S TO RY BY PH I L I PPA COATES I L L U S T R AT I O N BY SAM BENNETT

20 AFRMAGAZINE MAY

THE PHILANTHROPY 50

Rank Name Cause area Grants 2019 ($m)

1 PaulRamsayFoundation

Strengthening sectorcapacity particularlyaround disadvantage,health, education

$153.0

2 MinderooFoundation

Research, cancer,modern slavery, buildingcommunity, earlychildhood, flourishingoceans, Indigenousdisparity

$75.4

3 JudithNeilsonFoundationand charitabletrusts

Arts, Judith NeilsonInstitute for Journalismand Ideas

$48.9

4 Estates ofJames andDianaRamsay

Art Gallery of SouthAustralia $38.0

5 IanPotterFoundation

Community wellbeing,arts, science,medicalresearch, health anddisability, education,environment

$28.4

6 Estates ofBruce andJenny Pryor

Medical research atAustralian NationalUniversity, University ofSydney'sWesley CollegeandHockey Club

$22.0

7 Lowy family LowyMedical ResearchInstitute and LowyInstitute for InternationalPolicy

$21.2

8 PrattPhilanthropies

Food security,mentalhealth, arts, education,cancer care, Jewish life,Aboriginal advancement,environment

$20.1

9 GrahamandLouiseTuckwell

Part of $100m for twohalls of residence atthe Australian NationalUniversity; partners theTuckwell ScholarshipProgram

$20.0

10 KinghornFoundation

Medical research,poverty and Australianyouth

$19.6

11 Susan andIsaacWakilFoundation

Nursing scholarships andhealth precinct at theUniversity of Sydney;Art Gallery of NSW

$17.3

12 GandelPhilanthropy

Arts, education, health &medical research, youthat risk, Jewish identity,Indigenous, poverty &disadvantage

$16.0

13 Estate of SheilaWoodcock

Health andmedicalresearch, social servicesand religion

$14.0

14 MyerFoundationand SidneyMyer Fund

Poverty & disadvantage,policy change initiatives,arts, sustainability &environment, education

$13.7

AUSTRALIA’SBIGGEST GIVERS

T HEPHILANTHROPY50LISTMEASURESTHE50 biggest individual givers in Australia eachfinancial year. And the 2020 list is a bumper. Thetotal is $748million, up from $554million for

2019. “Normally, overall giving in Australia rises in valuebetween 5 and 6 per cent each year, but this is a 35 per centrise, the biggest annual jumpwe’ve seen from the largestgivers,” says list compiler JohnMcLeod. “It’s very impressive.”To make the list you had to have donated at least

$4.3million, up from a cut-off of $3.6 million last year. Thebiggest giver is once again the Paul Ramsay Foundation,which increased its spend dramatically, from $85.8 millionto $153 million. Fortescue Metals Group chairman AndrewForrest and his wife Nicola’s Minderoo Foundation is againin second place, but it, too, upped its giving. Third is JudithNeilson’s foundation, up from 16th spot last year due to thecommencement of her staged, $100 million pledge foradvancing independent journalism.McLeod is co-founder of the JBWere Philanthropic

Services Division, which manages $8 billion in charitableassets across Australia and New Zealand. He begancompiling the Philanthropy 50 list exclusively for TheAustralian Financial ReviewMagazine in 2017.McLeod attributes some of the list’s increase to five

one-off bequests, when last year there were none. Thebiggest two were from the estates of James and Diana

Ramsay ($38 million) and Bruce and Jenny Pryor($22million). Then there was $14 million from the estate ofNewcastle woman Sheila Woodcock, who died aged 87 anddivided her unknown enormous wealth between 14charities. Queensland grazier Geoffrey Carrick left$9.85million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service andChildren’s Hospital Foundation, and HughWirth, theformer president of the Victorian RSPCA, left thatorganisation most of his $5.9 million bequest.“Bequests can be one-off big gifts or go into a

foundation, where the money is placed in a trust and thatgoes on to do great things over many years,” says McLeod,adding that the list was ruled off in June 2019, well beforethe bushfires hit. “What makes the huge increase amazingis that 2018/19 was an uneventful year with no naturaldisasters and the financial markets were pretty good.”The most popular causes are medical research,

universities and the arts, although this year included morepledges to the environment and housing support.These gains are against a backdrop of the continued

downward trend in the proportion of the population giving,measured by the percentage of people claiming a taxdeduction for charitable donations.McLeod warns that due to COVID-19, next year’s list

could struggle to make gains and even larger negativeeffects may be seen in 2020/21. ●

The value of the Financial Review Philanthropy 50 list for 2018/19 rose themost in the list’s four-year history. Next year might be a different story.

