Macquarie Group Foundation

COVID-19 donation fund

Image source: Caritas Luxembourg, 2020

 

In April 2020, we announced that Macquarie Group allocated $A20 million to the Macquarie Group Foundation to support a select number of non-profit organisations working to combat COVID-19 and provide relief to affected communities. The fund focused on recipients addressing areas of both immediate and medium to long term need in regions in which Macquarie operates.

Through a total of 43 grants, we have now allocated the full $A20 million to 40 community organisations around the world. A total of:

  • $A7.35 million through 29 grants globally in support of direct relief efforts;
  • $A2 million to two Australian medical research projects; and
  • $A10.65 million to 12 organisations globally focused on supporting workers and businesses in restarting economic activity.

Read more about our approach to allocating the COVID-19 funding and find out more about our grantees below.

Three ways we’re supporting our communities throughout the crisis

$A20 million COVID-19 donation fund

Macquarie Group allocated $A20 million in charitable donations to the Foundation to support a select number of non-profit organisations working to combat COVID-19 and provide relief to affected communities.

$A1 million emergency grant fund for staff-supported non-profits

The Foundation provided a $A1 million emergency grants fund to make immediate cash available for non-profits with significant staff involvement. 

Flexible funding for grant partners and sector pledges

To help non-profits continue delivering their services in a way that appropriately reflects the changing environment.

We’ve also signed the London Funders COVID-19 statement, AVPN, and the Philanthropy Australia statement, to amplify our commitment to the community sector in this time of need.

Our funding recipients

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Aberlour Child Care Trust

Providing urgent assistance funding to families in crisis and desperate poverty with basic essentials such as food, clothing, bedding and power cards.

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Asha

Providing first aid health services including medication, food and other critical supplies to COVID-19 positive individuals and families, as well as supplements and immunity boosters for six months to vulnerable population in the 100 slum communities across Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).

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Asylum Seekers Centre

Providing practical support services to people seeking asylum including emergency relief, a health service, digital access, food and emergency housing.

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AYALA Foundation

Supporting the sustainable Planting for Productivity program, which involves distributing farmers’ harvest to vulnerable communities most affected by the pandemic; providing families with training to grow indigenous crops; and improving food access through enhanced knowledge and skills of growers and producers, thus creating and/or strengthening an ecosystem that effectively connects farms to tables.

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Base

Providing vulnerable communities in (i) the Amazon riverside and in (ii) São Paulo with emergency food and hygiene relief and low-income seamstresses in (iii) Rio de Janeiro with emergency financial relief during the pandemic.

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Bateau Geneve

Providing food and hygiene kits to migrants, refugees and people in critical situations, as well as financial support for the trainees of their social enterprise café and other training programs.

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Bright Future (a project of New Resolution India)

Our funds will provide food supplies and COVID-19 hygiene kits to around 10,000 families living in slum communities in and around Mumbai. This relief work is known as Mission Raahat, with delivery of the kits done by Bright Future’s student alumni, working within their local communities and targeting at-risk and underserved families.

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Caritas Austria

Direct financial support to help people experiencing homelessness with food, accommodation and living costs. Funds will also be used to support Caritas’ counselling /advisory services (via staff costs, PPE, security and equipment) to assist employees in providing for increased service demand.

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Caritas Luxembourg

Providing hardware (tablets) for residents in their refugee homes as well as financial relief to families in need in response to the needs expressed from the Corona helpline which has been set up. Funding is given to persons and families in need in Luxembourg for utilities and living expenses such as Wi-Fi, heating, rent, emergency access to Foundation Caritas Luxembourg social grocery stores.

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Don Bosco Network South Asia

Funding will support the provision of home isolation care kits to approximately 1700 families in low-income Indian communities of confirmed or suspected COVID patients. Distributed by community volunteers and field staff, the kits will include pulse oximeter, digital thermometer, masks, paracetamol, vitamin C tablets, soap, hand sanitiser, gloves, and local-language care guidance pamphlets.

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Florida's First Coast Relief Fund

Assisting Northeast Florida organisations helping individuals and families disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

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The Global Foodbanking Network

Addressing critical food security needs across its network of more than 900 foodbanks in 40 countries, including meals for children as many schools around the world remain closed.

