Expression of Interest

Future Generation Australia (ASX: FGX) is a dual-purpose investment vehicle, which provides both financial and social returns, with a focus on Australian children and youth at risk. In our first decade, we have proudly invested more than $43 million in Australian non-profits.

Throughout November 2024, Future Generation Australia is running an Expression of Interest (EOI) process to establish partnerships with non-profits to build on our social investment in children and youth at risk to date.

Through these partnerships we will provide multi-year untied funding and additional capacity building support. We will work with partners to track outcomes, learnings and share these insights widely.

In the box to the right, you will find information to assist in assessing your alignment with our social impact goals. To apply for partnership with FGX please complete the online form by 5:00pm AEDT 9 December 2024.

Ensure that you read and understand the guidelines and other provided documentation on this website before submitting your Expression of Interest.

Start Expression of Interest

If you have questions, please call (02) 9247 9202 to speak to a member of the Future Generation team or email [email protected].

Our social impact approach

We are looking to invest in organisations supporting children facing adversity to flourish through the development of healthy relationships, resilience and a positive sense of self.

As a community of investment managers, we identify under-valued companies and invest to realise growth. Bringing this approach to our social investment, we’ll back high potential non-profits and invest in them to realise impact and organisational growth.

About Future Generation

Future Generation offers an innovative model of modern philanthropy, where shareholders invest with leading Australian and global fund managers, while supporting youth-focused not-profit organisations. We are proud to be Australia’s first listed investment companies to provide investment and social returns. Together, both Future Generation Australia (ASX:FGX) and Future Generation Global (ASX:FGG) have donated $87.2 million to Australian non-profits since inception in 2015.

Watch this short video about the Future Generation model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Future Generation and our Expression of Interest

What is Future Generation?

The Future Generation Companies, (ASX: FGX and ASX: FGG), are Australia’s first listed investment companies to provide financial and social returns. This short video explains our model.

Fund manager and philanthropist Geoff Wilson AO founded the Future Generation model as a way for the funds management industry to make an ongoing contribution to the community via two ASX-listed investment vehicles. The Future Generation Companies have more than 15,000 shareholders and $1 billion under the expert management of over 30 fund managers.

How much does Future Generation donate?

Since listing in 2014 and 2015 respectively, Future Generation Australia (ASX: FGX) and Future Generation Global (ASX: FGG) have invested more than $87 million in Australian non-profits. This annual investment is enabled by a group of leading Australian and global fund managers, who offer their services pro-bono so that 1.0% of net tangible assets each year can be donated to non-profits.

Each year in September, all Future Generation shareholders have the opportunity to allocate their portion of our 1.0% donation through a voting process. Donations are paid annually in late November. Shareholders can also nominate to donate their dividends to our partner non-profits.

Please note that our funding model includes two variables:
1) performance of financial markets, and
2) shareholder donation voting so funding amounts cannot be guaranteed in advance.

What is the Expression of Interest?

In late 2024, we will run an Expression of Interest (EOI) process to establish partnerships based on our forward strategy, that builds on our social investment toward children and youth at risk over the last decade. Through these partnerships, we will provide multi-year funding and additional capacity building support, tailored to each organisation’s circumstances. We will work with partners to track outcomes and learnings, to be shared widely.

The Expression of Interest is an online form which can be accessed through the FGX website. There is a range of information available on the website to assist potential applicants in assessing their alignment with our social investment goals. Those whose work is aligned and wish to apply for partnership with FGX should complete the online form by 5:00pm AEDT, 9 December 2024.

The Expression of Interest is the first part of a progressive selection process. Further due diligence will be undertaken with organisations that progress to a medium and then shortlist. This will be done through discussion with our team who may request further information and meetings. FGX will make site visits to all shortlisted organisations if appropriate.

The practicalities - filling in the online EOI, key dates, queries

What are the key dates for the Expression of Interest process?

The key dates are as follows:

11 Nov – 9 Dec 2024: Online Expression of Interest open on FG website
Dec – late Feb 2025: Screening and EOI assessment to create a medium list
March – May 2025: Due diligence and youth advisory to create a shortlist
Further due diligence and site visits to shortlisted organisations
July 2025: Successful applicants notified and development of the Theory of Change and Impact Measurement Framework begins
August 2025: On-boarding partners to Seer impact measurement platform starts
Future Generation Exchange Event in Sydney with partner organisations. Future Generation Australia (FGX) Shareholder voting on social investment
Donation payment made

Can I save my EOI and come back to it?

Yes, at the bottom of each step of the EOI form you will see a “Save draft and complete later” button. This will allow you to save at any stage and come back to complete. All EOIs must be submitted by 5:00pm AEDT 9 December 2024.

Can I send supporting documents?

Please only complete the required online application form, we will contact you if we require any additional information.

When is the deadline?

Expression of Interest must be submitted by 5:00pm AEDT 9 December 2024.

How much funding will partners receive?

We look to partner with between 10 and 15 non-profitsand estimate each would receive between $180,000 and $350,000 in 2025, as the first year of four years of support.

*The figures provided are our estimated range for the next four years and will be reviewed annually. Our model includes two variables. 1) performance of financial markets and 2) shareholder voting – so funding amounts cannot be guaranteed. These estimates are offered in good faith so organisations have goal posts with which to plan.

