Today at World Tour Sydney, Salesforce announced two new grantees of the Salesforce Catalyst Fund and Salesforce Foundation. Both recipients, DeadlyScience and Aurora Education Foundation, are not-for-profit organisations dedicated to forging pathways to equal education and career opportunities for First Nations students.

According to Philanthropy Australia data, only half a per cent of philanthropic funding in Australia goes to First Nations communities. This latest round of funding will dedicate $1 million to First Nations-led organisations across Australia that are not currently receiving enough long-term funding required to address their needs and priorities.

Now in its third round of funding, the Salesforce Catalyst Fund is a global philanthropic fund dedicated to investing in organisations led by members of underrepresented minorities and serving underrepresented communities. The Salesforce Foundation was founded nearly 25 years ago to invest in education and workforce development, and has today provided over $96 million in grants globally.

“Salesforce is committed to driving equality for all, and these grants are our way of furthering that commitment. We’re proud to support DeadlyScience and the Aurora Education Foundation in our shared vision to create a more equitable Australia,” said Frank Fillmann, GM and Executive Vice President, Salesforce Australia and New Zealand.

DeadlyScience and the Aurora Education Foundation were selected as recipients due to their dedication to providing young First Nations peoples with the resources needed to be successful. The investment in DeadlyScience is the second made by Salefsorce, while Aurora’s grant will be its first from the funds.

DeadlyScience leading the way on STEM

As one of Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisations providing STEM resources and programs to Indigenous students, DeadlyScience will use the funds to provide additional educational support to Indigenous learners in remote communities.

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“Our programs aim to celebrate the knowledge of Australia’s First Scientists, developed over 65,000 years ago, and share this with the next generation of Deadly Scientists. We work with over 800 schools and community organisations across Australia to give students access to vital STEM resources,” said Corey Tutt, Founder and CEO of DeadlyScience.

“With the reinvestment from Salesforce, we will be able to move closer to our goal of inspiring more Indigenous students to study and pursue STEM subjects,” Tutt continued.

Aurora Foundation: supporting students in school and beyond

The new grant from Salesforce will also help the Aurora Education Foundation support First Nations students as they navigate high school right through to the workforce, providing the necessary tools to help students achieve their goals.

“At Aurora, our programs use education as a lever to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be whatever it is that they want to be, from Year Seven through to PhDs at Oxford and everything in between. We create a structured pipeline of programs so that Indigenous success happens by design and not by chance, and we’re validating students who have high goals and big dreams,” said Leila Smith, CEO, Aurora Education Foundation.

“The grant from Salesforce will help us to continue doing this important work, through things like our mentoring, internship and post-graduate pathways into employment,” Smith continued.

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All partnerships of the Catalyst Fund are forged based on combating the lack of revenue flow to underfunded organisations to address inequities in education, economic opportunity, and racial justice. Since its launch, the Catalyst Fund has supported 20 nonprofits in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

More information

• Watch World Tour Sydney on Salesforce+
• For more World Tour Sydney news, visit this page
• Learn more about the Salesforce Catalyst Fund and the Salesforce Foundation