Dick Smith Grant Winners To Be Revealed

Another $500,000 is to be shared by 37 Aussie charities as part of the second round of the $1 Million Dick Smith Foods Foundation giveaway.

Beneficiaries of the second and final round of grants will be announced February 18 in Sydney, including two charities who will receive $50,000 each from the iconic Australian food empire run by philanthropist and entrepreneur, Dick Smith.

Throughout the year-long campaign the public was asked to photograph Dick Smith Food products in their pantries to win votes for their favourite charities. The more products they bought, the more votes they received.

Announcing the scheme, Smith said it was a breakthrough in giving.

“Never has the situation existed where the supporters of a company can actually have influence on where the money will go,” he said.

“Dick Smith Foods products are not only keeping jobs in Australia and helping our farmers, but all profits go to charity.”

Donations given in 2014 included four $50,000 donations, 10  $20,000 donations and 60 $10,000 donations, benefiting a total of 74 different charities.

Charities that received a share in the initial $510,000 distributed included:

• Top Blokes Foundation $50,000
• UNSW – Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing $50,000
• The Smith Family $20,000
• IAIM Australia $20,000
• Gidget Foundation $20,000
• Barnardos Australia $20,000
• Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association $20,000
• Vision Australia $10,000
• SPELD Qld $10,000
• Conservation Volunteers Australia $10,000
• Foundation of Angelman Syndrome Therepeutics Australia $10,000
• Interchange Loddon Mallee Region $10,000
• Outward Bound Australia $10,000
• Life Education Australia $10,000
• The Wayside Chapel $10,000
• Intework Inc. $10,000
• Sailors with DisABILITIES $10,000
• Variety – the Children’s Charity $10,000
• Delta Society Australia $10,000
• Parkinson’s NSW $10,000
• Foodbank NSW $10,000
• Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation $10,000
• St Vincent de Paul Society $10,000
• Centre for Eye Research Australia $10,000
• Camp Quality $10,000
• Cystic Fibrosis Victoria $10,000
• Australian National Eisteddfod $10,000
• Scouts Australia NSW Branch $10,000
• Northern Beaches Interchange $10,000
• Youth Off the Streets $10,000
• Women and Infants Research Foundation $10,000
• Taralye Foundation $10,000
• The Shepherd Centre $10,000
• Melanoma Institute Australia $10,000
• Royal Flying Doctor Service $10,000
• The Reach Foundation $10,000
• Hear and Say – Centre for Deaf Children Ltd. $10,000
• Reef Check Foundation Ltd. $10,000

According to Dick Smith Foods, Dick Smith and wife Pip recently signed over the intellectual property from their food lines to The Dick Smith Foods Foundation, a newly-established body in place to ensure all profits go to charity.

The organisation said Smith has given over $6.5 million to charities in total to date.

Smith is the founder of Dick Smith Electronics, Dick Smith Foods and Australian Geographic, and was the 1986 Australian of the Year. He was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 1999 for his services to the community, charity and business.

In 2014 it was announced that Smith made the top 10 in a Roy Morgan poll list of the public figures that Australians most admired, in the company of US President Barack Obama and former Australian PM Julia Gillard.

The full list of recipients will be announced on 18 February and will appear on the Dick Smith Food Foundation website.