We are looking for organisations that work within the employment space to support young people, and households with children with no one employed, to engage in economically secure employment.
We are looking for initiatives that are either:
- Innovative solutions (still testing efficacy of model) that contribute to the targets above; and/ or
- Achieving good outcomes for this cohort and can be scaled, or replicated; and/or
- Multi-disciplinary approaches (also known as a ‘polymath approach’) to addressing this challenge for the target cohort.
All people and communities around Australia deserve the chance to thrive, and employment is one way for people to have economic dignity and social mobility. Employment can also provide social connection and purpose. Quality employment, that is, employment or self employment which provides a living wage should be accessible to all. Yet many people face systemic barriers (social and economic factors outside their control) to entering the workforce or hold low paid and insecure jobs, which keep them trapped in poverty.
PRF invest in initiatives that help reduce barriers to employment so all people have equitable access to secure work and the multitude of benefits that come from economic participation.
The Employment National Open Grant Round is now open until 26 February for EOIs. Guidelines for the opportunity are available online and more information will be available during the webinar.
Webinar Registration
Tuesday
7 February
11.00am - 12.00pm AEDT
Thursday
9 February
11.00am - 12.00pm AEDT
Click here to select an online session:
Speakers
Ben Gales
Ben is the Chief Delivery Officer at Paul Ramsay Foundation. He is an economist with extensive experience in social, government, and private sectors.
During his time in the UK government, he was he was involved in the genesis of impact investing with the launch of the Social Investment Taskforce in 2000 under Sir Ronald Cohen in the UK. In NSW Government he was responsible for the development of the first Social Impact Bonds in Australia, “Newpin” and “Resilient Families” and was later responsible for the Office of Social Impact Investment, where he oversaw over $200 million of impact investments and payment by outcome contracts. He also led the establishment of the NSW Productivity Commission in 2018, to identify and drive microeconomic reforms, and set up the NSW Evidence Bank, which collates and reviews evidence on all material investments made by NSW Government.
Between 2013 and 2016 Ben was the CEO of Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA), an impact investment fund providing finance to social enterprises across Australia; he is still on the Board of SEFA and chairs the Investment Committee. He has advised a range of Not-for-Profits and Social Enterprises, as well as Commonwealth Government, through Impact Tracks, a business he established after leaving government. He was a member of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, which was (re)established to grow philanthropy, volunteering and explore the opportunity for social impact investing in Australia.
Ben was a venture capitalist from 2000 to 2008 for 3i plc, working in the UK and Silicon Valley in the US. He specialised in technology investments, and in particular software and semiconductor investments. As well as sitting on various investee Boards, Ben was on 3i’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, which undertook an ESG-type screen across all its investments.
Ben has a MA in Economics from Cambridge University and a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Josie Khalil
Josie is the lead for the Foundation’s Transitions to Employment portfolio. She is deeply passionate about breaking cycles of disadvantage and addressing the causes and impacts of inequality and has spent the past 14 years in a range of economics and social policy roles across NSW Government – Treasury, Premier and Cabinet, NSW Health, and Investment NSW – most recently as Director of Social Policy in Premier and Cabinet and of Future Industries in Investment NSW.
Some of the highlights over this time include: helping set up the NSW Productivity Commission – and ensuring it has a focus on inclusive growth; advising the Premier on COVID issues including strategies to support student outcomes during home schooling; Supporting the employment of vulnerable people and more generally mitigating the adverse social impacts of covid; leading the NSW Accelerating R&D Review and its implementation.
Josie holds a degree in Economic and Social Science and a Master’s in economics – from the University of Sydney.