AMP Foundation announces A$1 million in AMP Tomorrow Fund grants to 27 Australians who, despite a challenging year, have made inspiring and meaningful contributions towards addressing some of the country’s most significant community issues.
The 2021 recipients, known as AMP Tomorrow Makers, are aged between 13 and 65 and are tackling a range of challenges and opportunities, including rural food security, children’s mental health, youth justice, female economic participation and Indigenous language preservation.
Established in 2014, the AMP Foundation has so far provided A$8 million in grants to more than 330 talented Australians working across a range of fields, including science, social innovation, sports, technology, arts, health and education.
Head of AMP Foundation Helen Liondos commented said “This year the popular grants program attracted many high achievers who worked steadfastly to create positive change, despite all that 2021 threw at them.
“Every year we are amazed by the level of talented and enterprising people this program reveals, and 2021 has not disappointed. This year’s recipients are extraordinary individuals, with huge reserves of optimism and resilience in equal measure. They include 10 social innovators who are coming up with smart responses to some of our society’s biggest challenges.
“Around two-thirds of our winners are female, which reflects the higher rate of women we’ve seen applying to be Tomorrow Makers over the past three years. Three of our Tomorrow Makers are working on projects designed to strengthen First Nations communities, four are scientists aiming to solve big challenges and seven are addressing health issues.
“Our Foundation has drawn a lot of inspiration from all 27 recipients, and we know the community will too.”
The 2021 AMP Tomorrow Makers include:
AMP’s Tomorrow Fund is an initiative of the AMP Foundation, which is AMP’s philanthropic arm. The annual grants program aims to support determined individuals who are working hard on a project that will benefit the community but need help to take it to the next level.
Each year, AMP’s Tomorrow Fund awards grants of up to A$100,000 for a wide range of activities, including training, travel costs, living expenses, research or small business costs. So far, 334 grants have been awarded.
Lourdes Antenor is an experienced writer who specialises in the not-for-profit sector and its affiliations. She is the content producer for Third Sector News, an online knowledge-based platform for and about the Australian NFP sector.