The role of the University Foundation

The Senate of ACU National established the Foundation "to encourage and foster the continuing interest and financial support of persons concerned to advance and promote the objects and mission of the University". Therefore, the role of the Foundation is to nurture the University's diverse areas of interest by providing a focus for individual, corporate and community energy and funds.

The Foundation creates an environment where people and organisations invest their time and money in the advancement of the University.

Since 1993 Australian Catholic University's Foundation has raised over $8 million in cash and confirmed pledges.  In practical terms, these funds have been used by ACU National to:

• Fund professorial positions in:
  • Educational Leadership
  • Clinical Nursing
  • Children's Sport and Exercise Science
  • Philosophy
  • Aged Care
• Provide sponsorships - national and international
• Provide resources (such as library and specialist software), staffing and student support for programs such as:
  • Social Work program in Canberra
  • Management program in Ballarat
  • Information Systems in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
• Secure the ongoing funding of the Plunkett Centre for Ethics in Health Care
• Develop and manage a growing scholarship and bursary portfolio which provides annual student support (currently $200,000 distributed in amounts ranging from $500 to $5,000)
• Fund capital development in various campuses
• Provide practical financial support to a variety of worthwhile projects eg:
  • Lecture series
  • Research projects
  • Library and resource material for the overseas education institutes in developing countries

The source of these donations is within Australia and the broad categories include:

• Professional bodies
• Private benefactors
• Philanthropic trusts and granting bodies
• Various bodies within the Catholic Church
• ACU National staff and students

ACU National is increasingly seeking the assistance of philanthropists. We have set ourselves the ambitious, but we believe attainable objective of raising $6 million over the next two years.

We are currently aiming to raise $3 million in Queensland to contribute to the cost of the new Brisbane Campus at Banyo.

Similarly, in Victoria, the University is seeking to raise $2 million from corporate and community donors and $1 million from the Catholic parishes in Victoria.  John Ralph is the Foundation Chair of the Melbourne Fundraising Committee.  At the Melbourne Campus, we hope to be able to use that money to turn the historic Central Hall into an arts precinct.

ACU National fundraising campaigns have received generous donations from The Pratt Foundation, the Trescowthick Foundation, John Ralph and a range of other individual and corporate donors, many of whom prefer to remain anonymous.

From the perspective of the University, the need for Australian philanthropy has never been greater. Services that, at one stage, the government provided have been increasingly thrown back to charities or to individuals and families. Amongst those services is education.  If we look at the trend in funding that ACU National has received from government sources over the last six years, it is clear that as a University we have been obliged to find more of our funding from non-government sources.

For further information, contact Margaret Burke, Foundation on (02) 9739 2951 or email M.Burke@mackillop.acu.edu.au