A year after its launch, the philanthropic investment fund has announced its first not-for-profit partners as well as three new advisory committee members.
Future Generation Women is a philanthropic investment fund with a mission statement to advance economic equality and opportunities for Australian women. The fund is part of Future Generation’s trio, which also includes Future Generation Australia and Future Generation Global.
The fund has revealed three new advisory members: These include Georgina Byron AM, CEO of the Snow Foundation, Carol Schwartz AO, a leading Australian business and community leader, and Serena Grant, director of business and human rights at Minderoo Foundation.
The three women will join the fund’s advisory committee alongside existing members Elana Rubin AM, Natasha Stott Despoja AO, Marianne Perkovic and Elizabeth Lewin.
Future Generation founder, Geoff Wilson, commended the selection of the new advisers.
“Securing advisers of Georgina, Carol and Serena’s calibre is a significant milestone for Future Generation Women,
“It underscores the strength of the Future Generation model, which allows investors to access leading fund managers and earn solid investment returns while simultaneously supporting good causes,” Wilson said.
From 129 applications across the country, the fund has also picked nine partners helping women most impacted by economic inequality.
These include helping vulnerable communities such as rural and regional women, incarcerated women, First Nations women, migrant and refugee women, single mothers and women with disability seek access to meaningful and sustainable work.
The selected partners are: Common Ground, Ember Connect, Global Sisters, Prison Network, Protea Place, SisterWorks, Stepping Stone Social Enterprise, The Social Outfit and WomenCAN Australia.
Commenting on the announcement, Future Generation CEO Caroline Gurney said the team was delighted to welcome its new partners.
“Gender inequality is holding our country back. Our new partners are doing vital work to help some of Australia’s most vulnerable women build the foundations for economic independence and security,” Gurney said.
Social impact director, Emily Fuller, added that the efforts of these not-for-profits are essential.
“Supporting women to access work – especially those women facing the toughest structural barriers – is one of the critical drivers of closing the economic gap between genders,” Fuller said.
Looking ahead, Fuller said future funding rounds will target additional areas that advance economic equality and opportunities for women.
“FGW [Future Generation Women] will focus on the other levers, which are building financial capability among women and girls and dismantling the harmful gender norms that are known to underpin the persisting gender gaps in Australia,” she concluded.
