2022 Canon Oceania Grants Program introduces new grant to support flood affected SMBs and organisations

Sydney, Australia, 31 May 2022: Canon Oceania is today opening submissions for its 2022 Grants Program. This year, the company has introduced a new sub-category to its community grant, to specifically support the recovery of flood-affected businesses and community organisations following the recent devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales.

Over the last 16 years, Canon Oceania has supported more than 80 schools, not-for-profits and community groups with over $450,000 in monetary and product support – all in the spirit of Canon’s guiding philosophy of Kyosei (meaning living and working together for the common good).

“This year, the Canon Oceania Grants Program returns to support both individuals and organisations. The nation has experienced a tumultuous few years as we navigated the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and natural disasters, and we’re so pleased to be able to extend our support to those affected by the recent floods,” said Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director for Canon Oceania.

The three categories in this year’s Grants program include Community, Education and Environment.

Each Grant recipient will receive $5,000 worth of cash and Canon products ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product), ranging from cameras and printers, to projectors and other accessories.

Last year’s winner stories

Winners of the 2021 Canon Oceania Grants have put their rewards to great use. The Young Naturalists, winner of the 2021 Small Business Grant (now part of the Community category) aims to connect children with nature by providing nature photography workshops. Since the win, they have enjoyed a greater awareness of their work, and have secured a contract to present the workshops at Sydney Olympic Park.

“With the products we received from Canon, we’ve been able to provide Nature Photography workshops that allow children to connect closely with nature- something we could not do prior to winning the grant,” said Dr. Fiona Benyon, Director & Co-Founder, The Young Naturalist.

“Winning the grant gave myself and my colleague, Aniuzka, an enormous boost of confidence and we’re incredibly grateful to Canon for awarding the grant to The Young Naturalist - it has been the highlight of our journey so far!”

Last year’s winner of the Education category, Giant Steps Australia, operates a school, as well as providing intervention and adult services for children and adults living with autism spectrum disorder.

“Many of the students at Giant Steps are non-verbal and face complex challenges. Thanks to the Canon Oceania Grant, we’ve been able to create visual systems and supports to help children on the autism spectrum to communicate,” said Phillippa Talbot, Giant Steps Australia.

"With the product donation we received, we’ve also been able to create videos to showcase the work we do to help raise awareness about autism in the wider community.”

Furthermore, the winner of the 2021 Community Grant, KidsXpress, is supporting the mental health of children via trauma-informed Expressive Therapy and educational services.

“As a mental health organisation that supports children affected by trauma via Expressive Therapy, we’ve been able to take the children outside of the therapy space, exploring their potential and possibilities through a safe medium – the lens of a camera. This is with thanks to the Canon Oceania Grants Program.” said Margo Ward, KidsXpress CEO & Founder.

“I truly believe this Grants Program can significantly change the lives of people and organisations, and how they then support people. I encourage everyone to enter this year.”

The 2022 Grants categories

The 2022 Grants will be awarded under the following categories:

• 2 x Community Grants – AU$10,000
• 1 X Community Grant – AU $5,000
  Open to any for-profit entity that employs fewer than 20 people and have less than AUD 10 million aggregated turnover (according to ABS and ATO guidelines), along with a range of organisations keeping their community at the heart of what they do, ranging from not-for-profits, to grassroots groups.
• 1x Community ‘Flood Recovery’ Grant – AU $5,000
  Open to any organisation or for-profit entity affected by the 2022 Eastern Australia floods.
• 1 x Education Grant– AU$5,000
  Open to schools and other educational centres for children and adults alike.
• 1 x Environment Grant – AU$5,000
  Open to not-for-profits and organisations dedicated to raising awareness of the protection of the environment or promoting sustainable practices.

Submissions are open now until 29 July 2022 via https://www.canon.com.au/about-canon/community/grants. The wider community will vote on finalists in August, and winners will be announced in September.

For more information about Canon Oceania’s Grants Program 2022, please visit: https://www.canon.com.au/about-canon/community/grants.