The recipient will receive a once off payment of up to $7,500 in their first year of enrolment. The successful recipient will meet standard Wyatt eligibility.

Applications close on Friday 25 January 2019.

For more information contact Jo Edwards, Grants Officer on (08) 8224 0074.

Download the application form.

This History Festival join us for the screening of the Wyatt documentary, ‘ An Enduring Gift’. Learn more about the life of Dr William Wyatt, his extensive involvement in South Australia’s early colonial institutions and his remarkable philanthropic legacy that has touched the lives of generations of vulnerable South Australians.

The screenings, accompanied by an informal presentation, will be held every Wednesday in May at 10am at The Wyatt Trust. RSVPs are essential so please call Julie or Simone on 8224 0074 to book your place.

For more information about other events in the 2017 History Festival program, visit www.historyfestival.sa.gov.au.

The report, titled ‘A Home for All’ and conducted by the University of South Australia, found the Initiative Fund Grants program set-up in 2008 had created far reaching benefits for South Australians, which in economic terms equated to six times the initial $5.2 million investment.

In social terms, the report found the main impacts for beneficiaries included the capacity to find and remain in employment, the ability to escape violence in the home, improved mental and physical health, the reduced risk of suicide and the capacity to stabilise housing circumstances.

The findings will be announced at the launch of the report to be held at Wyatt Hall at Pulteney Grammar School at 11am on Monday, 29 August 2016.

The grants program consists of three main elements all based around providing secure housing for disadvantaged South Australians, which in-turn enables them to realise much broader benefits. They include:

• Home purchase – a partnership with HomeStart Finance which provides no-interest loans of up to $10,000 to low income households to help them purchase a home.
• Rental subsidy – a partnership with multiple not-for-profit organisations where grants of $20,000-30,000 are provided to low-income households to be used as a rental subsidy.
• Home establishment package – a partnership with multiple not-for-profit organisations to provide grants of between $1000 – $2500 to individuals and households who have been homeless to purchase essential items for their new homes.

Chief Executive Officer of The Wyatt Trust, Paul Madden, said the report highlighted that every element of the grants program had delivered a positive impact that far exceeded the initial financial investment.

In particular, he said the Home Purchase partnership with HomeStart Finance had delivered benefits more than 24 times the investment.

“Most pleasing for me, is the fact that the economic and social benefits have been directly delivered to some of the most disadvantaged within the South Australian community,” he said.

“Homelessness and poverty are major challenges in South Australia, and compared with other Australian states, we have an over-representation of low-income groups and a higher percentage of people reliant on income from the Government.

“Many low income South Australians are trapped by a combination of circumstances that make housing unaffordable, yet we know that there are so many social benefits that housing provides for individuals and families.

“The grants program aims to provide pathways to help homeless, low-income and disadvantaged South Australians find secure housing and help them realise the benefits associated with having a permanent roof over their heads.

“It is extremely satisfying to receive independent validation that the grant initiatives we have put in place are having such widespread social and economic benefits.”

HomeStart Finance’s Chief Executive Officer John Oliver said the partnership with The Wyatt Trust was addressing one of the most significant social issues facing the South Australian community.

“Housing affordability is one of the most significant social issues we are facing and for many low-income households, the barriers to owning a home often feel insurmountable,” he said.

“The no-interest Wyatt Loan reduces the upfront amount required by low-income households, releasing a significant amount of pressure on the household budget and bringing home ownership within reach.

“For recipients of a Wyatt Loan, it has enabled them to break out of the rental cycle and achieve the financial security and independence associated with buying a home.”

The full report can be downloaded from https://wyatt.org.au/publications/

Wyatt was thrilled to receive Philanthropy Australia’s 2016 Best Large Grant Award with the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation for our collaborative work to enhance school retention, education re-engagement, resilience and wellbeing for vulnerable young South Australians.

Announced in Melbourne on the 19th April, theses national awards recognise and celebrate philanthropic achievements and sector partnerships creating lasting change.

The short video below tells the story of SAHMRI’s Resilient Futures SA project, and the $1.2 million contribution from Wyatt and the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation towards the wellbeing and resilience of 850 young South Australians.

The Wellbeing and Resilience Centre at SAHMRI will be using a systematic approach based on Dr Martin Seligman’s PERMA dashboard (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment) PLUS Physical Activity, Nutrition, Sleep and Optimism. The project aims to achieve improved mental health outcomes, more active participation in the community, increased self confidence and increased resilience to stressful life events for vulnerable young people.

