Our partners

Partnerships are essential in delivering on our commitment to building and maintaining healthy, inclusive, socially just communities. At Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service we provide opportunities for as many people as possible to make their own contribution, in their own way, to helping us achieve this.

We partner with a huge variety of organisations and individuals to deliver our vital work. In our strategic plan 2010-2015, we place partnerships and the principle of co-responsibility at the forefront of everything we do.

Major corporate and philanthropic partners

National Australia Bank

NAB and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service began our partnership in 2003. Together we have developed microfinance solutions to help Australians living on low incomes access fair, safe and affordable financial services. Our work with NAB and local community organisations across Australia has assisted more than 16,000 people previously excluded from mainstream banking such as access to loans and savings.

Our microfinance partnership has developed programs that include StepUP low interest loans and the AddsUP savings plan. Support from NAB has also enabled the expansion of the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) nationally.

South East Water

South East Water has been a loyal and generous partner of Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service since July 2002 - almost a decade now. In a unique and successful approach to consumer debt management, South East Water help us provide their customers who are experiencing financial hardship with access to free and confidential financial counselling and other support services.

The benefits to both organisations and the community have exceeded expectations. The partnership provides Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service financial counselling at several sites throughout the region serviced by South East Water.

South East Water provide financial and staff volunteer support for our sustainability and community education work, including the Good Shepherd Community House sustainable garden at Wallaroo Community Centre, Hastings and our Outlandish program connecting women at St Kilda.

IOOF Foundation

The IOOF Foundation has been a key supporting partner of our programs for disadvantaged young people since 2005. One of their first grants supported a mentoring program for young people and was followed by critical support of our driver education programs from 2008. Together we share a commitment to providing friendship, positive role models and skills to help young people transition to adulthood.

James Goold Trust

The James Goold Trust is the philanthropic giving vehicle of the Good Shepherd Sisters and has been a long-standing supporter of our work for over three decades. In 2009-2010 a generous gift of over $1.5 million enabled us to support isolated women, disadvantaged families and continue to advocate for a more fair and just society.

Ian Potter Foundation

Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service has received long-standing support from the Ian Potter Foundation. Most recently the Foundation funded a Sudanese Scoping project to identify the needs of the Sudanese Community in the Cities of Yarra and Brimbank The Foundation is currently supporting our partnership project for African families with St Joseph's School, Collingwood.

The William Buckland Foundation

Our DISH program has received generous four year support from the William Buckland Foundation. In the time the project was running, the Foundation's grant enabled us to provide life skills to hundreds of young people.

Corporate and philanthropic supporters

City West Water provide Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service's St Albans site with crucial funding to support children and young people without the means to purchase items essential to their schooling.

Reichstein Foundation and Victorian Women's Trust share our strong commitment to improving the lives of women and girls through systemic change. Together they supported our Researching the Gaps project in 2009. The Reichstein Foundation have continued on to provide funding for our Filling the Gaps project 2010-2011, undertaken in concert with McAuley Community Services for Women.

Powerfront are a niche, innovative web development company, Powerfront provided us with invaluable probono support in developing, hosting and supporting our previous website from 2007 - 2011.

Individual supporters

The Lionel de Sousa Fund

During his lifetime Lionel de Sousa was a loyal and generous supporter of Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service. When Lionel passed away in 2010 his family began the Lionel de Sousa Fund to honour his memory. The Fund supports our work with disadvantaged youth people in education, a cause that Lionel felt truly passionately about.

Major government partners

Australian government

Dept. Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).

Our partnership with FaHCSIA has resulted in increased access to the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS®) across Australia and the increased capacity of the National NILS Network - made up of over 400 community organisations - to deliver NILS loans. FaHCSIA's support of the National NILS Conference continues to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practice across the National NILS Network.

Victorian government

In 2006 the Victorian Government committed $4.7m over four years to expand and coordinate No Interest Loans Schemes (NILS) across Victoria by assisting the establishment and development of community based organisations to become NILS providers The Victorian government provides other support for a range of our programs including youth housing, advocacy and support, foster care, Wallaroo Community Centre and our domestic violence crisis refuges.

Vic Roads has been long term supporters of our driver education programs through generous funding and representation on the program's steering committee.

Queensland government

The Queensland Government has provided $1.2 million in support to NILS since 2008, which contributes to the training of community organisations to improve client access to NILS, particulalry indigenous clients.  

View a full list of our partners and supporters (PDF 97.7 KB) as shown in our 2009-2010 Annual Report.