Supporting Women

Candice Van Doosselaere, the Head of Programs in Australia for Judith Neilson Foundation, was interviewed by Board Directors Dr Prudence Black and Professor Diane van den Broek

Late in 2023 Success Works became the proud recipient of a Judith Neilson Foundation funding partnership. This month we interviewed Candice Van Doosselaere, the Head of Programs in Australia for the Foundation, to talk to her about her role and why Success Works became a beneficiary of their funding program.

Judith Neilson is probably best known for her establishment of the White Rabbit Gallery and the Phoenix Central Park performance space in Chippendale, both of which are free to the public, but she has also been a lifelong passionate supporter and donor to many other social causes. A few years ago, Judith decided that she wanted to give away a large portion of her estate over the next 50 years and she set up the Judith Neilson Foundation to strategically fund partnerships. The Foundation funds initiatives in both Australia and in Africa. In Australia the Foundation’s giving is dedicated to women and girls focuses on four key interconnected areas of need: homelessness, domestic and family violence, the impacts of the criminal justice system and economic advancement. The Foundation aims to support particularly disadvantaged cohorts, namely refugees and new migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds, First Nations, rural, regional and remote women and girls, and older women. Many of these themes apply to the key demographics of the candidates enrolled in the Success Works program.

As with all philanthropic support, the Judith Neilson Foundation needs to see results and due diligence. When seeking to build short- and long-term relationships one of the key considerations for funding bodies is risk, especially in relation to new organisations such as Success Works.  In some respect Success Works is considered a higher risk given that the organisation has only had one year of independent operation. The Foundation acknowledges that risk is typically inevitable but that the risk comes in different forms. As Candice notes:

Success Works is doing something that’s very focused and incredibly needed… it de-risks the hiring for employers. When hiring someone with a criminal record, you’re telling employers “we’re going to back this woman, we’re going to help her succeed with you, and we’re going to make sure that she’s in a good place to be able to do that”. As an organisation, Success Works is at a very early stage. There are some risks involved in that but also what you’re doing is very needed, very unique and also it supports kind of de-risking things for employers… I think that value proposition will grow over time.

When considering the long-term relationships of working with an organisation such as Success Works there are often broader issues relating to the social impact of the organisation. A longer-term vision for what Success Works is attempting to do could result in future advocacy and policy change. Candice has noticed that when she talks to different organisations, the theme of justice reform is gaining momentum. For example, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre focuses on the issue of justice reform and here she mentions that the Judith Neilson Foundation might work towards building:

a portfolio of organisations that can support one another to drive a policy shift that might be an alternative for women who might otherwise go to prison, finding ways of making sure that their children aren’t removed from them or that they get they can regain or retain access to their children.

These are refreshing views and Success Works would be supportive of the prospect that the Judith Neilson Foundation may help to play a role in convening different organisations to share knowledge to come together and discuss best practice, and where there might be possibilities to work together on things. This would be a great opportunity for those people working to support women with a criminal record to see not only how others work, but also the kinds of methodology and approach that other organisations enlist as they work with vulnerable women.

On a personal level Candice has always worked in and around impact and is very passionate about issues around human rights. She sees her role at the foundation contributing:

… to make society more equitable where people are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their background, what they may have done in the past, where they come from, or what gender or sexuality or race they might be.

Stay posted for a formal funding announcement in the new year.