Priority Shift for Telstra Foundation

After it first twelve months of operation the Telstra Foundation has decided to shift the focus of the Telstra Community Development Fund grant making to fewer funding areas.

Launched by Telstra in April 2002, the Telstra Foundation is a giving program aimed at Australian children and young people and their communities.

The Foundation says that based on previous granting experience and research, the Board has agreed that the priority of the Telstra Community Development Fund will be to address causal factors affecting the health, well-being and life chances of Australia’s children and young people, through a focus on:

 Early intervention programs – research evidence shows that intervening in early childhood and at key points in developmental pathways can turn around a pattern of social disadvantage

 Childhood obesity – described as the next tidal wave in its potential for a lifetime of poor physical and mental health for the individual and massive impact on the health system

 Indigenous community development – community identified solutions for the serious health and social problems affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people

 Gifted and talented children and young people – opportunities for young Australians with exceptional intellectual and artistic abilities to achieve their full potential

These priorities come into place in the second half of 2003 and will be reviewed annually.

Of the $3.6 million dollars in funding last year the Foundation’s primary areas of attention were:
 education and training (16 projects),
 support services for children and families (15),
 support services for youth (14),
 disability (13),
 research (10),
 valuing cultural diversity (8),
 health (7),
 arts and culture (6),
 media and communication (6),
 community building (3)
 environment (2);
 those at risk or vulnerable (39 projects),
 people with disabilities or chronically ill (17),
 indigenous Australians (14),
 culturally and linguistically diverse (5),
 gifted (2)
 and low income (2).

The Telstra Foundation website has been updated to reflect the latest changes at www.telstrafoundation.com.

The next closing date for all applications is 12 September 2003.