Former Venture Partners
SVA is honoured to have worked with 50 venture partners over more than a decade. These organisations have continued to tackle some of Australia’s most pressing social challenges.
Here is just a small selection of some of our former venture partners.
Beacon
Beacon is working towards an Australia that understands, cares and is motivated to support young people to successfully transition from education to meaningful employment.
Beacon
From 2002, SVA helped Beacon navigate their journey from a small Tasmanian based organisation to a national organisation working with over 15,000 young people in 2015 and a 96.8% post year 10 retention. Over this time, SVA distributed more than $1.5 million of philanthropic funding and the partnership achieved an 18% average annual growth rate – beneficiaries and 10% average annual growth rate – turnover.
Building on Beacon Foundation’s decades of experience, in 2016 SVA supported the initial development of eBeacon; a cost effective digital platform designed to increase student engagement in careers education and better prepare young people for employment, regardless of their location. Read more about eBeacon.
Beyond Empathy
BE is an Australian community, arts and cultural development organisation that creates art projects with people living on the margins of their communities to tell their stories and engage with new futures.
Beyond Empathy
Beyond Empathy (BE) is an Australian community, arts and cultural development organisation that create art projects with people living on the margins of their communities who are experiencing recurring hardship. BE programs enable these communities to tell their stories, engage with new futures and influence change in the lives of individuals and communities experiencing recurring hardship. Empathy is the first step towards creating change in ourselves and others, it acts as a catalyst to signal that change is needed, doing so with a warn heart. Going Beyond Empathy is a commitment to building skills and capacity for individuals to be in charge of their own change process.
During their time in the venture portfolio, SVA helped the organisation grow from a start-up into a mature organisation. SVA assisted BE establish valuable networks, and develop its funding base as well as its strategic plan.
CareerSeekers: New Australian Internship Program
CareerSeekers works with leading corporations to create work experience and employment opportunities for qualified humanitarian entrants who aspire to professional employment in Australia.
CareerSeekers: New Australian Internship Program
The CareerSeekers program has been developed from learnings and experience gained from the renowned CareerTrackers program which SVA was involved in supporting since 2010. Launched in 2016, CareerSeekers supports mid-career professionals looking to re-establish their careers in Australia, and university students.
With support from J.P. Morgan, SVA assisted CareerSeekers in developing the foundations to scale beyond the pilot stage. Read more.
CareerTrackers
CareerTrackers’ goal is to become embedded into corporate Australia to enable all Indigenous tertiary students to successfully pursue their career aspirations.
CareerTrackers
CareerTrackers recruits Indigenous university students and links them with private sector employers to participate in a paid summer internship over 1-5 years, with the aim of securing a permanent place in that company at the completion of their degree. As of 2015, 1,138 interns have been engaged by 86 employers. The program achieves a strong success rate of 89% of participants’ transitioning to full-time employment. Over the six years of partnership with CareerTrackers, SVA:
Contributed $301,677 in funding enabling CareerTrackers to establish itself as an organisation and now operate as a self-sustaining social enterprise. Provided capacity building through leadership mentoring to CareerTrackers CEO as well as advice on governance and how to scale effectively. Leveraged SVA’s networks to showcase CareerTrackers to key corporates who have been integral to their scale and providing ongoing employment opportunities for their participants. Conducted an SROI that demonstrated that for every $1 invested in CareerTrackers, $4.40 is returned in value.
Catherine House
Catherine House is an Adelaide-based organisation providing accommodation, services and innovative programs to around 1,000 women experiencing homelessness each year.
Catherine House
Catherine House is an Adelaide-based organisation providing accommodation, services and innovative programs to around 1,000 women experiencing homelessness each year.
Their pioneering WorkNext fee-for-service Job Placement Service is aimed at securing sustainable jobs for women experiencing social and economic disadvantage.
