Bridge for Asylum Seekers has been selected as one of this year’s Bank Australia Customer Community Grant recipients to help scale its impact and create a positive difference.
Bridge for Asylum Seekers will receive $20,000 which will go towards providing people seeking asylum funds for essentials such as food, clothing and pharmaceuticals.
The grants program is open to community customers who are creating change in areas that are important to customers. Each year Bank Australia uses part of the Impact Fund to offer this program. The Impact Fund commits up to 4 per cent of annual after-tax profit to support partnerships and projects that create a positive impact in the world, including the conservation reserve in Western Victoria.
Bridge for Asylum Seekers Chair, Janet Castle, said the Asylum Seekers’ Support Project will provide critical support across Western Sydney.
“As rents and other costs of living have skyrocketed, it has never been more important to provide people seeking asylum with access to the financial support needed to prevent homelessness and destitution.”
“The ASSP across Western Sydney will make a huge difference to those who have fled their home countries and applied for protection in Australia. With the support of Bank Australia’s grant program, we know we can continue to improve the health, safety and wellbeing outcomes of so many people.”
Bank Australia Head of Impact Management, Jane Kern, said the program is central to the bank’s commitment to support customer not-for-profit and social enterprises.
“We’re proud that on behalf of our customers we can support Bridge for Asylum Seekers continue their important work.
“Our customers tell us supporting refugees and people seeking asylum is important to them and we’re committed to supporting organisations in this space as part of our 12 impact priority areas.
“We believe that banking can be used to create a world where people and planet thrive, and our Customer Community Grants program is just one of the ways we’re doing that.”
This year the grant program is supporting 16 organisations and has provided nearly $300,000 in grants. This funding ensures critical services and programs can be developed to progress across the bank’s 12 impact priority areas including climate action, LGBTIQ+ inclusion and disability inclusion.
Since the inception of the Customer Community Grant program in 2016, Bank Australia has pledged over $1.8 million to supporting over 135 projects.
Among the recipients in 2023, are:
- Cirque Du Soil – a circular waste management certified social enterprise addressing the missing middle in waste diversion.
- Project Respect – which will create a trauma-informed space for women with diverse experiences in the sex industry including those who have experienced gendered and family violence.
- All The Queens Men – a community organisation dedicated to promoting gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights through the arts.
To find out more about this year’s recipients visit bankaust.com.au/community-customer-grants
