Domestic Violence Support Charity, Friends With Dignity Awarded $150K In Grants Amidst COVID Crisis

National domestic and family violence support charity, Friends With Dignity has been awarded $150,000 in grants amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

The not-for-profit organisation has been selected as the recipient of grants from the James Frizelle Charitable Foundation, doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation Australia and New Zealand and the CCI Giving Fund, which will go towards funding three integral programs – the Little Friends Scholarship, FriendSafe and Sanctuary programs.

The James Frizelle Charitable Foundation has been established to support those who have fallen on hard times, and works on assisting these people to get their lives back on track and restore their dignity, doing so by working with other eligible charities who have the necessary expertise and human resources but need financial support.

“The James Frizelle Charitable Foundation grant is not open to everyone, the Foundation conducts its own research, and then invites an organsation to apply,” said Friends With Dignity National Grants Manager, Peggy Vlismas.

“We have been awarded $90,000 over three years by the James Frizelle Charitable Foundation, which will cover two programs we needed financing help with.

“$30,000 will go towards purchasing a truck to assist with our Sanctuary program; and $60,000 will go toward funding our Little Friends Scholarship Program over the next three years.

“It’s a huge honour and I feel very proud to be part of such a fantastic charity with so many selfless volunteers doing such a great job.”

Friends With Dignity, recognised as the Australian Charity of the Year 2018, has also been selected to receive $50,000 as partners in the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation Australia and New Zealand’s “Emerging Partners For Impact” program, and $10,000 from CCI Giving.

The doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation Australia and New Zealand’s “Emerging Partners For Impact” program aims to “build partnerships with organisations over a three-year period who are working across six core areas”, while the purpose of CCI Giving is to “help Catholic organisations and others carrying out Catholic mission in Australia to make a positive impact”. This is the third time CCI Giving has thrown its support behind the work of Friends With Dignity.

Friends With Dignity plans to put $30,000 of these grant funds towards their FriendSafe digital safety alarm watch program, and a further $30,000 towards the Little Friends Scholarships program.

Friends with Dignity is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit registered charity providing practical programs to assist survivors of domestic and family violence in collaboration with refuges and crisis centres.

Their dedicated and passionate team of volunteers are committed to making a difference within the Australian community, and changing the lives of the men, women and children whom they assist.

All of their programs are gifted unconditionally, without charging the victims they assist, nor the refuges and crisis centres who refer their clients to the organisation.

The Australian-first Little Friends Scholarship Programawards bi-annual monetary scholarships to children who have faced domestic and family violence.

“The Little Friends Scholarship Program was established to ensure all children have the ability to either further their education or be able to participate in extra-curricula activities that they may not otherwise be in a position to pursue due to the financial impact of domestic and family violence within their family environment,” said Friends With Dignity Chief Financial Officer and Director, Julia McKenna.

“The Friends With Dignity Little Friends Scholarship panel met recently to review and decide on the recipients of Round 7 of our bi-annual Little Friends Scholarship Program.

“We received an outstanding 97 applications from all over the country, and are pleased to announce that we have been able to award 71 scholarships at a value of $32,395 to the most deserving of children who have been through such extreme trauma, at such a young age.

“These grants will enable us to assist so many families to move forward in life with purpose, dignity and hope.

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