Given the range of work we do and the diversity of our client base, many people may forget that the word ‘foundation’ in our name is there for a reason. Global Leadership Foundation was created to raise the emotional health levels across the planet by providing leadership development opportunities for leaders from all walks of life, particularly in the not-for-profit and community sectors for whom such opportunities are rare.

The profits of Global Leadership Foundation are directed into a philanthropic fund managed by the Australian Communities Foundation to provide funding to a range of important and valuable projects. This fund is core to the way we enact our guiding principle of Stewardship.

Another aspect of the Foundation’s work is our commitment to providing pro bono and low bono support for leadership growth in the community. Projects, leaders and organisations come to us for support and where we see a ‘fit’ to our principles, and have the resources, we will provide the assistance being sought.

We are constantly asking ourselves what role we can play in developing and supporting emotionally healthy, equitable and sustainable cultures and communities and their leaders.

During 2014, it has been very rewarding to have been able to work with a wide range of community organisations including the Australian Communities Foundation, Arid Recovery, Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Foundation, ACSO, Opening Doors – Inner East Social Inclusion Program, The Nature Conservancy, Joining the Dots, ArtPlay and The Thin Green Line Foundation.

Our work has included projects such as strategic planning and implementation, board representation, organisational change, creating great team cultures, leadership development and coaching, and the facilitation of emerging leaders programs.

In terms of grants, we were able to support:

–       the inaugural Do Lectures Australia in getting off the ground and ‘flying’. And fly they did at the end of April this year with over 100 incredible people meeting in Victoria’s high country to inspire each other to ‘DO’.

–       Globalex, a conference organised and run by the Australian Medical Students’ Association to focus on practical ways of addressing global health issues. Participants were engaged in a variety of workshops – including ours on emotionally healthy leadership – to support their planning and they presented back their solutions to an advisory panel representing philanthropists, entrepreneurs, leadership and health.

–       the Solomon Islands Community Conservation partnership in their work conducting environmental monitoring on Tetepare Island.

One significant project this year took place in the Solomon Islands in August. Meagan Williams and Brent Masters travelled to the Solomons on behalf of Global Leadership Foundation, the Thin Green Line Foundation and the International Ranger Federation. The purpose was to better understand how each of our organisations can support the important work of rangers in one of the most bio-diverse and yet impoverished nations on earth.

Meagan and Brent travelled predominantly in the Western Province which is a conservation hot spot. Many informal ranger programs exist in this area with very little government or outside support. These rangers and the local communities are an inspiration. They work to protect their natural resources in the face of numerous pressures from organisations wanting to log, mine and commercially fish in the region. In addition, there is a trend towards young people leaving the villages for much needed employment, often in these industries. Leadership development of both the rangers and conservation leaders is critical.

We will continue to collaborate and partner on this significant project to support the critical role of rangers and community leaders in these environments.

Given our Foundation has now been operating for over a decade, we decided it was also a good time to better understand and evaluate the impact the Foundation has had on the individuals and organisations we have worked with. Our hope is that in future we might be able to better support small organisations with high potential through combinations of small grants and pro bono project support. We strongly believe that the value we can provide lies more in our expertise than in any financial assistance we can provide.

We are also asking ourselves whether the right kinds of organisations and people know about our Foundation’s work and how to access it. The sorts of projects we most want to support and work on may not necessarily sit within our networks at the moment.

In the meantime, 2015 is already looking exciting.

We are sponsoring and collaborating with our friend and colleague Karen Knowles, to create ‘The Remembering’ – a project that is focused on creating the next generation of custodians for sustainable communities, the environment and ways of living and engaging. The plan is to inspire awareness and empower community action in sustainability and bring us together to discuss these opportunities with leaders in environment, business, innovation, government, the arts, indigenous wisdom and community.

The project commences with an interactive visual performance at the Palais Theatre in February as part of the Sustainable Living Festival and will feature artists such as Archie Roach, Karen Knowles, Shane Howard and local elders. It will be a great example of grants plus pro-bono expertise in action.

 

Gayle

 

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You can make a contribution at any time through our website or via the Australian Communities Foundation. If donating via the latter, please nominate the sub fund ‘Global Leadership Fund’ in the appropriate box.