Alumni Grants Committee Distributes Community Fund Grants to Four Associates and Alumni

The Alumni Community Fund (ACF) is an initiative originally conceived by members of the Teach For Australia Alumni community. This year, the funds will support projects in improving student literacy, mental well-being, sustainability and learning trips.

Teach For Australia recently launched the Alumni Community Fund to provide financial grants to the TFA community for initiatives driven by our Alumni, Associates and Teach to Lead Fellows. There were a number of outstanding applications and the organisation called upon the Grants Committee (consisting of some members from last year’s Gala Committee) to kindly donate their time and skills to the difficult task of determining recipients of the grant funds.

Grant recipients were announced in November 2017:

• Tanith Margetson (Cohort 2017) will implement an enhanced literacy program at Tennant Creek High School in the Northern Territory.
• Yvette Kennedy (Cohort 2017) will start a Yoga & Mindfulness Program to help improve the mental health of students at Taminmin College in the Northern Territory. Read more about the program.
• Madeleine Brody (Cohort 2017) will grow the Kitchen Garden program she established this year at New Norfolk High School in Tasmania. Read more about the program.
• Elena Mujkic (Cohort 2014) will help fund a learning trip to Melbourne for students at St. Joseph’s Catholic College in the Northern Territory. Read more about the program.

The funds were raised by the Alumni Gala Committee with proceeds from the 2016 Alumni Gala (pictured above, from left to right: Amanda Neilsen (Cohort 2015), Shane Woon (Cohort 2012), Elizabeth Cullen (Cohort 2012), Ben Russo (Cohort 2012), Caitlin Conway (Cohort 2014), Jun Zhang (Cohort 2014), Emily Pearson (Cohort 2013), Daniel Hanrahan (Cohort 2011)). The Gala Committee was comprised of a group of Alumni with the common goal to connect the Teach For Australia community by organising a fun, celebratory evening and also to raise funds for projects driven by Associates and Alumni.

Started by Teach For Australia Alumni in 2015, the aim of the Gala was to connect Alumni, Associates, their colleagues and Teach For Australia’s partners while celebrating the progress in our work. Guests include Alumni, current Associates, school colleagues (such as principals), representatives from Teach For Australia’s corporate and philanthropic partners, and other valued members of our community.

Membership of the Committee is open to all Alumni and Associates. Positions are renewed on an annual basis.