The ProCare Charitable Foundation has announced the successful recipients of its inaugural grant funding programme.

The Foundation received close to 40 applications for grants with six registered charities being awarded combined funding of more than $250,000.

Chairman of the Foundation, June McCabe, says the calibre of applications was extremely high. “We are very impressed by the quality of the applications that we received this year. There are so many worthwhile causes representing a cross-section of important health and wellbeing areas and all were very reflective of the communities across the Greater Auckland region.”

“This was our first year of offering grant funding to charities and I am pleased that we have been able to select some very meaningful causes. It’s just a shame that we can’t offer funding to everyone”, she says. “Those chosen will improve access for health services in some way for our children and for members of our communities where health inequities are a challenge or where health education will lead to improving awareness and health outcomes for the people of Auckland”.

The six registered charities to benefit from the 2015 ProCare Charitable Foundation funding allocation are:

• Anxiety New Zealand: community education programme for Maori and Pacific in lower socio-economic areas
• Stroke Foundation NZ: Pacific Stroke Prevention Programme
• Starship Foundation: health promotion resources to improve skin health and infections for children living in deprived areas
• Well Foundation: mobile health clinic to deliver services to children at risk in Rodney and Waitakere
• Children’s Autism Foundation: direct services and programmes for families of autistic children living in hardship
• Men’s Health Trust: education programme and resources for men’s health.

Thank you to all those who took the time to apply and we will of course continue the annual granting programme again in July- August 2016

The ProCare Charitable Foundation was created through the generosity of its shareholding members who gifted their non-voting shares to the Foundation in 2013. The purpose of the Foundation is to help promote or deliver health-related activities that improve a community’s wellbeing, or reduces health inequalities and alleviates deprivation in the Greater Auckland region.