Established in 2001, the SMEC Foundation provides small-scale grant support to deliver the best possible social and development outcomes for people in need. Operating with financial support from the SMEC Group and donations from employees, the SMEC Foundation focuses on projects in the community development, education, emergency relief, health and environment sectors. To date, the foundation has donated approximately $800,000 to more than 200 projects in over 30 countries.
The SMEC Foundation was recognised for Outstanding Achievement in The Australian Charity Awards 2014.
The foundation’s board created “Guidelines for Prospective Applicants” to provide individuals and organisations with general information on the types of projects that are likely to receive funding, the requirements of grant recipients and how to submit applications.
These guidelines help assess the application’s suitability in terms of its scale, priority, social and economic benefits, poverty alleviation, and well-defined budget and objectives. There is no lower limit to the level of support provided by SMEC Foundation, with applications seeking funding in excess of $5,000 requiring special consideration. Recipients of a SMEC Foundation are required to submit a report detailing how the donation was used.
In April 2010, SMEC demonstrated its commitment to community development by becoming a corporate participant of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). As such, the SMEC Foundation has agreed that all funding requests will align with the UNGC’s core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption.