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Good360

Matching essential brand-new goods donated by businesses such as clothing, hygiene, household and schooling items to Australians in need.

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Goonj

Providing access to basic consumables and other household items for those in cities and rural India due to the COVID-19 lockdown, and subsequently supporting daily wage earners, migrants and other vulnerable groups by activating an India-wide network of partner organisations and volunteers.

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Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund

United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation are standing together to help support those in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and those who may be impacted by unforeseen economic conditions. Together, we have established the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund to serve our region’s most vulnerable neighbours impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Hands On Hong Kong

Delivering care packages to vulnerable families and individuals. 

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Healing Fields Foundation

Funding will enable rural, low-income communities to access reliable and timely health information, raising awareness of prevention mechanisms and vaccination programs across 300 villages in India. A team of 40 Community Health Workers have been trained as tele-counsellors will offer services for five months and community health workers will support identified and suspected COVID-19 positive cases, offering medical equipment, food, and sanitation.  

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HOME

Providing emergency financial relief, medical assistance, crisis accommodation and case management support to migrant workers in Singapore and advocating for their rights during the pandemic and beyond.

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Home of Hope

Home of Hope for Girls (HoH) consists of two residential homes for girls, there are approximately 75 girls in full-time care and approximately 150 vulnerable children are supported through the outreach programme. The funds will equip the homes to enable home schooling (tablets, Wi-Fi, data), a consistent food supply and pay wages to staff to help with the maintenance and upkeep of the homes, as well as groceries, toiletries and medication.

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International Rescue Committee

Launching coronavirus preparedness and response programs in over 40 countries, including the United States, Greece, Syria and Yemen. From sharing crucial information in Italy to training health care workers in Syria to continuing our vital work with refugees in the U.S., our teams are on the ground responding to the outbreak every day.

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Jan Sahas

For over a decade, Jan Sahas has been working with migrant workers and vulnerable communities in India. It is providing food, ration supplies and safety kits as emergency relief support to families to survive the COVID-19 crisis with dignity.

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London Community Response Fund

A collective of over 50 funders supporting groups responding to the pandemic. Coordinated by London Funders, activities include delivering essential food and supplies in the near-term, as well as providing grants to community organisations to deliver differently and meet the changing needs of communities.

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Meals on Wheels

Providing meals and wellbeing checks for older people in their homes.

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The PHL COVID-19 Fund

Led by the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ), provides grants to non-profits throughout the Greater Philadelphia region that have a demonstrated track record of serving those most at-risk during this crisis, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and those who are experiencing homeless or who are economically disadvantaged. Grants will be used to continue community safety nets including food pantries and health services; help with preparedness and protection needs such as hygiene supplies; and ensure access to accurate, up-to-date information and available services.

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Restaurants du Coeur

Direct relief in relation to the COVID-19 crisis by providing meals either in distribution centres or in food trucks, across France.

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SafetyNet Primary Care

Supporting staffing and equipment for its mobile health unit to enable it to conduct COVID-19 testing for vulnerable groups, including asylum seekers, Traveller populations, migrant populations, those living poverty in overcrowded situations and homeless shelters, slowing outbreaks of the virus across the country.

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Sheltering Arms

Navigating unprecedented financial challenges due to COVID-19 and to continue providing vital programs and services - early childhood education, mental health support, foster care, residential programs for homeless youth, and more - to thousands of children, youth, and families in New York City's most underserved communities.

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Munich Red Cross

The Munich Red Cross will use the donation to support emergency medical services. Supporting its local volunteers: purchasing masks for care facilities, protective shields for hospitals, responding to direct health needs in the community. Funds will also to educate volunteers around hygiene, using PPE and the importance of hand washing, through facilitated sessions.

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United Way Mumbai

Funding will provide public hospitals in Mumbai Metropolitan Region with medical and protective equipment critical to combatting COVID-19 in India. Equipment will include oxygen concentrators, machines to monitor individual patients’ vital signs, ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and other items.

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Burnet Institute

Leading the large-scale Optimise Study on isolation/quarantine and physical distancing, providing evidence to government, community organisations and key health service groups to assist in restoring economic and recreational activities whilst keeping new infections at a low level.

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The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

Leading the international AustralaSian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT), which aims to identify the best treatments for COVID-19 that will reduce mortality or the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalised, but not yet critically ill patients.

