Australia and New Zealand

Big Buddy Reading Program

In 2005 a small number of Sydney staff visited an inner-city school to read to students during their lunch hour. Since then, the Big Buddy reading program has expanded to two schools in Sydney as well as encompassing schools in Melbourne and Brisbane.

The 'Little Buddies' (students) who take part are identified as requiring extra assistance with their reading and comprehension and are matched with two Macquarie 'Big Buddies'. Each week one of these Big Buddies attends the reading session at the school. The basis of the program is to not only assist students with their reading skills but also to foster in them a love of books and reading.

Business Mentoring

A number of senior Macquarie staff in Sydney act as business mentors to emerging enterprises in the not-for-profit sector. Macquarie mentors contribute a broad range of skills, including guidance on business plans, accounts and finances, risk management, governance and strategy. Staff are working with graduates from the Sydney School for Social Entrepreneurs, as well as social businesses seeking funds from Social Enterprise Finance Australia and assisting successful loan applicants in further developing their enterprises.

Macquarie believes it has a responsibility to work for the betterment of the communities in which it operates and has recognised that capacity building is just as important in the not-for-profit sector as it is for business. It has supported the sector’s sustainability through a number of initiatives, with workshops, board placements, and consulting programs staples of Macquarie's global commitment.

Capacity building grants

As part of its recognition that the sector requires support to fund start-up and growth strategies, the Foundation has provided 17 capacity building grants worth more than $A7 million between 2006-2010. In Australia, these have included WorkVentures, Bush Heritage, Bionic Ear Institute, Social Ventures Australia, Philanthropy Australia, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Youth Off the Streets.

Board register

Not-for-profit service, particularly board service, is an important way for Macquarie senior executives to support the community through the contribution of time and expertise. To this end, the Macquarie Group Foundation assists senior executives in finding successful placements on not-for-profit boards.

The Foundation actively supports Macquarie staff pursuing their own community interests and passions. This results in a range of local not-for-profits benefiting from staff's volunteering and fundraising assistance. Under its staff donation support policy, the Foundation supports staff donations to and fundraising for various charities, which significantly increases each contribution to the organisations staff support.

Graduate Volunteer Network

The Graduate Volunteer Network (GVN) is made up of Macquarie's yearly intake of new graduate staff. The GVN volunteers with, and fundraises for, a different local charity it chooses each year. In 2009, the Sydney GVN raised money for the Leukemia Foundation while in 2010 the new graduates raised money for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation as well as volunteered to assist at the Spastic Centre's Christmas party, part of a long tradition of Macquarie staff helping out on the day.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Australia has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world and, with no current cure, research into the disease is vital. Macquarie staff have been long-term supporters of JDRF through staff volunteering, direct support, fundraising initiatives and participation in events such as the Walk and Ride to Cure Diabetes. Macquarie's Australian staff have twice won JDRF's Freedom Award (in 2007 and joint winners in 2009) for the highest corporate fundraising contribution for the organisation.

The Macquarie Group Foundation's diabetes research partnership with JDRF aims to significantly increase the volume and impact of type 1 diabetes research and to support and recognise innovation in research programs.

Oxfam

A key fundraising event for Oxfam, the Oxfam Trailwalker is enthusiastically supported by Macquarie staff in Europe, Asia and Australia. Macquarie has been the highest corporate fundraiser in Oxfam Australia’s Trailwalker events since 2007. In 2009-2010 alone more than $A325,000 was raised for the humanitarian organisation in Australia alone. The 100km event attracts staff participation from across its businesses.

Cerebral Palsy Foundation

Through the 20/Twenty Challenge, Macquarie staff together with the Foundation have contributed $A600,000 to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation since 2008, providing much-needed communication and mobility equipment for children with cerebral palsy.

Movember

A global initiative designed to raise money for men's health, Movember has catalyzed Macquarie staff fundraising around the world. Together with Foundation matching, Macquarie offices in Australia and New Zealand have raised more than $A900,000 since 2006 for male cancer research by growing moustaches for money.

In-kind support

For several years, Macquarie staff in its Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane offices have donated more than 1,500 gifts each year to Mission Australia clients at Christmas time, regularly exceeding $A55,000 worth of goods annually to those facing difficult circumstances. Macquarie's Perth and Adelaide staff also participated for the first time in 2010.

Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF)

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 has entered a partnership to provide support to the Australian Cultural Fund. This fund is a unique facility which accepts cash donations from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations and distributes grants to develop Australian culture and support Australian artists.

Bell Shakespeare

Bell Shakespeare performs the Bard's work all over Australia to audiences of all ages. Its flagship education program Actors at Work reaches more than 80,000 students across Australia each year. Three teams of four actors tour schools to deliver a one-hour performance of scenes of Shakespeare's plays with minimal sets and props. Students have the opportunity to see and interact with professional actors and explore themes inherent in the works. The Macquarie Group Foundation has provided funding to Actors at Work since its inception in 2002.

Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

Over the past 50 years, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra has evolved from a community group into a professional, part-time orchestra. It has close links with the Australian National University's School of Music and many of its principal players are music lecturers and sectional heads of departments with excellent reputations around Australia and the world. 

Macquarie supports Noteworthy, the Orchestra's schools-based music education program, which is designed to support and enhance music appreciation for children aged from 3 to 15 years. The Noteworthy program offers free, age-appropriate, interactive concerts; workshops and teaching kits for staff, and workbooks for students. In 2011, the Macquarie Group Foundation and the CSO won the Australian Business Arts Foundation’s NSW/ACT Toyota Community Award for the partnership.

