About the symposium
Australia’s charitable foundations support and enable work in many important fields, but their impact would be even greater if their application and decision-making processes were more efficient (i.e. consumed less time and resources for both themselves and the sectors they support) and more effective (i.e. more reliably supported the organisations best able to produce results).
This symposium will look at how charitable foundations can reduce waste and increase the value of charitable funding, with a focus on the three main questions below.
- What are the current issues in charitable funding? What are the key decisions that foundations make and what might be changed?
- What do we already know? Some short presentations on what research has already been done to answer some of the questions.
- What’s the best way forward? What questions can be answered using research? Can we agree as a group on research priorities?
The day will include multiple opportunities for feedback from attendees:
- All registrants will be asked about their own biggest issues prior to the day and this information will inform the days discussions
- Panel sessions will see representatives from Australian foundations discussing the current issues in charitable funding
- Attendees will have the chance to ask questions in a Q&A session with the speakers
- GoSoapBox (interactive software) will allow attendees to ask questions and express their thoughts throughout the day
Featuring a line-up of international and Australian experts and an interactive panel discussion, the symposium will facilitate a conversation between funders and researchers.
The symposium is relevant to all funding bodies across all sectors – funding both research and other types of work – and will cover the health sector and beyond.
Symposium presenters
Caroline Fiennes
Director, Giving Evidence (London, UK): Working with funding bodies in many countries and in many sectors to reduce costs, increase the use of sound evidence and improve outcomes. Caroline has authored a well regarded book on effective giving, and is a regular columnist for the Financial Times. To view examples of Caroline presenting, please click here .
Associate Professor Wendy Scaife
Director, The Australian Centre for
Philanthropy and Non-profit Studies (ACPNS), Queensland University of Technology (QUT):
The Foundation Project
Professor Adrian Barnett
Principal Fellow, The Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), QUT: A look at the published evidence on improving funding peer review and administration
Professor Nicholas Graves
Academic Director, The Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), QUT: Targeted research funding for the greatest economic return
Professor Paul Glasziou
Director, Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice, Bond University: Structured abstracts for funding applications
Megan Campbell
Centre Director, The Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), QUT: Streamlined funding applications – the AusHSI experience
