Myer Foundation

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The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.

Contents

History

The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer, who died in 1934, leaving a portion of his estate for the benefit of the community. [1] Myer's will was proved at £922,000. The most famous philanthropic funding by the Sidney Myer Fund was for the construction of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in the Kings Domain, Melbourne in 1958, which is named in his honour.[ citation needed ]

In 1959, The Myer Foundation was established by Sidney's sons, Baillieu and Ken Myer [1] – their sisters, Neilma Gantner and Lady Southey, became founding members. The Myer Foundation was established in order to award grants in sectors not covered by Sidney Myer's will. The Myer Foundation was endowed in 1992, after Ken Myer died, leaving most of his estate to the foundation. [1]

The fund and foundation have been supported by four generations of Myer family members. In 2011, Carrillo Gantner AC , grandson of Sidney Myer through Sidney's daughter Neilma Gantner, was chair of the fund, [2] [3] while Martyn Myer AO , Sidney's grandson through Ken Myer, was president of the Myer Foundation. [4]

In 2017, the foundation collaborated with the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and the Keir Foundation in creating an initiative called A New Approach, to address a gap in up-to-date and accurate research and data about arts and cultural philanthropy. [5]

Governance

As of November 2022, members of the Myer family involved in the governance of the foundation and fund include: [6] [5]

Awards and fellowships

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards were created by the Sidney Myer Fund trustees in 1984, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Sidney Myer. As of 2022 there are three awards, given annually: an Individual Award (A$60,000), a Group Award (A$90,000) and a Facilitator's Prize (A$25,000). [7]

The Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships have been awarded since 2011, and in 2022 awarded its 100th fellowship and hit a total of A$16m. Each of the ten annual fellowships is awarded to an individual, [8] with no restrictions or required outcomes necessary on the A$160,000 that is given tax-free over two years, but it is expected that the recipients remain in Australia for this time. Mid-career Australian artists, arts managers, and "thought leaders" in the humanities are all eligible. The choice of recipients by the selection panel is based on two criteria: outstanding talent, and exceptional courage. Financial hardship is not considered. [9] Many Indigenous Australian creatives have been Sidney Myer Creative Fellows, including Jonathan Jones, Alexis Wright, Ellen van Neerven, Eric Avery, Vernon Ah Kee, and (in 2022) artist Vincent Namatjira. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Myer</span> Australian businessman

Sidney Myer was a Russian-born Jewish-Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Myer Music Bowl</span>

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor bandshell performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinct. It was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, Robert Menzies, on 12 February 1959, with an audience of 30,000 people. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vallejo Gantner Hut</span> Australian bush hikers hut

The Vallejo Gantner Hut is located at Macalister Springs near Mount Howitt and the Crosscut Saw. The construction commenced in late 1968. The hut was built as a memorial following the death of Vallejo Gantner, the grandson of Sidney Myer the founder of the Myer department store chain.

The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards were created in 1984 by the trustees of the Sidney Myer Fund to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Sidney Myer. The awards were created to commemorate his life and his love for the arts. They intend primarily to enhance the status of performing arts in Australia and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malthouse Theatre</span>

Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merlyn Myer</span> Australian philanthropist and charity worker

Dame Margery Merlyn Myer was an Australian philanthropist, who was notable for her charitable work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Catherine's School, Toorak</span> Independent, day & boarding school in Toorak, Victoria, Australia

St Catherine's School is an independent and non-denominational Christian day and boarding school for girls, located in Toorak, an inner south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Hooper</span> Australian author (born 1973)

Chloe Melisande Hooper is an Australian author.

Ceridwen Dovey is a South African and Australian social anthropologist and author. In 2009 she was named a 5 under 35 nominee by the National Book Foundation and in 2020 won The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Myer</span>

Kenneth Baillieu Myer, was an American-born Australian patron of the arts, humanities and sciences; diplomat, administrator, businessman and philanthropist. He was a member of the notable Melbourne retailing Myer family. Myer made significant philanthropic and personal contributions to the development of major national institutions, most notably the Howard Florey Laboratories of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, the School of Oriental Studies at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Arts Centre and the National Library of Australia. In 1959, he became Benefactor and Co-Founder of The Myer Foundation with his brother Baillieu Myer AC. He was also the founding chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asialink</span>

Asialink is a think-tank that promotes better relations between Australia and Asian economies. Asialink works alongside several philanthropic organizations to engage in civic and cultural relations that lead to business ties.

Carrillo Baillieu Gantner is an American-Australian, who is noted as a Victorian cultural leader and philanthropist and a member of the Melbourne retailing Myer family.

Genevieve Clay-Smith is an Australian writer and director. She is an advocate of inclusive filmmaking.

Finegan Kruckemeyer is an Australian playwright.

Rupert Hordern Myer is an Australian businessman and philanthropist. He is a member of the Myer family, which, in 2014, was the sixth wealthiest family in Australia, with a net worth of more than $2 billion in properties and a diversified investment portfolio. The largest investment portfolio is managed by The Myer Family Company, where Rupert Myer was chairman until 2012.

The Myer family is an Australian retailing dynasty with jewish origin. It was founded in Australia by Sidney Myer, who started the department store Myer, and Merlyn Myer, his wife. Following the death of Sidney Myer in 1934, his nephew, Sir Norman Myer, continued much of his retailing dynasty. The family has a strong history of philanthropy and established one of Australia's first single family offices in 1976.

Marigold Merlyn Baillieu Southey, Lady Southey is an Australian philanthropist who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria from 2001 to 2006.

Anna Krien is an Australian journalist, essayist, fiction and nonfiction writer and poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neilma Gantner</span> Australian writer and philanthropist

Neilma Bailieu Gantner was an Australian philanthropist and author who wrote as Neilma Sidney.

Sidney Baillieu Myer, also known as Bails Myer, was an Australian businessman and philanthropist. A member of the Myer family retailing dynasty, he was the son of Sidney and Merlyn Myer. He joined his family's company, the Myer Emporium, in 1949 and became its chairman in 1983. He oversaw its merger with GJ Coles & Coy to create Coles Myer and retired from business in 1994. In his later life, Myer was involved with philanthropic, scientific and arts organisations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Our origins". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Gill, Raymond (3 July 2007), "Mr Gantner, take a bow", The Age , retrieved 1 August 2011
  3. ↑ "48 Asian Altruists: Carillo Gantner", Forbes, 27 February 2008, retrieved 1 August 2011
  4. ↑ Myer Foundation website Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Trustees and directors". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "2022 Sidney Myer Creative Fellows Announced". AussieTheatre.com. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  10. ↑ Comisari, Jerome (22 October 2022). "'We make the best art on this continent': Meet the Indigenous artists winning big in the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Past Award Recipients". Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
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