Minderoo represents half of the contributions made by the top 25 philanthropic foundations in WA.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S philanthropists have been busy during COVID, with the $213 million-plus given to worthy causes by the state’s top 20 foundations a significant jump from pre-pandemic contributions.
The number, heavily influenced by the contribution of the Forrest family’s Minderoo Foundation, reflects a steady rise in contributions to charitable causes during the past four years, well before the arrival of COVID, which did not seem to impact the trajectory of contributions.
In 2018, WA’s top 20 philanthropic foundations distributed a little more than $134 million between them, a number that rose to $163.2 million in 2019 and then $173.6 million in 2020, the first year of COVID.
In that four-year period, Minderoo has grown its contribution faster than its peer group, from 45 per cent of the top 20’s total giving in 2018 to as much as 55 per cent in 2020.
Last financial year, Minderoo represented slightly more than half of contributions by the top 20, albeit with some of the reporting periods differing from the 2020 calendar year to the financial year ending June 30 2021.
The next two biggest givers – the Channel 7 Telethon Trust and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation – collectively represent more than 25 per cent of the top 25’s combined total, proportionately less than the one third of the pie they shared in 2018.
The top three represent two of the main thematic areas of pursuit for major philanthropic foundations in WA: family foundations and those focused on medical research and development.
The Telethon trust’s remit is more diversified than just a medical focus, but the beneficiaries of the bulk of its annual funding are in that sector, most notably the Telethon Kids Institute.
The other major field of focus for philanthropic foundations is education.
There is a high degree of crossover between the family foundations and their counterparts on the list, as significant funding from major players such as Minderoo goes to institutions and programs with an education and medical focus.
The Bass Family Foundation even more deeply entwines these major threads, with its strong link to the Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation, a charitable organisation that educates academics in entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup company formation.
A significant proportion of CERI’s graduates were from the medical science arena.
The most recent list’s top 20 has more family-based foundations than prior years, with nine represented in this echelon compared to seven in 2018.
A new entrant is the Steinberg family’s Malka Foundation, which, similar to the Bass trust, is focusing on entrepreneurial education.
Just outside the top 20 is the Rae Family Foundation, which is funded by the founders of independent service station player Gull Petroleum.
The Rae foundation’s largesse has increased almost 10-fold since 2019.
Another foundation to make a significant contribution to WA’s overall giving was the Martin Copley Will Trust, which donated $4 million in the year ending June 30 2021.
Founded in 2015 with an initial $61.2 million injection from the estate of its namesake, the trust is understood to fund the conservation of indigenous art and native fauna, including the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a major philanthropic landowner established by Mr Copley in 1995.
The Copley trust’s contribution is its first major effort since 2016 when it donated nearly $6.8 million to various causes, an amount that put it in the top three distributions by philanthropic foundations known to Business News.
The cyclical nature of these contributions may be due to the specific needs of its recipients, such as major land purchases or habitat protection programs run by the AWC.
Three organisations linked to some of Perth’s most prestigious private schools were represented in the top 20 of the philanthropic foundations list, down from four in 2018.
The Art Gallery of WA Foundation is a rare top philanthropical organisation focused purely on art, although many family funds do support arts groups. AGWAF’s annual report reveals that it spent more than $3.7 million via its Tommorrowfund.