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Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN)


AVPN is a leading ecosystem builder for the social investment sector. Our contribution to AVPN’s Philanthropic Pooled Fund will support the strengthening of primary healthcare systems in rural and hard to reach urban areas across South and Southeast Asia, enabling vulnerable populations to return to the workforce, and regain their livelihoods.

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edX

Funding will create the ‘Macquarie Scholarship Program’ for economic recovery by supporting edX online learning courses and programs for low-income and underrepresented groups of learners.

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Generation

Funding will support the launch of Generation’s first green jobs programmes in the UK. The project aims to provide life-changing ‘train and place’ opportunities to 100 young people who have faced barriers to employment to launch careers in the growing green sector by December 2022, creating the blueprint of a model that can be rapidly scaled.

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Humana People to People

Funding will be used to support girls’ education in the states of Bihar, Haryana, and Maharashtra, enabling girls from disadvantaged and migrant labour communities access educational opportunities. Educating girls is one of the strongest ways to improve gender equality, break the cycle of poverty, promote economic growth and the healthy development of families and communities.

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Investing in Women

Our funding will establish the ‘Macquarie Investing in Women RISE Fund’, enabling impact investors to unlock private sector and other investments for women’s SMEs, stimulating job creation and providing access to critical services in hard-hit markets in Philippines.

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Jan Sahas

Over the last two decades, Jan Sahas has been working with migrant workers and vulnerable communities in India. The funding will support the establishment of the Migrants Resilience Collaborative in two locations, providing social security, worker protection, employment benefits and migration tracking 100,000 workers.

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Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) 

Providing grants to small business owners for their most urgent relief and rebuilding needs. Funding will be directed to minority-owned small businesses, located in underserved communities, which are experiencing economic hardship, and have traditionally been left out of business relief programs. 

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London Community Response Fund  

A fund - administered by City Bridge Trust - contributing to collective of over 67 funders supporting groups responding to the pandemic. This second round of funding will support 'wave five' of the London Community Response, coordinated by London Funders. The focus is supporting the recovery and renewal of London’s communities over a full year, providing renewal grants which can be used to fund the costs of a specific project, run an organisation or a partnership approach.

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Regional Opportunities Australia

Funding will enable Regional Opportunities Australia (ROA) to employ two employment case managers and one employment relations manager to support unemployed or underemployed migrants and refugees to become job ready for employment in regional Australia, where job vacancies are increasing. By supporting people to relocate for employment, the program also helps to grow regional economies and boost regional population.

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SkillUp

The SkillUp Coalition is dedicated to helping the millions of COVID-impacted and other vulnerable workers get retrained and reemployed in growing industries. Our funding will support the launch of SkillUp operations in New York and Philadelphia while also providing national support to the SkillUp Together Fund.

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White Box Enterprises

White Box Enterprises is a large-scale, jobs-focused social enterprise builder which has recently established the Sustainable Employment Loan Fund (SELF) to provide low-interest, patient loan capital to jobs-focused social enterprises. Our funding will cover fund administration costs for the first two years, increasing SELF’s attractiveness to investors and supporting eligible social enterprises.

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Women In Need

Funding will support the expansion of the Camp Win program which supports homeless children with academic skills and emotional support. It will also enable approximately 300 homeless clients to participate in the Income Building Program which provides job training, mock interviews, and other employment-related support.

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Closing the global education gap

Professor Anant Agarwal, founder and CEO of online learning platform and non-profit edX, discusses the role of technology in providing greater access to education, introduced by Rachel Engel, Regional Head of Macquarie Group Foundation. edX are a grant partner of the Macquarie Group Foundation through its COVID-19 Donation Fund.

Data-driven funding

Daniel Wong, Global Co-Head of Macquarie Capital introduces James Banks, Chief Executive of non-profit London Funders, who shares how the organisation is using data to drive needs analysis, enabling it to allocate grant funding based on where in the city the need is greatest and effectively measure the impact it's having.

Shemara Wikramanayake in conversation with three recipients of the COVID-19 donation fund

Macquarie Group Foundation

The Macquarie Group Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Macquarie Group. The Foundation provides support to hundreds of community organisations globally each year through financial support, volunteering and skills sharing.