Community Underwriting unveils 2024 grant recipients driving community change

Community Underwriting has completed its 2024 Small Grants Program, funding 70 projects across the not-for-profit sector, a significant increase from the 52 supported in 2023.

The company’s business model allocates 5% of annual surplus to clients who renew their insurance policies, while additional contributions from insurer partners Berkley Insurance Australia and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company allow for expanded support.

Community Underwriting 2024 Small Grants Program

Now in its 11th year, the grants program continues to assist a wide range of initiatives, including youth empowerment, domestic violence prevention, community education, and disability services. Among this year’s funded projects are:

• the Road Ready Initiative, designed to help at-risk youth achieve learner driving hours and improve road safety awareness
• security upgrades for a facility supporting homeless pregnant women aged 12 to 22 and the staff assisting them
• Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Training, a program in Tanzania aimed at reducing teenage pregnancy rates and HIV infections
• Beagle Rescue Victoria, which installed cameras to improve animal safety, monitoring, and care
• Cook + Connect, a program teaching cooking skills to individuals with disabilities to improve independence and social engagement
• Let’s Do Death Differently, a community awareness event planned for November 2025, focusing on palliative care, grief, and bereavement education
• dance scholarships for regional students to address limited access to musical theatre training opportunities
• Hearing A Young Person’s Voice in Separation – Child Inclusive Practice (CIP) appointments, giving children an opportunity to share their perspectives during family dispute resolution
• Stronger Starts for Students and Parents, a back-to-school initiative providing regional families with practical tools and resources for school readiness
• Feed & Flourish, a food bank program in south-eastern Sydney offering comprehensive support for asylum seekers and refugees
• Girls in School – Back to School Kits, providing educational essentials to disadvantaged students in Sierra Leone
• emergency hospital packs, supplying Gold Coast hospitals with basic personal care items for patients admitted without belongings
• the Community Billboard, an online platform by Retina Australia promoting services for people with low vision and blindness
• native bee conservation events in Western Australia, aimed at encouraging habitat preservation through community education
• youth lifesaving camps, supporting skills development and membership growth for surf lifesaving clubs
• safety funding for women and children experiencing domestic violence, including lock changes to help them remain safely in their homes

Additional projects funded this year include the purchase of replacement equipment, upgrades to security and disability facilities, provision of health information resources, sensory room installations, and support for community and family-focused events.

Since its inception in 2014, the Community Underwriting Small Grants Program, alongside annual donations to not-for-profit shareholders, has distributed more than $10 million back into the sector.

A sustainable insurance model for not-for-profits

The announcement follows continued growth of Community Underwriting’s unique insurance model, which shares surplus revenue with not-for-profits while providing coverage tailored to their needs.

Graeme Berwick, director of Community Underwriting, said that the model was developed as a response to challenges not-for-profits faced securing insurance in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Meals on Wheels NSW (MOW), now the majority shareholder, was instrumental in driving the initiative.

Under this model, not-for-profit clients contributing over $50,000 annually in premiums become shareholders and receive refunds based on surplus revenue. Smaller clients, which make up the majority, benefit through the Small Grants Program.