At Goodman, we believe the sustainability of our planet — and the wellbeing of all the people in it — is everyone’s responsibility. That’s why we partner with passionate, and often, grassroots charities who, like us, are striving to do good in the world.
Goodman Foundation is committed to addressing disadvantage and making a tangible difference to the lives of the people in our community. We partner with like-minded local organisations to fund explicit projects and activities that have clearly defined timelines and outcomes and in doing so, provide real support where it is needed most.
Charity organisations who help protect, nurture and support children or young people.
Charity organisations who support those living with a condition, illness or disability, or whose efforts help to create a more inclusive and equitable community.
Charity organisations who reduce waste and support those in need by redistributing fresh food or useful items that would otherwise go to landfill.
Charity organisations in the children and youth space help protect, nurture and support children or young people.
Education, mentoring and employment for young people
Brazil faces a raft of issues stemming from serious social inequality. Young people are heavily impacted, with around one third of Brazilians not finishing high school so they can earn an income for their families. For this reason, The Goodman Foundation focuses on education, given its capacity to improve so many aspects of a person’s life.
The Foundation, together with experts from the education sector, developed the Goodman Mais (‘More’) Education Program to respond to challenges in education and employment focusing on young people in disadvantaged areas of Sao Paulo.
The bespoke program offers studies in Environment Management, delivered by training provider Senac, providing participants with an impactful technical qualification. In addition, soft-skill development, mentoring and career pathway support is provided via Goodman’s people, customers and partners, supporting its graduates find better paying jobs in the challenging Brazilian market.
The program is flexible, providing support as unanticipated challenges arise: in the first year, it became obvious that some students had no access to laptops – so were provided one. For others, the cost of bus travel to and from school was a barrier – monthly bus passes are now built into the program.
Goodman continues to build on the success of the program, evolving it and bringing on new participants every year.
Education scholarships for disadvantaged students
Shanghai Sunrise provides education scholarships to high potential children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Shanghai to help them complete high school or higher education. Given the Foundation’s focus on education to empower, we support the program in a number of ways – all with the objective of increasing access to education.
Firstly, the Foundation provides education scholarships to support 20 students in secondary and tertiary education. In its 25 years of operation, Shanghai Sunrise has helped educate more than 3,200 students.
The Foundation also provides short-term support for 100 students through the Shanghai Sunrise program. Activities included webinars and mental health support, reading camps and annual online book subscriptions. Additionally, technology scholarships help students buy laptops or printers so they can engage with home education.
Closing the education gap for Indigenous boys
The Clontarf Foundation founded in 2000, aims to help close the gap for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys. Today, the organisation partners with 152 schools across Australia, to help improve school attendance and graduation rates for over 10,400 at-risk teenage boys.
The Goodman Foundation supports five academies in NSW and Victoria enabling over 270 First Nations students to participate in the holistic program which focuses on education, leadership, employment, health and wellbeing.
Participants in Clontarf’s programs experience a wide variety of activities, environments and social settings to help broaden their thinking about life’s possibilities and their future.
In partnership with teachers, parents and each community, local staff work as mentors. They also assist graduates to find employment or help them transition into further study or training.
Charity organisations in the community and community health space support those living with a condition, illness or disability. Or their efforts help to create a more inclusive and equitable community.
Ending violence against women
Violence against women is a serious problem globally. In Australia, on average one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. Our Watch, an Australian organisation that works to prevent violence against women and their children, has undertaken evidence-based research which demonstrates gender inequality is at the heart of the problem for violence against women. Our Watch works to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise.
To expand the reach of its services and effect real change across the country, Our Watch is partnering with the Goodman Foundation to establish the Our Watch Institute. The Institute’s mission is to inspire and support Australians to end violence against women by doing their part to promote gender equality. Through training and practical tools, individuals and organisations will be equipped to lead prevention work in their own workplaces, communities and spheres of influence.
The Goodman Foundation has committed $1 million towards the establishment and launch of the Institute and will commit a further $700,000 over the coming years to assist the operations which will first focus on corporate Australia. Over time we plan for the Institute to inspire and support organisations, workplaces, education institutions and sporting clubs to collectively put an end to domestic violence in Australia.
