Real Needs Community Grants

The Quirky Kid clinic and our Principal Child Psychologists Kimberley O’Brien are proud to partner with Real Insurance and the Real Needs program as the Judges for grants of  totalling 1 Million for non-for-profit projects.

Kimberley O'Brien said, “Early support for children, whether physical or mental, is crucial for their development as they mature and become a more active part of our society. The effects of neglecting the needs of our youth, if not addressed, will have a profound effect on Australia’s social and economic well-being through the current century.

“There should never be barriers to children receiving the essential services that many of these charities provide. It’s great to see a company like Real Insurance connecting with the community in this way and making a real difference to the lives of Australian children in need.”

The Real Needs Program launches in April 2015, with grants of differing values of $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000 available. These grants will be awarded to Not-For-Profit organisations who demonstrate innovative approaches for how the funding will be used to support youth programs. Real Insurance staff will also have the opportunity to vote for their preferred charity to receive a monthly $5,000 'Staff Choice’ grant.

The program comes as a result from a New research, commissioned by Real Insurance, that reveals that Aussies mistakenly consider themselves to be among the best globally at caring for the community. Over half of the country (57%) believes that Australia is well above average when it comes to looking after disadvantaged people in the community, however, over three quarters (77%) underestimate the number of children in need requiring welfare in Australia, according to Galaxy research commissioned by Real Insurance.

The findings reveal the most concerning societal issues affecting children that trouble the community. These range from concerns about homelessness amongst children (48%) and children affected by domestic violence (76%), to excessive use of mobile phones and the internet by children (51%).

The research also showed that over three quarters (76%) of Australians believe there should be more support for children in key areas such as providing increased educational support (77%), counselling (56%), health care (54%) and food services (45%).

In the interest of giving back to the community, Real Insurance is today launching its new grants program, Real Needs, to help support children in need across Australia. With $1 million being put towards this initiative, Real Needs is encouraging Not-For-Profit organisations working with children in need to apply for charitable funding which will enable them to address the growing issues faced by Australia’s youth.

To be eligible for a Real Needs 2015 grant, Not-for-Profit organisations must support children up to the age of 18 years and be a registered charity, community group or service, sporting club or hospital community program.