Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, helping children to thrive

The Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project was established in 2014 in direct response to local community concerns that many young people weren’t faring as well as they could be.

The McEwen Foundation, managed by Equity Trustees, is a place-based funder that backed this regional community to design and deliver its own solutions with a five-year commitment. Lighthouse has taken a flexible approach in schools and alternative learning settings to change the lives of young people.

“I’m feeling more confident in reading,” a young person involved in the project said. “I didn’t really like reading with her until we started having more fun and I was able to read with her.”

Lighthouse has used McEwen’s seed funding to leverage $4.3 million in additional funding from government and other philanthropists to scale up the project and continue to meet the needs of children and young people.

This community approach means that Lighthouse has been there for the community through challenging times including COVID-19 lockdowns and the 2022 Victorian floods across the Greater Shepparton region.

The grant partnership won the Social Impact Measurement Network Australia Awards 2021 Leading Funder in Social Impact Measurement, said Equity Trustees Grant Program Manager Emily Cormack.

“It gave Equity Trustees the opportunity to reflect on the value of social impact measurement and how important it is for funders to invest in impact measurement. The true joy in winning was from our partnership with Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project and their desire to help children to thrive.”

Read more stories like these in our 2022 Annual Giving Review or find out more about philanthropy here