Canon Oceania has announced the winners of its 2021 Grants Program, recognising seven organisations across Australia and New Zealand that are paving the way towards a better future for their communities. As COVD-19 lockdowns continue to impact Australian businesses, Canon’s Grants Program includes a small business category and increased cash donations for the second year running.
After the public cast more than 4,000 votes for this year’s finalists, Canon is awarding more than $30,000 worth of grants. Australian winners will each receive $5,000 in cash and products ($2,500 in cash and $2,500 in Canon products).
Australia’s winning projects will help disadvantaged communities connect with nature, support learning and communication for individuals with autism, and deliver therapy to children impacted by adversity.
“We’re continuously inspired by the breadth of organisations working to make a positive contribution to society, despite the tough economic and personal circumstances that COVID-19 has created for many Australian communities and organisations,” said Dave Yoshida, Managing Director, Canon Oceania.
“This is especially true for small businesses, with many significantly impacted by the current restrictions in a number of states. We’re proud to support these organisations, providing them with tools that help them adjust to the ‘new normal’ and set themselves up for future success. We’re excited to see how this year’s winners use their grants to positively impact their communities and our environment.”
For the past 15 years, in the spirit of Canon’s Kyosei guiding philosophy – living and working together for the common good – Canon Oceania has supported more than 75 schools, not-for-profits and community groups with more than $420,000.
Previous winners have used the grant to provide assistance and therapy dogs for children with disabilities, facilitate learning for children with hearing loss, and stop dolphin cruelty.
AUSTRALIAN WINNERS 2021 Grants: $5,000 ($2,500 in cash, $2,500 in Canon products)
Small Business: The Young Naturalist (NSW)
The Young Naturalist is a social enterprise, especially interested in assisting women and children in disadvantaged communities throughout Australia. It provides scientific nature programs to help children understand and connect with nature.
Sharing their excitement, Dr Aniuzka Kazandjian and Dr Fiona Benyon, the co-founders of The Young Naturalist said, “Our mission is to bring Australian biodiversity to life and connect children with nature by providing experiences in microscopic investigation, citizen science participation and hands-on creation of biodiverse habitats. The 2021 Canon Oceania Grant will enable us to ‘capture the moment’ our Young Naturalists make their first scientific nature discoveries, creating tangible memories of their connection with nature. Thanks to Canon, our Young Naturalists will be able to share their Nature discoveries with the world, by contributing their images to iNaturalist and the Atlas of Living Australia. The high-quality images captured with Canon cameras will also contribute to the creation of our Young Naturalist series of Natural Sciences books and field guides, assisting children to identify our unique Australian biodiversity. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Canon Australia for sharing The Young Naturalist’s vision to ‘nurture the future custodians of our Natural World’.”
For more information about Canon Oceania’s Grants Program, please visit: https://www.canon.com.au/about-canon/community/grants