The winner of the 2014 Macquarie Social Innovation Award was announced today, with the Fogarty Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that supports and provides educational opportunities for Western Australians, taking out the award.

The Award recognises and rewards an Australian organisation or program that addresses an unmet community need in Australia. The Fogarty Foundation won for its Fogarty EDvance initiative, which aims to improve the educational outcomes
of students in low socio-economic status communities by providing principals working in low-SES schools with leadership and management skills. In this way it can help develop targeted school improvements.

The Fogarty Foundation will receive $100,000 over the next two years to scale up the EDvance program to attain a critical mass, and to develop its sustainable funding model.

Shemara Wikramanayake said the high calibre of submissions received this year meant it was a difficult judging process.

“On behalf of the Foundation Committee and our judges, I would like to commend all the organisations and individuals who participated.

“I congratulate all our outstanding finalists for their commitment to continuing to develop innovative programs that address social needs and long-term community problems.”

The Social Innovation Award finalists were (in alphabetical order):

• The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, which tackles Australia’s toughest social challenges by developing new ways of doing things.
  
• The Centre for Eye Research Australia, which is Australia’s leading ocular research centre.
  
• Settlement Services International, which provides settlement and support services to refugees, migrants and asylum seekers across NSW to help them integrate into the community.
  
• The Smith Family, which invests in children’s education to help break the cycle of disadvantage in families from low-SES background.
  

The judging panel for the 2014 Social Innovation Award and David Clarke Fellowship comprised:

• David Bennett – Committee Member, Macquarie Group Foundation; Chair, Social Enterprise Finance Australia
  
• Tanya Branwhite – Committee Member, Macquarie Group Foundation, Board Director, Anika Foundation
  
• Michael Traill – Executive Director, Social Ventures Australia; Chair, Goodstart Early Learning
  
• Sheryl Weil – Former Committee Member, Macquarie Group Foundation;Board Director, Lifeline Australia and Schizophrenia Research Institute
  
• Shemara Wikramanayake – Chair, Macquarie Group Foundation
  

For more information, please contact:

Navleen Prasad, Macquarie Group Corporate Communications (02) 8232 6472

About the Social Innovation Awards
The David Clarke Social Innovation Fellowship, established in 2012 in memory of the Macquarie Group Foundation founding Chairman, David Clarke AO, is presented biennially to a CEO of a not-for-profit organisation to visit and research Macquarie Group Foundation 4 best practice innovation around the world. The Fellowship was this year opened up to entrants outside of Australia for the first time, in Hong Kong, New York City and the US.

Macquarie’s Social Innovation Award is presented biennially to an Australian not-for-profit organisation to recognise, promote and reward news ideas that work to meet pressing community needs, alleviate disadvantage and promote social
inclusion.