Hundreds of Scholarships Available for NFP Board Members

The Australian Scholarships Foundation has announced up to 325 scholarships are on offer for board members of Not for Profit organisations to attend the Australian Institute of Company Directors Not-for-Profit Board Course.

The Australian Scholarships Foundation, in partnership with Perpetual and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has launched the 325 scholarships for the course, to be held around the country in October and November 2011.

The Perpetual Foundation has funded the scholarships in partnership with the JS Love Trust, to building capacity, leadership and governance in the Not for Profit sector.

ASF CEO Amy Lyden says this is a huge investment into the Not for Profit sector by Perpetual, with the market value of the scholarships more than $300,000.

The Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Not-for-Profit Board is a one-day course, designed specifically for board directors of charitable organisations looking to develop a deeper knowledge of the responsibilities of directorship, governance and performance issues relating to not-for-profit organisations.

ASF says NFP directors make up a significant number of all directors in Australia, facing many of the same issues and pressures as directors in the corporate sector, and sharing the commitment to good governance.

Andrew Thomas, General Manager of Philanthropy at Perpetual, says the scholarships help to address the financial constraints faced by NFPs, by providing opportunities for boards of charitable organisations to focus on ongoing director education without having to dip into their often limited funds.

Thomas says that with the role of directors currently the focus of public debate, it is important that directors understand their roles and responsibilities.

He says as one of Australia’s largest distributors of charitable funds, Perpetual has a broad perspective on the NFP sector and sees plenty of evidence of strong governance, and ongoing education has a key role to play in supporting this.

He says charitable organisations address societal issues that are very complex, and it is up to directors to appropriately assess the performance of their organisation and make hard decisions.

Amy Lyden, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Scholarships Foundation says NFPs are always under a lot of pressure to focus on outcomes and social impact, and education is vital to building capacity in this sector.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, John Colvin, says the Not for Profit Board Course was designed specifically for NFP directors looking to develop a deeper knowledge of directorship responsibilities, governance and performance issues relating to NFPs.

Scholarship applications are now open and will close on Friday 19 August.

Courses will be held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra in October and November 2011.

Applications are open to all existing board members of Australian charitable organisations.

• For more information on the scholarships, visit the Australian Scholarships Foundation’s website: www.scholarships.org.au.