$1.5 Million Grant for Leadership and Social Impact.
Apr, 2008
Darvell Hutchinson, Clare Pullar & Karen Morley
A newly created Asia-Pacific Centre for Leadership for Social Impact at MBS has attracted a grant of $1.5m for the Helen Macpherson Smith Chair of Not for Profit Leadership.
The grant from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust will establish a new endowment to attract an academic with internationally renowned expertise in leadership in the not for profit sector.
The Chair is the first of this type in Australia and is one of only a few in the world. As such it will become a focal point for research and leadership teaching across the community in the areas of welfare and community, environment, health, arts, and education.
This is the first major philanthropic investment towards the new Centre. Melbourne Business School has committed its own matching investment of $1.5 million to the new Chair and will seek a further $3 million to endow the Chair in perpetuity.
As well the School will seek further philanthropic investment to fund all elements of the Centre including Visiting Fellowships, and scholarships for Masters, PhD, entry level and executive education programs for people working in the not for profit sector.
The Chair will play a major role in the National Centre for Social Impact, headed by Professor Peter Shergold - which is a powerful collaboration with the business schools of UNSW, University of Melbourne and Swinburne University.
The focus on social impact provides an opportunity for unprecedented alignment between governments, philanthropists, corporations, business schools and third sector organisations.
CEOs from not for profit sector organisations across Victoria have welcomed the opportunity for greater access to high quality leadership and management development opportunities. Sue Renkin, CEO Open Family Australia said, "This is an excellent outcome. A group of not-for-profit CEOs has been involved in discussions with MBS for two years about capacity building in the sector. The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust is to be congratulated for such a strategic and transformational grant."
Dean of Melbourne Business School, John Seybolt, highlighted the significant opportunity to create a powerful focus on the third sector with this endowment. "Our support for the third sector is symbolic of the School's recognition that it has a crucial role to play in the creation of a civil society through its core educational and research offerings in leadership."
Chairman of MBS Board Ron McNeilly expressed his delight that the long term partnership between the Trust and the School has enabled this initiative. He applauded the Trust's role in providing leadership for a new wave of philanthropic support for the third sector.
The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust is one of Victoria’s leading Philanthropic Trusts and the personal legacy of the late Mrs Helen M Schutt who died in 1951. Since then, the Trust has provided over $66m in grants to charities in Victoria.
In announcing the endowment, Darvell Hutchinson Chairman of Trustees, said "the Trust sees this opportunity to engage with the third sector in a very strategic way, by leveraging resources through partnerships that will provide long term benefit to the sector". Mr Hutchinson said that "the time was right for significant investment in developing strong leadership capability in the third sector".
Melbourne Business School created the Asia-Pacific Centre for Leadership for Social Impact in 2007. The Centre is a first in the Asia Pacific and is one of a few in the world.
Dr Karen Morley, Executive Director of the Centre commented that the Centre's vision is based on a long-term perspective that seeks to ensure every organisation contributes a positive legacy for future generations. "Innovative programs and research will aim to break new ground in the understanding of leadership especially in our region, and will ensure more mindful approaches to leadership for the 21st Century', she said.
For further information or an interview with Dr Karen Morley please contact: Kerrie Firth, Melbourne Business School Tel: +61 3 9215-1391 Email: k.firth@mbs.edu