The project will commence with a baseline measurement of wellbeing across all participants, followed by the transfer of validated skills and strategies that build wellbeing and resilience. Using a train the trainer model, youth workers and mentors from partner agencies will undertake Wellbeing and Resilience training to teach these skills to the young people. Ongoing mentoring will assist young people to integrate these skills through the provision of one-on-one support, group projects and targeted interventions to build their resilience and wellbeing.

Visit the Wellbeing and Resilience Centre website for more information about the project and the PERMA+ approach, and click here to see Wyatt’s Chief Executive, Paul Madden, describe our support of the project.

Dr McAfee spoke of the catalytic role of philanthropy in providing freedom and resources to develop new models and to bring together diverse groups in pursuit of common goals.

For more information about Together SA and Collective Impact, visit the Together SA website or find them on Facebook.

The Wyatt Trust was delighted to participate in the launch of the Australian Centre for Community Services Research earlier this week. The Centre sits within the School of Social and Policy Studies at Flinders University, with Anglicare SA as the principle and founding partner. The purpose of the Centre is to deliver research and learning outcomes which have a broad application across issues of social equity, social inclusion and social service.

Speaking at the launch, Paul Madden, Chief Executive at The Wyatt Trust said;

“the philanthropic and community sectors are increasingly focused on evidence-based practice and social impact, and the work of this new Centre, headed by Dr Ian Goodwin Smith, will become an important resource in ensuring our efforts are focused and effective.”

Produced by Professor John Spoehr and his team at The University of Adelaide’s Australian Workplace Innovation and Social Research Centre (WISeR), the research was commissioned by The Wyatt Trust, one of Australia’s leading philanthropic trusts and a key funder of financial counselling services for people on low incomes in South Australia.

Using data from a sample of 139 clients, the research demonstrates a $5 benefit for every dollar spent on financial counselling for people on low incomes and in financial crisis. Commenting on the outcomes of the research Paul Madden, CEO of The Wyatt Trust, said:

“For us this research comes as a strong affirmation of the economic benefit of financial counselling to the people we are here to help. Beyond the financial benefits, there is a raft of personal and social benefits that come when people in financial stress gain better control of their finances and their lives.

“While this research did not set out to quantify these benefits, we know that reducing stress beneficially impacts health and helps individuals and families cope much better. When people can pay their bills everyone benefits.“

Visit the publications section of the Wyatt website to download the PDF version of the report.

A crowd of 150 people, comprising current and former Governors and staff, partner organisations and distinguished guests revelled in the opportunity to connect and to celebrate all that has been achieved over the past 127 years. In particular, they acknowledged and honoured Dr Wyatt, who spent his life in the service of others and who, through amazing foresight and generosity, continues to touch the lives of those in need to this day.

Visit The Wyatt Trust on Facebook for images from the event.

Minister for Health, Jack Snelling, outlined the explorations underway by government about the potential of social impact bonds to produce good social outcomes while a range of speakers addressed the development of social impact investment across the globe. In particular, Minister Snelling pointed to the potential for social investments to be drivers of impact measurement in connection with service delivery. Kylie Charlton, Co-Founder of Unitus Capital, a major player in the social finance arena, described the growth in the sector and future potential, while Liz Sanders from UnitingCare Burnside outlined how private investment in the first Australian social impact bond was funding the Newpin program in NSW, focusing on family reunification. Shadow Attorney General, Stephen Wade, outlined the developments in the UK and insights gained through his meetings there with those involved in social impact bonds from both the government and service delivery spheres. Graham Brown, CEO of Junction Australia, spoke of the hopes he and others in the sector had for social impact investment as an opportunity to test interventions that have the capacity to get us “ahead of the curve” in responding to society’s most wicked problems, while Ross Womersley, Executive Director of SACOSS, sounded some notes of caution about the potential risks associated with social impact bonds as a new service funding paradigm.

In commenting on social investment, SIINSA Chairman Paul Madden, said: “social impact investment is not just a wave that is coming, it it with us right now. While it does come with risks, it also comes with opportunities as a driver of innovation, impact measurement, new capital and most importantly fresh energy to tackle those issues we have struggled to make headway on for decades. It will cause us to think differently, to develop new partnerships, to embrace effectiveness measures in new and more robust ways and cause us to honestly confront the question of whether what we do makes any difference. The journey toward an embrace of social impact investment will require courage but the rewards go far beyond any financial dividend; they will be the benefits that flow to those who find help and assistance in their time of need.”

Visit the SIINSA Facebook page for more images from the event.