At Nelson Alexander, our connection to the communities we serve is more than just words— it’s woven into the fabric of our company culture. We’re a passionate team, actively seeking ways to make a real difference through the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation.

Established in 2005 with a clear mission to empower individuals, community groups, and not-for-profits within our local footprint, the Charitable Foundation is a team effort. With representatives from each of our offices, we leverage our collective energy and deep respect for our communities to bring people together and create tangible improvements in our neighbourhoods.

The Foundation provides financial, material aid and volunteer support to organisations tackling a wide range of issues impacting our communities. We focus on three key pillars: youth, education, and alleviating disadvantage. Since its inception, the Foundation has proudly distributed over $4.6 million.

Why these pillars?

• Empowering Young People: We believe in helping young people make healthy choices and build fulfilling lives. We support organisations that provide the tools they need to navigate their world.
• Education for All: Education is key to breaking the cycle of disadvantage. We support initiatives that make education accessible, no matter someone’s background.
• Alleviating Disadvantage: We identify and address areas where our community needs a helping hand. We strive to find the gaps and make a tangible difference.

Small Grants Program: Funding for this program comes from a set donation from each Nelson Alexander sale and contributions from a major supplier. Volunteer Charitable Foundation committee members review the applications monthly and grants typically range from $500 to $1,500.

So far in 2024, we’ve donated in the vicinity of $50,000 to a variety of organisations—this includes individual families through Berry Street Family Services (Northeast), Big Group Hug, and Melbourne City Mission (youth homelessness programme) as well as providing support to our staff in their individual fundraising initiatives.

We’ve also established a three-year partnership with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s Foodbank program ($5,000 annually) and continued our bed sponsorship at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Since 2008, our partnership with the RCH has provided $144,484.50 to support their world-class care of seriously ill children. Be sure you read our interview with the new CEO of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Ryan Brown here.

Foundation Day: Each year, on Foundation Day, all 15 of our offices donate the professional fee from one auction to a local community organisation or charity. In 2023, we focused on food insecurity, raising a whopping $245,580 for organisations tackling this critical issue.

Mark your calendars—Foundation Day 2024 is on Saturday 12th October. Find out more and get involved via our Instagram.

Staff Involvement and Volunteering: We have a thriving staff volunteering program in place throughout 2024. Our team is supporting amazing groups like Pets of the Homeless, FareShare, Big Group Hug, ASRC, It’s the Little Things Community and St Mary’s House of Welcome.

Our first successful campaign this year was a clothing drive for Big Group Hug and in August, we had Share the Dignity’s campaign to fight period poverty.

Our vision for the future is clear: we’re dedicated to helping our local communities thrive, and will continue to work towards this commitment through our small grants, volunteering and annual Foundation Day.