance, Minderoo Foundation – known for its focus on early childhood development –– is specifically supporting TQKP and partners working to build the capability of the ECD workforce. This will include creating and testing learning pathways that support maternal and child health nurses, family support workers and early childhood educators to collaborate and work from a common knowledge base, so that services better respond to the needs of families and young children. Meanwhile, the John Villiers Trust and Tim Fairfax Family Foundation are supporting work with a strong rural, regional and remote focus.
Since its establishment in 2020, TQKP has emerged as a crucial intermediary and partner, forging connections between Queensland organisations working to build strong supports around families and children of all ages. TQKP supports the sector to access robust evidence and resources and to showcase what works best for families and kids to government, funders, and decision makers at all levels.
TQKP Executive Convenor, Mr Michael Hogan, said the new strategy has been developed through extensive collaboration and will “move us from knowing and testing what works into doing”. This will involve targeted practical actions across six key impact areas:
- Engaging Hearts & Mindsets
- Building Brains & Bodies
- Strengthening Places & Spaces
- Integrating Hubs & Spokes
- Enabling Stewards & Builders
- Growing Investments & Impacts.
“This next phase represents a significant scaling up of our work and impact,” said Ms Jane Yacopetti, Chair of the TQKP Board.
“Through the combined commitment of the Queensland Kids Funders Alliance, the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children, Queensland Government agencies and hundreds of other organisations and people, we can build on the good work that’s already happening to create the environments and systems needed for all children to thrive and drive unprecedented positive change for children across the state.”
