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The Foundation supports more than 50 arts organisations across a broad range of activities. We focus on initiatives which help young people build their skills, knowledge and appreciation of the arts. In particular we support programs that help young people from disadvantaged communities access arts education and training.
The Song Room, Australia
The Song Room provides music and arts programs in Australian schools and communities with a focus on students disadvantaged through isolation, disability, recent immigration status and financial circumstances. The Macquarie Group Foundation supports this innovative program that is run in Victoria and New South Wales and has so far reached more than 50,000 children. Funding from the Foundation is being used to assist Song Room’s expansion into seven targeted regions of high juvenile crime, and low socio-economic demographic including 63 priority schools in New South Wales. Macquarie Executive Director Richard Price serves as the organisation’s President.
 The London Philharmonic Orchestra, UK
The London Philharmonic Orchestra is internationally recognised as one of the world’s finest symphony orchestras. The Macquarie Group Foundation has provided funding for the Adopt-A-Class program which conducts a series of workshops aimed at schools with special education needs. As part of the program, specially trained orchestra players and workshop leaders work with children in creative music sessions. Music is used to develop a range of skills such as language development through vocalisation, co-ordination through rhythm and listening, social and sharing skills. The Foundation’s support for the Adopt-A-Class program builds on an existing partnership between the Orchestra and Macquarie’s London business.
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia
The NGV is one of Australia’s leading galleries, with history dating back to 1861. With more than two million visitors a year, the NGV ranks as one of the 20 most popular art museums in the world, with a particular focus on supporting contemporary Australian art.
The Macquarie Group Foundation has a long standing involvement with the NGV. Projects we have supported include the Contemporary Projects Gallery which showcases a range of innovative and challenging contemporary art exhibitions. One of the aims of the project is to support young and emerging artists working in the contemporary space. The NGV’s The Macquarie Series showcases prominent Australian contemporary art with an emphasis on design and sculpture. The series includes an annual major exhibition until 2009. The Series feature sculpture and ceramics by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Deborah Halpern, Geoffrey Bartlett and Rosalie Gascoigne.
Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF), Australia
AbaF promotes private sector support for the arts, working with the business sector, the arts and cultural sector, the philanthropic sector and local Councils. Its role is to connect business, the arts, donors and foundations through three programs – Partnering, Volunteering and Giving.
The Macquarie Group Foundation has been a leading supporter of AbaF since its inception in 2000. The Foundation recently provided the sole support for the launch of a Securing Successful Partnerships – a guide for business and the arts. This publication and associated workshops promote best practise case studies and provide advice on developing and evaluating effective arts partnerships.
Varuna, the Writers' House, Australia
Varuna, the Writers' House provides a unique environment for the creation of Australian literature. The Macquarie Group Foundation has provided funding to support Varuna's LongLines program which supports writers in remote and regional areas and encourages the development of indigenous writers. In total, 443 Australian writers, including 69 indigenous writers were assisted during the LongLines pilot project. Our ongoing support will now enable Varuna to continue developing a national writing program and put strategies in place to ensure the long-term succes of the LongLines program for indigenous writers across Australia.
Varuna, the Writers' House is Michael Dark’s gift to Australian literature in memory of his parents, the novelist Eleanor Dark (The Timeless Land) and Dr. Eric Dark. Varuna is recognised both nationally and internationally as a special place for new and emerging writers from all genres, offering a community of support and a pathway to publication. The homestead is located at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales.
 Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Australia
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra has been in existence for over 50 years. During this time it has evolved from a community base into a professional, part-time orchestra. It has close links with the Australian National University’s School of Music and many of the principal players are music lecturers and sectional heads of departments with national and international reputations of excellence.
Macquarie supports Noteworthy, the Orchestra’s schools-based music education program, which is designed to support and enhance music appreciation for students from years 4 to 12. The Noteworthy program offers free, age-appropriate, interactive concerts; workshops and teaching kits for staff; and workbooks for students.
Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), Australia
In partnership with the Macquarie Group Foundation, AFTRS has established an Indigenous Scholarship. The Scholarship is aimed at building a network of Indigenous film-makers to ensure that aboriginal stories are told. Funded by Macquarie as a pilot program in 2003, the Scholarships have made a significant contribution to the training of Indigenous Australians in the broadcast and screen industry.
The Macquarie Group Foundation has committed support for a further three years to build on the success of the pilot program and to encourage participation in the emerging and influential Indigenous screen industry.
Other arts initiatives
Other arts programmes supported by the Foundation and our staff include: The Bell Shakespeare Company, NIDA, Victorian College of the Arts, Bangarra Theatre, Opera Australia, Bundanon Trust, The Commonwealth Foundation, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Opera Company.
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