Supporting terminally ill children and their families
In the west of Hamburg, the Sternenbrücke Children’s Hospice cares for terminally ill children and their families. Since it opened in 2003, around 700 families have already been guests.
Families can stay at the children’s hospice not only in the final stages of the young people’s lives, but also for 28 days a year, allowing them to gain new strength and recuperate during this difficult time. Even after the child dies, the organisation continues to support their family through their grief.
Physical distancing requirements and the increased demand for Sternenbrücke’s service have led to new space constraints, so the Foundation donated funds towards construction of a winter garden. The conservatory will serve as both a dining and recreation room and will visually connect families with the beautiful Klövensteen forest area surrounding the hospice.
Supporting people with physical and intellectual disabilities
Japanese social inclusion organisation, Inba Gakusha, provides employment, transportation and home care to people with physical and intellectual disabilities in Chiba. Employees are paid a fair wage to maintain grass areas, provide catering and charge e-bike batteries. Meanwhile, Inba Gakusha’s handcrafted furniture and art is featured in lobbies and resting areas in the Goodman Business Park in Inzai City where they are located.
Goodman has been investing in Inba Gakusha for a number of years at the Business Park providing funding and employment to allow them to continue to find independent income sources for people who may otherwise struggle to secure them.
One of the many ways Inba Gakusha earns income is through its space at Goodman Business Park, which is part art studio and part fresh food store. This is where it sells its wares to the general public.
Charity organisations in the food rescue and environment space reduce waste and support those in need by redistributing fresh food or useful items that would otherwise go to landfill.
Providing nutritious meals for people in need
FareShare operates charity kitchens in Melbourne and Brisbane, transforming quality rescued and donated food, together with vegetables in its own kitchen gardens, into millions of delicious of healthy meals for people who are struggling to put food on the table. Together with Moorabbin Airport Corporation, Goodman Foundation has supported FareShare since 2016, providing a 3,000 sqm kitchen garden on airport land. Our team also actively volunteers with harvesting produce and maintaining the garden.
In addition, the Foundation provides multi-year funding for a farmhand on FareShare’s Baguley farm site. The support will help the charity harvest nearly 100,000kg of vegetables a year from this location.
The Foundation has also invested to scale up a new program by FareShare called Meals for the Mob. The program provides healthy meals – cooked by First Nations peoples for First Nations peoples – and transports them to remote communities. Our multi-year funding employs a chef to oversee the program, empowering Meals for the Mob to expand.
Food rescue and reducing food waste
A founding partner of KiwiHarvest since it began operating in Auckland in 2015, the Goodman Foundation has supported KiwiHarvest’s growth into what is now New Zealand’s leading food rescue organisation.
With local services operating in Auckland, the North Shore, Dunedin, Queenstown and Invercargill, KiwiHarvest collects nutritious but perishable food destined for landfill and redistributes it to those in need through foodbanks and other community agencies.
The Goodman Foundation helped establish KiwiHarvest’s Auckland operations and provided both office and storage space to ensure it can continue to expand across the New Zealand Islands as national rescuers of good food.
With rising food insecurity issues KiwiHarvest’s services are in greater demand, with record amounts of food and grocery items being redistributed.
The sheer volume of food being rescued reflects the determination and drive of the KiwiHarvest team and its commitment to feeding the most vulnerable in our communities.
Redistributing fashion excess to communities in need
In Australia one in eight adults and one in six children do not have adequate access to essential clothing. Thread Together believes that circumstances and disadvantage should not prevent people from accessing clothing to allow them to realise their full potential.
Thread Together works with 1,000 brands and retailers nationally, providing new clothing to those experiencing homelessness, escaping domestic violence, or surviving natural disasters.
New clothing is also provided to the long-term unemployed, seeking equal standing when going to an interview, those coming out of long-term health care, and many who are rebuilding their lives after being devastated by the droughts, the recent bushfires and now the pandemic.
The Goodman Foundation is an early partner providing support since 2016. With our support, Thread Together expanded its operations into flood-affected communities and launched its Wardrobe and Capsule service - a initiative to install over 100 wardrobes into women’s refuges across the country. The service will allow women and children escaping domestic violence to get new clothing and sleepwear when they access crisis accommodation.