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Canon Oceania honours 50 years in Aust with grants for ECEC services
Freya Lucas
Jun 05, 2023
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Canon Oceania is celebrating 50 years in Australia with a grant pool of $50,000, with a special category for education groups, including early childhood education and care (ECEC) services.
Submissions for the 2023 grant round opened 31 May, and in addition to the three category winners across Education, Community, and Environment, Canon will also recognise an overall winner to receive both a Grant and a Content Development Package valued at $10,000.The grant program was established 17 years ago, and is guided by the Kyosei philosophy of living and working together for the common good. Since the program began, Canon has supported more than 100 community organisations and schools and provided more than $500,000 in monetary and product support.
“Through our annual grants program, we get the chance to hear from organisations who are contributing to positive change,” explained Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director for Canon Oceania.
“Kyosei is at the heart of everything we do, so it gives us great pride to be able to celebrate and reward the important role they are playing within their local communities. In celebration of our 50th year of operating in Australia this year, we are excited to be able to offer $50,000 worth of grants across the region, extending our support so these organisations can continue the great work they’re doing.”
The program will provide each grant recipient (in both Australia and New Zealand) with $2,500 in cash and Canon products worth up to $2,500 RRP. Products will range from cameras to lenses, printers, and other accessories.
In addition, the $10,000 Content Development Package awarded to the overall grant recipient in each country will enable the winning individual or organisation to build professional content to support their initiative in the form of editing, photography, videography and/or studio hire.
The grant pool is made up of $25,000 of grants in Australia and $25,000 in New Zealand, totaling $50,000 across the region. These funds will support the winning projects to continue their important work across the community, education and environment sectors.
In 2022, the education grant winner was Kamaruka School, a specialist school for neurodivergent boys from Years 2-10 who often have difficulties navigating the mainstream education system or require support for their unique needs such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“We have captured a few basic recollections of the school from past and older students to eventually add to our website and we can’t wait for the next camp so that students can capture motion not just moments,” said Principal Michelle ‘Zinny’ Zintschenko.
“Students are also keen to start their own film making. They are currently in the creating and storyboard stages. We are also investigating the safest way to launch a YouTube Channel.”
“The application process for the Canon Grants Program was straightforward. Being a small school with no social media presence, we weren’t sure we would get the votes, but our community got behind us to support us.”
The 2023 Grants will be awarded under the following categories:
- 1 x Community Grant – AU$5,000 (made up of $2,500 cash and Canon product up to $2,500RRP)
Open to organisations that have a positive impact on communities, encompassing cultural and societal causes.
- 1 x Education Grant – AU$5,000 (made up of $2,500 cash and Canon product up to $2,500RRP)
- 1 x Environment Grant – AU$5,000 (made up of $2,500 cash and Canon product up to $2,500RRP)
The Overall Grant (Content Development Package), valued at AU$10,000, will be awarded to the category grant recipient who received the highest total number of votes for their entry.
Submissions are open now until 23 July 2023. The wider community will vote on finalists in August, and winners will be announced in September.
For more information about the 2023 Canon Oceania Grants Program, please see here.
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