Cancer Australia 

Cancer Australia helps women with breast or ovarian cancer understand their diagnosis, treatment and support options. Its many education campaigns help raise community awareness about a range of breast and ovarian cancer issues. The centre also helps the medical profession deliver the best possible care through specialised training programs and resources to improve the skills and knowledge of health professionals. 

The Macquarie Group Foundation has been a long-term supporter of breast cancer research and is the principal supporter of the annual Pink Ribbon Breakfast. Cancer Australia’s flagship event brings together leaders in the health, political and corporate arena to work together to reduce breast cancer mortality, to improve outcomes for sufferers and to broaden awareness and education of breast cancer issues.

Cape York Institute's Higher Expectations Program (HEP)

HEP was established to encourage students in remote indigenous communities to pursue tertiary education. It is part of the Cape York Institute's plan to build a self-sufficient economy and community in the Cape, by aiming to increase the number of students who complete Year 12 and continue to study.

In a major education partnership, the Foundation has contributed almost $A4 million to the program, enabling Cape York students to attend select Queensland boarding schools and giving them a greater chance to qualify for tertiary study. In addition to funding tuition, the partnership enables HEP staff to work closely with families, communities and schools to support the students involved. The Foundation and Macquarie staff have also provided in-kind support through computers and mentoring.

Cure Cancer Australia

Cure Cancer Australia has provided funding for cancer and leukaemia research programs for more than 35 years. Cure Cancer Australia aims to be Australia's leading independent foundation for cancer research - funding the critical early work of researchers searching for cures for cancers. 

In association with Cure Cancer Australia, the Macquarie Group Fellowship in Cancer Research was established in memory of Macquarie staff who have been lost to cancer. The fellowship is awarded each year to an outstanding researcher in a particular field of cancer research. The award provides a foundation on which recipients can develop their research, progress their career and cement their position in the cancer research community. 

Can Too, a program that enables people to train for major endurance events such as while raising money for cancer research, has raised over $A6 million as at February 2011. Established with a $75,000 grant from the Macquarie Group Foundation and ongoing funding to underpin core operational expenditure, Can Too has become Cure Cancer Australia's biggest fundraiser.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 

Australia has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world and, with no current cure, research into the disease is vital. Macquarie staff have been long-term supporters of JDRF through staff volunteering, direct support, fundraising initiatives and participation in events such as the Walk and Ride to Cure Diabetes. Macquarie's Australian staff have twice won JDRF's Freedom Award (in 2007 and joint winners in 2009) for the highest corporate fundraising contribution for the organisation. 

The Macquarie Group Foundation's diabetes research partnership with JDRF aims to significantly increase the volume and impact of type 1 diabetes research and to support and recognise innovation in research programs. 

Mission Australia 

For more than 150 years, Mission Australia's vision has been to help disadvantaged people and communities. Its services centre around family support, youth initiatives for disadvantaged young people, housing, employment and training initiatives for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. 

The Macquarie Group Foundation established a major partnership with Mission Australia in 2003 to assist research into key social issues confronting Australian society. The core component of the partnership is to fund the Research and Social Policy Unit. This research guides Mission Australia's policy development, ensuring its employment programs and community services continue to deliver to those most in need. Our contribution also allows Mission Australia to redirect money into providing better community services. 

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) 

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, a range of innovative and challenging contemporary art exhibitions, the Macquarie Series, which showcases prominent Australian contemporary art with an emphasis on design and sculpture, and in 2011, an exhibition of works by Victoria’s most important colonial landscape painter, Eugene von Guérard. Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed features more than 150 works in the first exhibition dedicated to the artist since 1980. Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed explores the beauty, technical skill, and magnificent scale of understanding Eugene von Guérard had for the Australian landscape, bringing together works from all corners of Australia, some of them never seen outside of family homes. 

Schizophrenia Research Institute 

Professor Cynthia Shannon Weickert was recruited from the National Institute of Mental Health in the US to take up Australia's first Chair of Schizophrenia Research. The position brings together three of Australia's leading research organisations - the Schizophrenia Research Institute, the University of NSW and the Prince of Wales Medical Research Centre - with additional funding from the NSW Government and the Macquarie Group Foundation. It has been named the Macquarie Group Foundation Chair of Schizophrenia. 

The Professor's appointment positions Australia to take a leading role in schizophrenia research internationally and develop links with the US research community. The Macquarie Group Foundation has provided support to the Schizophrenia Research Institute since 2002, while Macquarie Executive Director Peter Maher serves as the Institute's Chairman. 

Previous partnerships 

Over the years the Macquarie Group Foundation has had major partnerships with a number of not-for-profit organisations. These have included supporting: 

• the Inspire Foundation’s Reach Out! program 
• the National Gallery of Australia’s National Sculpture Prize and Exhibition 
• Surf Life Saving Australia, through the Macquarie Bank Foundation Surf Lifesavers Training Fund 
• Bush Heritage Australia’s purchase and protection of the Charles Darwin Reserve in Western Australia 
• The Song Room, through the provision of funding to conduct research into arts-based therapy for school children.

Macquarie Sports runs sporting clinics and associated programs for more than 8000 children each year in sports including rugby league, rugby union, cricket, netball, basketball and AFL, using major sporting identities as both coaches and role models.

The programs aim to enhance the fitness and well-being of young people, by providing positive role models to inspire and motivate young people to strive to do their best.

Funded by the Macquarie Group Foundation and business groups within Macquarie Group, Macquarie Sports also works closely with schools, clubs, government bodies, not-for-profit organisations and state and national sporting bodies to enhance their resources and ensure the programs are delivered to the highest standards.

Macquarie Sports 2010/11 Highlights video

2011 Macquarie sports and Brumbies Rugby Super Clinic.

Coaching clinics

Supporting our community