SVA supported Catherine House through the pilot of its WorkNext Job Placement Services, assisting in the redesign, marketing and evaluation of the social enterprise. SVA Consulting worked with Catherine House to develop its value proposition to corporate partners and to establish an ongoing monitoring and evaluation framework.
First Australians Capital (FAC)
First Australians Capital (FAC) is an Indigenous-led organisation providing new sources of capital and support for Indigenous businesses.
First Australians Capital (FAC)
SVA are proud to have incubated First Australians Capital (FAC), an Indigenous-led organisation that provides new sources of capital and support for Indigenous businesses.
First Australians Capital joined the SVA venture portfolio in January 2015 and graduated in April 2017.
Future Employment Opportunities
FEO provided training, employment placement services and enterprise activities for job seekers in Central and Northern Victoria.
Future Employment Opportunities
Future Employment Opportunities (FEO) was a community non-profit organisation which managed a range of employment programs providing training, placement services and enterprise activities for job seekers of all ages in Central and Northern Victoria.
FEO created opportunities for people who sought employment by providing training and support by establishing self-generated work enterprises and by contributing to build a vibrant and sustainable community.
SVA supported FEO to replicate the success of the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop which significantly upgraded its facilities in 2007 through Community Recycling Ventures. SVA also assisted in the establishment of other enterprises under FEO such as Tradestart, an out of school community enterprise for young people at risk of leaving school or currently unemployed, and OnTrack, a training and employment service.
FEO is no longer in operation but the Recycle Shop and OnTrack enterprises are still in existence.
Ganbina
Ganbina’s goal is for Indigenous people to reach social and economic equality with non-Indigenous Australian within two generations.
Ganbina
Ganbina works with school aged Indigenous young people to unlock their potential. The program involves activities focused on education, training and personal development. The activities help young people complete their schooling, reach their career potential and become positive community leaders and role models. In 2015, Ganbina supported 347 participants through its Jobs4U2 program, of which 97% completed their relevant year of education training or employment. Over the 13 years of partnership with Ganbina, SVA:
Directed $2.5 million in funding. Provided Ganbina with mentoring and leadership development support for Adrian Appo and Anthony Cavanagh by SVA CEO and Executive team with significant support during the CEO leadership transition. A 2013 Social Return on Investment (SROI) showed that an investment of $1.1m in the 2012 calendar year created $7.5m of social and economic value for stakeholders. Contributed to Ganbina’s annual Growth rate of beneficiaries of 16% and an average annual growth rate of turnover of 5%.
High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates
The High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates project builds the capacity of employers to employ people with disability.
High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates
The NSW Department of Family and Community Services engaged SVA and the Australian Network on Disability to build the capacity of employers to employ people with disability through the High Growth Jobs – Talented Candidates project.
As part of this project, an online Access and Inclusion Index was developed and a demand-led job brokerage approach implemented in high job growth industries. The two complementary and interlinked strategies helped to build connections between talented candidates with disability and selected NSW businesses in high growth industries. Read more.
North Queensland Green Solutions
NQ Green Solutions is an innovative approach to recycling and employment opportunities for the Townsville and Ayr Community.
North Queensland Green Solutions
North Queensland Green Solutions (NQGS) is an innovative approach to recycling and provides employment and training opportunities for those who experience barriers to employment in the Townsville and Ayr Community. Providing a program to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’, NQGS diverts domestic waste before entering the landfill and sells reusable items to the public, while at the same time creating jobs in tip recycling and in the tip shop. Job seekers include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disability, those with mental health issues and vulnerable young people.
SVA worked with NQGS to set up their recycle shop, analyse their employment costs and develop their financial projections. NQGS established the social, economic and environmental return they created through a Social Return on Investment completed by SVA.
SecondBite
SecondBite is committed to ensuring access to fresh, nutritious food for people in need across Australia.
