We're delighted to announced the winners of our inaugural Pro Bono for Purpose initiative with four Australian charities being awarded our $5,000 and $10,000 media relations grants. 

DV Safe Phone and Motherless Daughters Australia were both awarded $5,000 grants while Gather My Crew and Emergency Medicine Foundation were awarded the $10,000 grants. A key criteria for selection was the capacity for the organisations to make tangible, positive impacts on the communities around them and demonstrate the impacts that a PR campaign could make to them as an organisation.

We received over 140 submissions for consideration and spent a significant amount of time reviewing and shortlisting the incredible causes. We are so excited by the organisations that have been chosen and know we are going to deliver some truly impactful campaigns together. 

The grants program was designed to give organisations without a budget for PR the opportunity to experience the impact of public relations campaigns firsthand and raise awareness for their cause. All of the awarded organisations are small operations with less than a handful of employees, driven by the passion of their founders. 

Working to support victims of domestic violence, DV Safe Phones collects, refurbishes and distributes mobile phones, working with over 300 police stations and DV shelters to reach those truly in need. The organisation’s founder, Ashton Wood says they are very excited to have won the grant.

“Running a charity is very time consuming and can be a juggle between time spent ensuring our phones are going to those who need them the most and spreading the word about our service to get more phones into our office for testing and distribution,” Mr Wood says.

“MediaCast’s assistance will help us with the critical part of our charity, which is ensuring a steady flow of phones in for testing and funds to carry out the required repairs. By doing this, we will be able to ensure more survivors have access to a safe phone, to keep themselves safe and connected to support.”  

A powerful network of women, supporting each other through the grief of losing their maternal figure, Motherless Daughters Australia founder Danielle Snelling says the organisation is so grateful to be part of the initiative.

“We are really looking forward to working together to achieve greater awareness of our organisation and the support we offer, ensuring more women and girls can learn about us and access the support and connection that they need after experiencing mother loss,” Ms Snelling said.

A recipient of the $10,000 grant, Gather My Crew is an innovative organisation using technology to support Australians going through hard times. Their app helps Australians coordinate real, tangible help within their communities. Psychologist and founder, Susan Palmer says Gather My Crew are thrilled to partner with MediaCast through the pro-bono grant.

“For so many small charities, engaging a media company is financially prohibitive, making this a truly invaluable opportunity. By assisting us to raise awareness, this collaboration brings Gather My Crew closer to our vision for Australia - where every person going through a tough time (cancer, accident, illness, sudden death, disaster) is surrounded by a 'support crew' of helpers,” Ms Palmer said.

The final recipient, Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) funds evidence-based research to save lives and improve outcomes for Australians who find themselves in a medical emergency. EMF’s General Manager Angie Nguyen Vu says they are excited to work with the MediaCast team to promote EMF’s research program to improve patient flow in Queensland’s public hospitals.

“As a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to funding emergency care research, we collaborate with hospitals, clinicians, researchers and patients to identify effective solutions to challenges to emergency access across the state. Supported by MediaCast, we look forward to raising awareness of the need for, and the benefit of finding evidence-based solutions, and to creating real and lasting change from which patients, clinicians and the health system can all benefit,” Ms Nguyen Vu said.

With campaign planning already underway, the team at MediaCast are so excited to see these stories roll out and make a true difference for these outstanding organisations. You can follow along via #probonoforpurpose on Instagram.