In Melbourne on Wednesday night at the 2017 Philanthropy Australia Awards, SVA was honoured to receive the Indigenous Philanthropy Award for Marnin Studio (Marnin) in Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia.
An arts and therapeutic studio operating out of the Marninwarntikura Fitzroy Women’s Resource Centre, Marnin supports local Indigenous women to turn the things they love into projects that provide a source of income. As well as enabling skills transfer and therapeutic aid, the studio empowers these women to become leaders and change agents in their community.
SVA is supporting Marnin to become a locally-driven sustainable arts enterprise, strengthening the identity and well-being of the women in the Fitzroy Valley communities.
Commenting on the Awards, Sarah Davies, CEO of Philanthropy Australia:
‘Although Australian philanthropic organisations stand at the forefront of innovation, their important work is often done behind the scenes. The Awards showcase the many impressive examples of great leadership in philanthropic giving.’
The Indigenous Philanthropy Award is outstanding recognition of SVA’s venture philanthropy investment in Marnin and strong endorsement of the partnership approach championed by SVA.
Congratulating SVA on its win, Sarah Davies said:
‘This is what SVA is famous for. We need you!’
The judges, including two eminent Indigenous community members and others with deep knowledge and experience in these communities, were also generous in their praise of the partnership.
Initiated in May 2016, the three-year partnership between SVA and Marnin was co-designed with mutual objectives and a focus on sharing lessons and joint advocacy. SVA has committed to supporting Marnin with funding, capacity building, access to SVA’s networks and impact measurement support over three years. Special recognition goes to Shiri Leventhal, Associate Director, WA Venture Philanthropy for nurturing the partnership and carrying the weight of work to support it.
The Award ceremony also proved fruitful for a number of SVA alumni. Former Director of Social Investment Lisa Cotton – now Co-Founder and CEO of The Funding Network, received the Best Small Grant of the Year Award for The Manjeri School Project, Uganda – an initiative of former SVA Impact Investing Manager Nick Harrington.
Malinda Wink a former consultant at SVA and current Executive Director of Good Pitch, was also among the winners with The Caledonia Foundation claiming the Gender-wise Philanthropy Award for Good Pitch’s The Hunting Ground Australia Project.
More information about the 2017 Australian Philanthropy Awards including all 2017 award recipients is available.
