The Guardian Civic Journalism Trust has been established with the Centre for Advancing Journalism in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne to provide funding towards journalism projects that advance public discourse and citizen participation around areas such as the environment, Indigenous affairs, human rights, inequality and governance and accountability.

Professor Denise Varney, Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, said:

“It is fantastic to see the trust provide an opportunity for our students to work so closely with professionals in the field of investigative journalism – especially on such important topics. We’re very keen for our students to benefit from work-integrated learning that helps them to understand how best to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom, and this trust will enable students in our Centre for Advancing Journalism to take steps towards making a broader contribution to the quality of public debate in Australia.”

Lenore Taylor, editor, Guardian Australia, said:

“The trust allows us to accept donations towards doing more of the journalism that our readers want and that our democracy needs, and at the same time help educate and mentor the next generation of civic journalists in Australia.”

So far, the Guardian Civic Journalism Trust has raised $700,000 in philanthropic grants for projects on Indigenous affairs and governance and political accountability over three years, and is looking to raise more funding for other areas of civic journalism.

All projects have an educational component to equip the future generation of Australian journalists with skills through capacity-building programs with the Centre for A­­­­dvancing Journalism, including student internships, cadet mentoring scheme, guest lectures and student workshops.

The Guardian Civic Journalism Trust has secured two grants for launch, which include:

● The Balnaves Foundation has provided a grant for in-depth reporting and educational activities on Indigenous affairs over a period of three years.

● Susan McKinnon Foundation has provided a grant for investigative reporting and educational activities on governance and political accountability over a period of three years.

The trust has tax-deductible status and has the benefit of an advisory group which includes Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor, academic experts in journalism from the University of Melbourne and senior leaders in the Faculty of Arts. The University of Melbourne is the trustee and administrator of the trust.

Guardian Australia’s parent company, Guardian News and Media, has contributed an initial gift of $50,000 which establishes the trust and is held in perpetuity.

Globally, the Guardian has a long-established track record in philanthropy with ongoing partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Knight Foundation. Recently, the Guardian launched a US based philanthropic non profit, theguardian.org which has received over $1m from US based organisations including Skoll Foundation, Humanity United and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Please get in touch via australia.philanthropy@theguardian.com for any further information.

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For any media enquiries please contact:

Guardian Australia press office: katie.haffner@theguardian.com or +61 403 357 831.

Notes to the editor

About Guardian Australia

Launched in 2013, Guardian Australia is a premium digital news site in Australia, with a total reach of 2.711m people each month (Nielsen DRM, June 2017). Guardian Australia is a trusted source of quality Australian news, with a particular focus on politics, the environment and social welfare. Guardian Australia offers national news coverage and has four bureaus located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. Guardian Australia is also part of the Guardian’s 24-hour global news operation, helping to cover breaking international stories in all parts of the world.

About University of Melbourne

Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement. It’s consistently ranked among the leading universities in the world, and provides a distinctive learning experience that helps graduates become well-rounded, thoughtful and skilled professionals – making a positive impact across the globe. Its research helps solve social, economic and environmental challenges, and is both locally and internationally-connected in the hope of changing the world for the better.