Community Underwriting 2023 Grants Program Recipients

Community Underwriting is pleased to announce the completion of its Small Grants Program for 2023.

Under our unique business model, Community Underwriting allocates 5% of our annual surplus to clients that have renewed their insurances with us. Our insurer partners Berkley Insurance Australia and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company provide additional contributions which enables us to respond to a greater number of worthy projects each year.

In our 10th year of the Grants Program we are proud to have assisted 52 terrific projects across the sector (up from 46 in 2022). The 2023 grants program has made contributions to projects addressing a diverse range of wonderful initiatives including:

• Koala Kids Superhero Program – an innovative distraction therapy for children and young people with cancer undergoing radiotherapy treatment. Dressing up as a Superhero enables children and young people to escape the reality and angst of radiation treatment.
• Shine and Strength – two transformative personal development and group mentoring programs. Shine is tailored exclusively for young girls and Strength is crafted for boys. Both are designed to assist self-discovery, purpose identification and life direction, particularly at high-risk schools.
• Providing women and children that have fled domestic violence and abusive homes with “starter packs” of basic household items that assist in the transition from a shelter into a new home environment.
• Employment training for African refugee women in Western Sydney, aimed at providing skills and to facilitate pathways to employment for these job seekers.
• Resources to ensure families receive up-to-date and accurate information when their baby has been diagnosed with a unilateral hearing loss through newborn hearing screening.
• Hosting of a Christmas BBQ event for 45+ homeless young people, providing them with a meal on the day, a Christmas meal hamper and a gift for Christmas day.
• Creating a Sensory Room program for people with dementia to provide a controlled and stimulating environment that engages the senses and improves quality of life, promoting relaxation, comfort and overall-wellbeing (whilst also providing respite to their carers).
• Providing rescued mammals and native birds with accommodation, rehabilitation and care in a safe environment until they can be released back to their natural habitat.
• The purchase of a portable marquee gazebo enabling older people in the Bega Valley to access community venues such as parks, gardens, beaches, picnic grounds, etc and have an accessible shade area that is flat and wheel chair / walking frame accessible.
• A community art program, open to all and designed to help people that are feeling marginalised, experiencing social isolation, stress and anxiety. In close collaboration with the local indigenous community the project is looking to break down barriers and reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
• Support & education seminars to provide advice to people that have been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The program aims to help them develop a deeper understanding of the condition and how it may impact their future, to let them know that they will have support and are not alone in managing the condition.

In addition, we were able to assist with a range of much needed defibrillators, replacement fridges and other important equipment, health information resources, enhanced signage, sensory gardens and art installations, community and family events.

Our annual donations to NFP shareholders and the Small Grants Program enable us to continue to reinvest our client’s insurance dollars back into the sector every year. Since Community Underwriting commenced operations in 2014, we have now donated more than $8.9m to clients / shareholders in the Not for Profit sector – an achievement the whole team and our insurer partners are immensely proud of.