Australian fellowship programme to support international third-sector research launches in the UK

Chief executives of Scottish charities are being invited to apply for a £10,000 grant to visit and research community organisations around the world.

The Macquarie Group Foundation has launched its inaugural UK fellowship programme following its successful introduction in Australia in 2012.

The Macquarie David Clarke Social Innovation Fellowship was established in memory of the former chairman of finance giant Macquarie Group and the Macquarie Group Foundation. It aims to recognise, promote and reward ideas that address social needs and give senior executives of charities the opportunity to develop and enhance their own projects.

Without the fellowship we would not have been able to start building a youth advocate programme designed to promote positive outcomes for young people in crisis

Winner of the 2012 fellowship in Australia, Claire Robbs of Life Without Barriers visited Ireland to investigate a youth advocate charity delivering community-based services for children involved in juvenile crime and suffering from poor welfare and mental health.

Robbs said: “We’ve been able to use the first-hand knowledge acquired on the research trip to build a detailed program that we now know will work in Australia.

“Without the fellowship we would not have been able to start building a youth advocate programme designed to promote positive outcomes for young people in crisis.”

Lisa George, head of the Macquarie Group Foundation, added: “The Macquarie Group Foundation is keen to invite nominations from a cross-section of UK charities that are looking to enhance how they approach and deliver their work.”

The nomination period closes on 1 October 2014 and the winner will be announced in November 2014.