Our Strategic Plan

Foreword by Mark Priadko, JFM Fund Board Chair

Our commitment to the genuine inclusion of people with disability in the lives of all communities is central to the development of our 2024-27 strategy. In late 2023 we asked members of the disability community what was important to them, and what barriers they experience in building a life of their choosing.

People with disability spoke to us about community attitudes and the negative perceptions of disability that exclude them from full and equal participation in all aspects of community life. This lived experience of the disability community is reflected in research studies on disability philanthropy. Only 4% of Australian philanthropic funds go to disability, despite people with disability representing 20% of the Australian population.¹

The research identifies social exclusion as the key driver of social and economic inequality, but of the limited philanthropy going to the sector, the majority of it is directed to welfare services and medical research, not to including people with disability in communities of their choice.

The research recommends philanthropic organisations:

• Involve people with disability in grant program design and decision making.
• Fund disability inclusion and advocacy.
• Support innovation, systemic and sustainable change.

Alongside their stories of exclusion, people with disability also gave us examples of good practice which had effectively supported them to fully access and actively participate in communities of their choosing. As a funder, we want to further the innovation and practice of genuine inclusion. We have a history of funding work for disability inclusion, including research; advocacy; and developing, testing and scaling new initiatives.

This strategy builds on this experience by strengthening our commitment to:

• Supporting innovative approaches to inclusion.
• Deepening our own practice of including and centring the voices of people with disability through our grant making.
• Supporting people with disability to build their capacity to contribute to organisations through governance roles.
• Recognising our experience in this space positions us to influence the policy and practice of others, including other funders.

It’s over 40 years since the JFM Fund was established by the will of Murdoch McLeod. We still have a long way to go in achieving equity and inclusion for people with disability. By funding new and evolving approaches to inclusion, and sharing our learning and experience, we hope to achieve lasting positive change for the disability community.

Reference

1. The case for philanthropy in disability, Achieve Foundation and Deloitte Access Economics, Feb 2023.

• Read our Strategic Plan [.pdf]
• Read our Easy English Strategic Plan [.docx]