Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation unveils new name: Greater Melbourne Foundation

After more than 100 years of operation in Melbourne, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation this week entered a new chapter. It revealed its new operating name: the Greater Melbourne Foundation. The change reflects the Foundation’s recently launched strategic focus on social justice and equity, and its renewed commitment to tackling some of Greater Melbourne’s most pressing challenges.

The Lord Mayor will remain as the Foundation’s Honorary Patron and play a key role in supporting the Foundation’s work and encouraging participation in effective community philanthropy.

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece: said: “This opens another fantastic chapter in the Foundation’s rich history. A great community foundation, driven by the generosity and support of the community, working together to create a fairer future for all of Greater Melbourne and beyond.”

Giving News spoke to the Greater Melbourne Foundation’s CEO Peter Walton about the change.

Giving News (GN): What is happening at Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation?

Peter Walton (PW): Earlier this year we launched our Strategy 2030, with a vision for a just and equitable Melbourne where communities thrive. We want to create a fairer future for Greater Melbourne.

After a great deal of reflection and research we decided it was a good time to introduce a new operating name, brand and visual identity that reflects our new strategic direction. We were inspired by successful community foundations around the world, where the communities being supported are reflected in the names of the cities or regions they are located.

One aspect we want the new name and brand to reflect is the type of organisation we need to be for the community. Our aspiration is to bring together the passion of supporters, the insight of communities, and our own experience to drive positive social change for today and the future.

GN: What is changing?

PW: Our new strategic direction looks at the intersection of issues. There are several interconnected, complex challenges that Greater Melbourne faces, and are they are not in isolation, so this is where we will be working alongside our community partners.

The name Greater Melbourne Foundation highlights our renewed commitment to growing community philanthropy. It’s about increasing our collective impact, and as a community foundation our role is to bring people, ideas and resources together to make things happen.

We’re also making a shift around advocacy. While we don’t speak on behalf of the community, we will be a voice for a fairer and more equitable Greater Melbourne.

We want to be a force for maximising impact. The Foundation manages a large corpus of investable funds, so we need to ensure we invest ethically, align capital to purpose and use the corpus to provide a return to make a positive difference.

This isn’t simply a cosmetic change; it’s a signal that we’ll be showing up differently in terms of how we work to support effective community philanthropy.

One thing that won’t change is support from the Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Nicolas Reece will continue as the foundation’s Honorary Patron, playing a key role in supporting our work and encouraging participation in effective community philanthropy.

GN: Will the Foundation’s program areas change too?

PW: We are making a conscious shift around the concepts of social justice and equity. This isn’t just business as usual. We know that complex problems are interrelated and require new solutions.

Read more by visiting the Foundation’s website at: www.greatermelbournefoundation.org.au