SecondBite
SecondBite works to achieve its aims by rescuing and redistributing surplus fresh food, building community capacity in food skills and nutrition, and advocating for an end to food insecurity. Each week SecondBite delivers fresh produce to over 900 community food programs. These agencies are on the front line of food poverty without which thousands of people would go without a daily meal.
SVA supported SecondBite with funding and provided consulting work. SVA Consulting worked on a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis, to measure and value the impact of SecondBite’s national food distribution activities, and assisted SecondBite with their strategic planning, governance, and measurement and evaluation frameworks.
Social Firms Australia (SoFA)
Social Firms Australia, now merged with National Disability Services (NDS) sought to create employment opportunities for people with a disability or mental illness through the development and support of social firms.
Social Firms Australia (SoFA)
SoFA provided assistance with the commercial expertise required to assist employees with a mental illness get and keep a job. A social firm is a real business with social and economic objectives that provides good-quality jobs to people with a mental illness or other disadvantaged in a supportive, integrated working environment.
SVA together with Eastern Access Community Health helped SoFA acquire Bonsai – The Imagination Tree (Bonsai). SVA worked closely with SoFA to closely pilot the acquisition model. SVA’s Social Return on Investment (SROI) toolset was also used to report on the financial and social value generated by social firms.
STREAT
STREAT aims to stop youth homelessness and disadvantage, one mouthful at a time.
STREAT
STREAT is a social enterprise helping homeless youth to have a stable self, stable job and stable home. Through its six hospitality businesses in Melbourne STREAT provides young people with supported pathways to employment – including assistance finding stable housing, vocational skills, improved mental health and well-being.
Over an eight year partnership SVA worked with STREAT to prove, improve and scale its operations to reach more young people and become increasingly financially sustainable. SVA and STREAT will continue to advocate for systems change through sharing insights from the STREAT model to advocating for employment services reform.
Teach for Australia
TFA’s vision is of an Australia where all children, regardless of background, attain an excellent education.
Teach for Australia
TFA recruits highly talented university graduates with non-education degrees and young professionals to teach in schools serving low SES communities for a minimum of two years. In addition to training and supporting great teachers, TFA fosters an Alumni movement, to influence across a variety of sector and make a lasting contribution to the Australian education system. Since 2010, TFA has partnered with 96 schools and placed 419 associates in schools serving low SES communities. Approximately 90% of principals find that TFA associates have a greater impact on student achievement than other graduate teachers. Over our five year partnership with TFA, SVA:
Distributed a total financial contribution of $280,500. Provided capacity building support by helping to develop an advocacy strategy through recommendations for engagement with unions and state and federal governments. Resulting in an average annual growth rate of beneficiaries of 35% and an average annual growth rate of turnover at 10%.
Yarnteen
Yarnteen aims to help Indigenous people share in the wealth of Australia and build respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and environment.
Yarnteen
Yarnteen implements programs in employment and training, culturally appropriate activities, sporting, youth and women’s programs. This work creates pathways and opportunities for greater Indigenous participation in the business sector, and enhances Indigenous youth cultural leadership and appreciation of Indigenous culture for all Australians.
SVA was a co-contributor along with Allco Foundation to help Yarnteen develop the first Indigenous Enterprise Hub. SVA provided development work for their Jobs Fund application and Mentoring support to the Yarnteen Hub Manager around Hub operations.
Activate Australia
Beyond Empathy
Big HART
Bicycle Recycling Network
Big Picture Education Australia
Bonsai
Blackstar
CareerTrackers
Catherine House
Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes
CleanABLES
Chutzpah Factory
Create Foundation
eBeacon
Fair Business
FoodConnect
Future Employment Opportunities
Ganbina
Hands on Learning
Homeshare
HOME Hospice
Jesuit Social Services
Kildonan Centacare
Lead On Mirabel Foundation
Naaguja Warangkarri
Ngaanyatjarra Council
North Queensland Green Solutions
Out of Redfern
OzGREEN
Pathways Foundation
Play for Life
SchoolAid Trust