MAY AFRMAGAZINE 21

THE PHILANTHROPY 50

Rank Name Cause area Grants 2019 ($m)

15 StanPerronCharitableTrust

Disadvantage,particularly inWesternAustralia, improvingchildren's health, culturalenrichment

$13.6

16 NeilsonFoundation

Arts, youthdisadvantage,universities,medicalresearch andwelfare

$11.0

17 BlackmoreFoundation

National Centre forNaturopathicMedicineestablished at SouthernCross University

$10.0

18 VincentFairfax FamilyFoundation

Young peopleexperiencingdisadvantage in NSWand the remote northplus a spiritually richsociety

$10.0

19 Peter andLyndyWhiteFoundation

Increasing the supplyof housing for thosesuffering or at riskof homelessness,disadvantage

$9.9

20 Estate ofGeoffreyCarrick

Royal Flying DoctorServiceQld andChildren's HospitalFoundation, Qld

$9.9

21 Sylvia&Charles ViertelCharitableFoundation

Health andmedicalresearch $8.2

22 MillerFoundation

Health andmedicalresearch, social services,environment

$8.0

23 Hansen LittleFoundation

Part of $30m to house &support disadvantagedstudents at University ofMelbourne plus HansenTrust for arts

$8.0

24 DavidWinstonTurnerEndowmentFund

Part of $40m toTurnerInstitute for Brain andMental Health

$8.0

25 Ainsworthfamily

Health &medicalresearch atWesternSydney University &Children's MedicalResearch Institute;State Library of NSW

$7.5

26 Barry and JoyLambert

Part of $34m to establishthe Lambert Initiativefor CannabinoidTherapeutics atUniversity of Sydney

$7.5

27 WilliamBucklandFoundation

VulnerableVictoriansthrough housing,health, employment &education and regionalcommunities

$7.4

28 Eldon&AnneFooteTrust &subfund - LordMayor's CF

Environment, socialcauses, education,health, arts, heritage

$7.3

The amounts are those given to end recipients,mainly charities, in the 2018/19 financialyear, by Australian individuals, familiesand bequests, both directly and through

foundations. It does not include donations tofoundations, anonymous gifts or corporate

giving. With pledges and multi-year gifts, onlythe actual amount given to end recipients in2018/19 is included. Where the exact amountfor that year is not known, an average per yearover the term of the pledge is assumed. Wherethe term is not known, five years is assumed.Researched and compiled by John McLeodof JBWere Philanthropic Services. Sources

include the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, Fundraising Research& Consulting, Fundraising & Philanthropy

Australasia and Pro Bono Australia.

HOW THE LIST IS COMPILED

Rank Name Cause area Grants 2019 ($m)

29 Packer FamilyFoundations

Arts, Indigenouseducation,medicalresearch, environmentand community

$7.2

30 AndrewThyneReidCharitableTrust

Arts, higher education,medical research,welfare

$6.1

31 StaffordFoxMedicalResearchFoundation

Medical research, publichospitals and universities $6.0

32 HaroldMitchell andFoundation

Florey Institute ofNeuroscience andMental Health, otherhealth, education andarts

$5.9

Rank Name Cause area Grants 2019 ($m)

33 Estate ofDrHughWirth

RSPCAVictoria,other animal welfare,education

$5.9

34 TimFairfaxFamilyFoundation

Arts, education &community initiatives inrural, remote & regionalareas inQueensland &theNorthernTerritory

$5.6

35 ShineOnFoundation

Social services,economic, socialand communitydevelopment

$5.6

36 JO& JRWickingTrust

Wellness and qualityof life for the aged andthosewith or at risk ofAlzheimer's

$5.6

Rank Name Cause area Grants 2019 ($m)

37 ScanlonFoundation

Improving socialcohesion particularlyfor the transition ofmigrants into Australiansociety

$5.3

38 SerpentineFoundation

University of Sydney,NeuroscienceResearch Australia,education and arts

$5.2

39 CharlesHolckner andfamily

Senior living andcommunity centrethrough Jewish Care

$5.0

40 Greg PocheandKayVanNorton Poche

Young adult hospice atManly Hospital, Sydney $5.0

41 Carl andWendyDowd

Florey Institute ofNeuroscience andMental Health

$5.0

42 CollierCharitableFund

Welfare, public hospitals,education and religion $5.0

43 McCuskerCharitableFoundation

Medical research& advancement ofscience, conservation/environment, education,arts

$4.8

44 BakerFoundation

Predominantlymedicalresearch but alsowelfareand children

$4.7

45 Percy BaxterCharitableTrust

Medical research andotherVictorian charities $4.7

46 Noel andCarmelO'BrienFamilyFoundation

Migrants, refugeesor asylum seekers,international aid

$4.6

47 HelenMacphersonSmithTrust

Education, community,arts, environment andhealth

$4.5

48 TheCharitableFoundation

International aid $4.3

49 SnowFoundation

Homelessness,domestic violence,disadvantage,education/employmentand Indigenous health,ageing, disability

$4.3

50 MedichFoundation

Arts, health andmedicalresearch, communityorganisations

$4.3