How will we know if we are successful in progressing in the process?

You will be contacted by email or by a member of the Future Generation team about your EOI in late February.

Can I get feedback if I'm not successful?

If you are not successful and would like feedback, please contact us at [email protected]. We will attempt to provide feedback, depending on the demand from applicants and out internal capacity.

Can I apply again in the future?

We welcome and encourage applications from previous applicants and partners whose work aligns with our goals. We will be in touch with all applicants and previous partners to advise when there are future partnership opportunities.

Background to our refined social investment strategy

Why is FGX changing its social investment strategy?

We are proud to have supported a group of excellent non-profits since our inception. 2024 is our tenth year of support to these partners and Future Generation Australia has determined a refined giving strategy that will build on the impact made to date through our next phase of social investment in children and youth at risk. This strategy is evidence-based and draws on wide consultation and best practice philanthropy.

See our ‘Social investment strategy summary’ for further information.

What does the available research tell us about thriving in childhood?

In 2023, the landmark Australian Child Maltreatment Study evidenced for the first time the high prevalence of childhood maltreatment in Australia. It found more than a quarter of young people aged 16 – 24 years had experienced between 3 and 5 types of abuse in their childhood.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a term used to describe very stressful events or circumstances that occur in childhood. ACEs include child maltreatment (five types of abuse) and household dysfunction. 20 years of international research has shown a strong predictive relationship between the number of ACEs a child is exposed to, and the probability of physical health, mental health and social and behavioural problems occurring through life, and being passed on to the next generation. When a child experiences multiple ACEs over time an excessive and long-lasting stress response is triggered. This affects a child’s developing brain, as well as immune, metabolic, regulatory and cardiovascular systems and ultimately leads to changes in the brain architecture, affecting the executive functioning that is critical to effective parenting. An intergenerational cycle of toxic stress may be created, with individuals who grow up unable to reach their full potential exposing their own children to the same ACEs they have faced growing up.

However, ACEs do not paint the full picture of what leads to or hinders children from flourishing and children exposed to them are not irreparably damaged. Newer research has shown that positive experiences in childhood also shape brain development and health across the life span. It has established that children, regardless of the adversity they face, can recover and flourish through supportive relationships and experiences. Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) affect the nervous system of the developing child and help bolster a sense of worth and identity all through life. They buffer against the negative lifelong effects of adversities, help children build resilience and even heal from toxic stress. The risk of depression or mental health struggles dropped by 72% among adults who reported six or seven PCEs and by 50% for those reporting three to five. Other studies have shown a strong association between the prevalence of PCEs and success in education and in social and relational outcomes among school aged children, as well as positive relationships in adulthood.

What will FGX focus on?

Research demonstrates that both positive and adverse experiences in childhood shape brain development and outcomes across the life span – and investment in both is required to improve outcomes for children facing adversity. ACEs, as risk factors, have understandably received more attention as the focus of interventions and services than PCEs, and have therefore developed a richer body of evidence.

Ideally, as a society, we work towards preventing ACEs by reducing the sources of stress in people’s lives, whether basic needs like food, housing, or more entrenched sources of stress, like mental illness, violence, discrimination, or poverty. This is the macro world of intersecting systems with well-documented policy levers such as universal childcare, parental leave, affordable housing, living wage etc.

As private givers, we are looking for areas with high potential for social good that are overlooked or underinvested. We aim to complement others’ efforts and take on risk to accelerate change. Investing in the largely untapped capacities of positive childhood experiences to promote healthy development and healing offers opportunities for impact, innovation and evidence-building.

Research to date has a common set of factors that predispose children to positive outcomes in the face of significant adversity:

facilitating supportive adult-child relationships.
building a sense of self-efficacy and perceived control.
providing opportunities to strengthen adaptive skills and self-regulatory capacities.
mobilising sources of culture, hope and faith.

FGX will look to partner with organisations supporting children facing adversity to thrive through the development of healthy relationships, resilience and a positive sense of self. We seek partners who are accountable to the children (and families) they work with and whose ways of working are guided by their experiences and views.

What about FGX’s current partners?

With the support of our valued shareholders and pro bono fund managers and service providers, FGX is enormously proud to have supported a group of exceptional non-profit partners working with Australian children and youth at risk since inception.

Their many achievements and insights generated over the last 10 years will have ongoing impact for children and young people, their families and communities long into the future.

In November 2024, our partners will receive their 10th annual donation from Future Generation. Those partners whose work aligns with our forward strategy are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest.

What does this mean for FGX shareholders and other contributors?

FGX is enormously grateful to its shareholders, pro bono fund managers and service providers for their contribution and enthusiasm for its social investment. In refining our social investment strategy, we remain dedicated to children at risk in Australia and to striving for the best social return for our investment – the best outcomes for those children.

Our model is unchanged, in that we will continue to donate 1.0% of our assets annually toward a range of non-profit partners and shareholders will have the opportunity to allocate their portion of the donation annually in September.

With our forward focus, we will have a number of new partnerships to share with shareholders following the conclusion of our Expression of Interest process in the first half of 2025.

What if I have another question?

If you have further questions, please call (02) 92479202 to speak to a member of the Future Generation team or email [email protected].