Sydney Health Partners Granted $2m to Fund New Research Translation Efforts

The five-year grant to SHP is for translational research into Alzheimer’s disease, Motor Neurone Disease and cancer, as well as other medical research activities.

The funding is thanks to the generosity of clients of Equity Trustees, which is one of Australia’s largest providers of trustee and executor services, including philanthropic services.

“This grant is a welcome boost to Sydney Health Partners and a powerful endorsement of our mission. It enables us to support more clinician-researchers in their efforts to have an impact on clinical care,” said SHP Executive Director, Professor Don Nutbeam AO.

“This is an opportunity to invest in people at the forefront of innovation — those turning evidence into action and embedding effective interventions into everyday clinical practice where they can make a lasting difference.”

“We will provide further information on opportunities to access these targeted research funds in coming weeks.”

As part of the grant to Sydney Health Partners, the Jane Frances Hayes and Frederick Williams Hayes Charitable Trust has provided The Hayes Award to support research into Motor Neurone Disease. More than 400,000 people worldwide are estimated to be living with MND - a disease characterised by muscle cramps, weakness and eventually paralysis, and for which there is no cure.

The Mason Foundation has provided funds to improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects memory, thinking, and behavior.

In addition, the Nicholas and Phyllis Pinter Trust has provided funds for cancer research, while the Vernon Sinclair Fund money will support general medical research.

The General Manager of Philanthropy and Community Trustee Services at Equity Trustees, Jodi Kennedy, said the funding will drive research into disease prevention and treatment with the potential to deliver significant public health benefits, while fostering long-term, collaborative relationships with organisations translating discoveries into improved healthcare.

“The Program reflects the commitment of our philanthropic clients – past and present - to advancing medical research that improves the health and wellbeing of people in Australia and around the world.”

Sydney Health Partners is one of three research organisations to receive grants in the new round of the Program.

“By partnering with these leading research institutions, the program empowers research that leads to real-world clinical outcomes, improves patient care, and supports the development of innovative therapies and interventions,” said Ms. Kennedy.

The Medical Research and Health Partnership Program is supported by 28 philanthropic trusts managed by Equity Trustees.

Ms. Kennedy says the strength of the Program is that it brings together trusts established by clients, and projects that reflect the specific wishes of each of those clients, including those who have entrusted their philanthropic legacy to Equity Trustees in perpetuity.

“As the trustee of more than 1200 philanthropic funds, we are able to bring together trusts that have similar charitable goals and coordinate, combine and streamline their funding towards that shared goal,” she said.

“We are deeply committed to creating meaningful, lasting outcomes through partnerships that advance medical research as a part of this program, and we look forward to the benefits of their work on our whole community over time.”