ANNUAL REPORT 2018
S O C I A L P O LI CY A N D I NVE STM E NT
KU Marcia Burgess
Foundation: increasing
our impact
Inspired by KU’s
social impact?
KU
20
18
You too can
invest in our
future programs.
Find out how at
ku.com.au
Almost 125 years ago, KU was born
of a visionary idea to establish the
nation’s first free kindergarten,
brought to fruition through the efforts
of volunteers and the generosity
of donors and philanthropists.
Specifically intended to provide some
of Sydney’s poorest children with
access to early education, so began
the commitment to social justice that
is now embedded in KU’s DNA.
Whilst most people are familiar
with KU’s mainstream preschool
and childcare services, many may
not realise that in 2018 KU delivered
more than $48m in social impact
and inclusion programs, many of
which are supported by Government
funding, grants, and co-contributions
from families. KU’s own investment
in social impact programs rose
substantially from $1.5m in the prior
year, to more than $1.75m in 2018.
This supported critical projects
such as the continued operation
of centres in areas of significant
social disadvantage. Without KU’s
investment, these services would
12
simply not be viable to operate, leaving
the most vulnerable children without
access to high quality early education.
As KU grows, so does our appetite
and capacity for increasing our
social impact. One of the greatest
opportunities to increase KU’s
ability to deliver better outcomes
for our most vulnerable children
and families, lies in the KU Marcia
Burgess Foundation. Named for
one of KU’s own trail-blazing
luminaries of social inclusion and
child wellbeing, the late Marcia
Burgess, KU’s charitable Foundation
provides people and organisations
who share our vision a tax effective
mechanism to help KU deliver
services to those most in need.
Since its establishment, the
Foundation has funded some
important projects, and over the past
year, we have been quietly increasing
our focus on the Foundation, working
to fully leverage the potential we
believe the Foundation offers.