New Program Manager Appointed

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Amy Waters to our newly created Program Manager position.

Amy has joined the Foundation at an opportune time, to be part of grant application review process, engaging  with representatives from community organisations.  This  will help us to understand, in greater detail, the work they do to support  our community.

Born-and-raised in Geelong, Amy returns to her hometown after her most recent position as Grants Manager at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) where, using her knowledge and understanding of best practice grants management, she supported the organisation in building its grants application, management and reporting capability. Prior to this she spent more than five years working in various high-level roles at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

What have been your most significant career milestones/achievements prior to joining the Foundation?

A career highlight has been working to increase the inclusion of people with disability in the community and the economy by defining the role of NDIS Partners to deliver Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC). This was really exciting work as it supported NDIS Partners across Australia to work with individuals with disability to help build their knowledge, skills and confidence while also supporting the community and local organisations to be more aware and inclusive of people with a disability.

Is there anything in particular that drew you to this position at the Foundation?

The opportunity to contribute to meaningful change in my local community is really what drew me to this position. Geelong has a strong for purpose sector that is doing incredible work across a wide range of impact areas and I’m excited to be part of that change.

I bring to the role experience in delivering grant programs, but I’ve also worked in a not for profit applying for and managing grants, so I really can understand the challenge community organisations face in applying for and securing funding. I’m looking forward to working with the Foundation team to further strengthen our grant making process, making it as streamlined and easy as possible for applicants to apply so that they can focus on the important and life-changing work they’re delivering on the ground.

What areas of impact are you most passionate about and why?

All nine of the Foundation’s impact areas are so important and critical to the health and wellbeing of our community, so it’s hard to choose just one. I am really passionate about inclusion and diversity, which sits across several the Foundation’s impact areas.

Everyone should be able to feel like they are a valued member of their community and should have opportunities to meaningfully participate in their community whether that be through school, employment, sports or the arts.

What are you most looking forward to in working with the Foundation?

I’m most looking forward to working closely with grant recipients. I’m excited to get to know their projects and to build strong relationships where we work in partnership together. There are so many fantastic opportunities for funders and organisations on the ground to increase the impact of programs and projects by sharing information, knowledge and connections.