Foundation Maps: Australia, an interactive online platform that will provide insight about the grantmaking practices of Australian foundations was launched today at the Philanthropy Australia National Conference.

A joint initiative of Philanthropy Australia and US-based Foundation Center, Foundation Maps: Australia will aim to bring greater transparency to philanthropic giving. The platform will facilitate greater collaboration, reduce duplication of effort and build a community of shared learning.

‘Foundation Maps: Australia is a game-changer for strategic giving,’ said Philanthropy Australia CEO, Sarah Davies.

‘For far too long the philanthropic sector has been hamstrung by a lack of information and now, for the first time, users will be able to see where grants are going across the country as well as where Australian funders are granting overseas.’

Today is the day. We are excited and proud to launch Foundation Maps Australia with @PhilanthropyAus to help build the global picture of philanthropy, share knowledge and continue to connect foundations to the broader development ecosystem! @fdncenter pic.twitter.com/TQ8m7Cub1I

— Lauren Jane Bradford (@laurenjbradford) 5 September 2018

Lauren Bradford, director of global partnerships Foundation Center, said that the interactive and searchable mapping platform will effectively visualise Australia’s giving data.

‘As our field becomes more strategic and tackles increasingly complex and ambitious social challenges, our ability to work effectively requires timely and accurate data,’ Bradford said.

‘Through our joint efforts, we hope to turn data into insight providing donors with opportunities to collaborate and achieve their visions of a better world in previously unimagined ways.’

Users will be able to see funding trends, identify who else is funding in their areas of interest, and discover potential new partners for collaboration. Searches can be made by grant, grantmaker, and grant recipient location. Grants will also be searchable by subject area, support strategy, organisation name, year, size, keyword, grantmaker type and transaction type.

Caitriona Fay, National Manager Philanthropy and Non-Profit Services at Perpetual Trustees, called the initiative ‘an investment in the capacity of the philanthropic sector.’

‘Through increased awareness of the flow of philanthropic grants across Australian funders and communities, the sector will be better placed to understand granting needs, opportunities for collaboration and the potential for impact,’ Fay said. ‘This initiative enables us to cross leverage data to identify meaningful insights that will help make philanthropy in Australia more strategic, responsive and transparent.’