“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples” - Mother Teresa
The Barlow Impact Groups’ grants program has been designed to accelerate positive change in the world. We back big hearted innovators and change makers who look at the solutions needed to fix entire systems in order to drive sustainable change.
WE GRANT VIA TWO CORE INITIATIVES:
B.I.G. CHANGE
An annual grant of $1 million awarded to innovators with systems change initiatives that seek to reduce inequalities in the Australia, South East Asian or the Pacific regions. The guidelines and application process is outlined below.
B.I.G. FUTURE
An annual granting program led by the younger generation of the Barlow family and dedicated to finding solutions to the climate crisis. The guidelines and application process is outlined below.
Through our granting and our investing we are driven by the following five key pillars:
1. MAXIMUM POSITIVE IMPACT
We utilise all financial and social capital for greatest possible impact and we focus on:
REDUCING INEQUALITY IN OUR REGION - We focus on reducing inequality in Australia, South East Asia and/ or the Pacific.
CREATING SYSTEMATIC CHANGE - We look at the whole system and what levers are needed to be shifted in order to create long term and sustainable solutions.
USING ALL OUR RESOURCES - We use ALL our financial capital, personal strengths and office capabilities to achieve our objectives.
DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP - We are leading the way in utilising the powerful tool of impact investment to enhance philanthropy and encourage others to follow.
2. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
We build respectful, engaging and innovative relationships and partnerships and our family promises:
SUPPORT - As a team, we have solid experience and insights to create change and we pass this on to all our partners. Both our family Board members and Independent non-family Board members bring a wealth of business and not for profit experience to the organisation.
ENGAGEMENT - We are collaborative in our approach and aligned in our goals and values. We invest in our local region so we can visit programs and stay informed and connected in everything we do.
PARTNERSHIPS - We enjoy our work and honour those we support. We know that we alone can not make the change we seek. We see ourselves as facilitators to allow the change makers to do their work.
3. TRANSPARENCY
We continually learn from others and share our learnings. This is achieved by:
SHARING - We lead by doing, sharing, innovating and taking risks. We’re dedicated to building capacity and knowledge in the impact investment and granting sectors. Between 2014 and 2019, the Barlow Impact Group grew ESG and impact investments from 2% to 93%. We are proud of this effort and seek to continue to lead and teach others how we multiply our impact. We use our voice and experiences to effect change.
LEARNING - We’re all better when we’re learning from each other and we never finish learning. We can always do better. We measure our impact in grants and investment against the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Impact Management Framework.
SECULAR PERSPECTIVE - The world is made up of multiple faiths and belief systems. To benefit one, is to discriminate against many which fundamentally goes against our governing principle of equality for all. We only invest and partner with people who share our values of equality.
4. JOY
We partner with people for whom social impact brings joy. Our like-minded partners also value:
COMPASSION - We are all part of a global system and we believe all humans are equal. Kindness in all things to all people always.
HAPPINESS - Enjoyment is the key that unlocks the meaning of life. Every day we need to care for each other and find joy and laughter.
GENEROSITY - In spirit and time and thought, there is generosity in everything we do. Granting is only a small part of what we do to have impact, we ensure every interaction and correspondence is thoughtful and kind. We’re grateful for the opportunity to do the work we do and for the results we can achieve collectively.
GENERATIONAL CUSTODIANS - We are conduits with a moral and legal obligation to act responsibly and thoughtfully to honour the spirit in which the gift was originally given by Bev Barlow in 2014.
5. FORWARD THINKING
We support new approaches to problem solving. This includes:
INNOVATION - We back people, projects, initiatives and new technologies that put people and planet first and who are creating a better world. We invest in numerous tech solutions from Agricultural technology to education delivery.
SUSTAINABILITY - We invest in avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. We also invest in projects that enable individuals and communities to create healthy and sustainable ecosystems and for people to thrive.
ALWAYS A BETTER APPROACH - We embrace lifelong learning and change. We know that to truly achieve change, we have to stay aware and open to new ideas and systems. Our team invest in continuous learning ranging from experiencing programs on the ground to regularly attending global thought leadership conferences. e.g. Asia Pacific Impact Summit, NEXUS, SOCAP and global best practice courses.
