Australian Family Foundations Forum

1
Australian Family Foundations Forum

• Prepared by Coty Cortese
• Executive Officer
• Mary Potter Trust Foundation

QUT Centre of Philanthropy Nonprofit
Studies Brisbane, Queensland 11 March 2005
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Getting the base of your Foundation right

• Clearly identify what your purpose is.
• What does your Foundation hope to achieve, why
  does it exist?
• Eg The XYZ Foundation believes that affordable,
  decent housing is a right for all individuals.
• The ABC Foundation seeks to encourage
  developments in education for all young
  Australians.

3
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• Research who else out there does similar things
  and how they do it and why. Dont try and
  reinvent the wheel.

4
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• Very clearly state your funding principles or
  criteria.
• What do you fund and more importantly what dont
  you fund.
• Think about how much, how often and how you will
  fund.

5
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• How will you evaluate an application or request
  for funding?

6
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• How involved do you realistically want to be with
  those you will fund?

7
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• Will you have an evaluation process, what will
  be your measures of success?

8
Getting the base of your Foundation right.

• Test your procedures before you launch.