At Goodman, we believe the sustainability of our planet — and the wellbeing of all the people in it — is everyone’s responsibility. That’s why we partner with passionate, and often, grassroots charities who, like us, are striving to do good in the world.
Goodman Foundation is committed to addressing disadvantage and making a tangible difference to the lives of the people in our community. We partner with like-minded local organisations to fund explicit projects and activities that have clearly defined timelines and outcomes and in doing so, provide real support where it is needed most.
Charity organisations who help protect, nurture and support children or young people.
Charity organisations who support those living with a condition, illness or disability, or whose efforts help to create a more inclusive and equitable community.
Charity organisations who reduce waste and support those in need by redistributing fresh food or useful items that would otherwise go to landfill.
Brazil faces a raft of issues stemming from serious social inequality. Young people are heavily impacted, with around one third of Brazilians not finishing high school so they can earn an income for their families. For this reason, The Goodman Foundation focuses on education, given its capacity to improve so many aspects of a person’s life.
The Foundation, together with experts from the education sector, developed the Goodman Mais (‘More’) Education Program to respond to challenges in education and employment focusing on young people in disadvantaged areas of Sao Paulo.
The bespoke program offers studies in Environment Management, delivered by training provider Senac, providing participants with an impactful technical qualification. In addition, soft-skill development, mentoring and career pathway support is provided via Goodman’s people, customers and partners, supporting its graduates find better paying jobs in the challenging Brazilian market.
The program is flexible, providing support as unanticipated challenges arise: in the first year, it became obvious that some students had no access to laptops – so were provided one. For others, the cost of bus travel to and from school was a barrier – monthly bus passes are now built into the program.
Goodman continues to build on the success of the program, evolving it and bringing on new participants every year.
About 45,000 young people in Australia are homeless with many having a background of trauma. To address this issue, the Goodman Foundation has partnered with Stepping Stone House, which provides safe places for children and young people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness.
Programs help them begin to heal, build resilience and become the best they can be, while providing long-term accommodation and support until they are 24 years old.
This people-centred approach has already helped over 450 young people become independent adults. The educational outcomes alone are significant, with graduates having school attendance rates of 87%. They also have 100% employment rates on graduation from the program.
The Foundation, a long-term partner of Stepping Stone House, supports the organisation in a number of ways, including multi-year funding support for its Bawaga Indigenous program through the employment of Indigenous support workers for the home.
Goodman also helps with a Community Hub housed within a Goodman site in Sydney’s Alexandria. The Hub is home to activities, as well as a safe place for the Stepping Stone community to meet outside the residential houses.
Goodman’s cars are also used to help residents learn to drive, and we’re a major partner of its key Sleeping Under the Stars fundraiser.
To support women and children in need in Hong Kong, and promote gender equality, the Goodman Foundation partners with Habitat for Humanity to support its Women Build program. The Foundation provides funding and utilises the Goodman team’s expertise in planning and design to renovate facilities that are dedicated to helping disadvantaged women and children. Work has included a Child Care Home for children without families and pregnant teenagers who cannot be adequately cared for by their families, creating a safer and more welcoming environment for the people living there.
Goodman also worked on an upgrade to a community centre and shelter that supports Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers, making space for additional facilities and providing a more functional, welcoming environment for counselling, education and healthcare services.
Building a new paediatric intensive care unit
For several years, The Goodman Foundation has partnered with UZ Brussel, a leading university hospital in Belgium founded in 1977. We have worked on a range of programs, with a particular focus on the needs of children.
The staff of the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in UZ Brussel in Belgium, have a saying: “We want to care, not scare.”
Built in 1984, and treating 400 children a year, the unit is outdated in both size and function. 150 children a year are turned away for lack of space. There are other problems too. The tubes, machines, blank ceilings, tiny rooms and excessive noise aren’t child-friendly or welcoming.
That will change with the build of a new paediatric intensive care unit, funded in part by The Goodman Foundation. By increasing to 10 beds, they will be able to treat up to 550 children a year. The unit will feature leading technology that helps alleviate the wires and beeps that can scare children and cause them distress. It also includes sofa beds for parents to stay with their children and much welcomed space to gather in. Video chat in each room means kids can stay in contact with friends and family while undergoing lifesaving care.
Violence against women is a serious problem globally. In Australia, on average one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. Our Watch, an Australian organisation that works to prevent violence against women and their children, has undertaken evidence-based research which demonstrates gender inequality is at the heart of the problem for violence against women. Our Watch works to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise.
To expand the reach of its services and effect real change across the country, Our Watch is partnering with the Goodman Foundation to establish the Our Watch Institute. The Institute’s mission is to inspire and support Australians to end violence against women by doing their part to promote gender equality. Through training and practical tools, individuals and organisations will be equipped to lead prevention work in their own workplaces, communities and spheres of influence.
The Goodman Foundation has committed $1 million towards the establishment and launch of the Institute and will commit a further $700,000 over the coming years to assist the operations which will first focus on corporate Australia. Over time we plan for the Institute to inspire and support organisations, workplaces, education institutions and sporting clubs to collectively put an end to domestic violence in Australia.
Charity organisations in the food rescue and environment space reduce waste and support those in need by redistributing fresh food or useful items that would otherwise go to landfill.
Providing food relief and enabling more fresh produce
Finding enough affordable food is an ongoing struggle for many in Orange County, California, with one in seven children experiencing food insecurity.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is driven by its purpose to end hunger in the local community. The organisation collaborates with over 250 food pantries and partners that all work towards this goal.
The Goodman Foundation has partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank on a number of innovative solutions that work to provide food to those that need it most. These include the funding of a mobile fresh food truck calls the “Park-it Market” which provides free food to senior communities across Orange County. Seniors can choose food that fits their needs, diets and cooking preferences in a manner that is respectful and provides dignity.
Another is the provision of an electric/hybrid farm vehicle to help transport produce from the Harvest Solutions Farm. Developed in partnership with the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center and A.G Kawamura, Chairman of Solutions for Urban Agriculture, the farm allows the non-profit to grow its own food.
Good360 connects surplus goods from businesses with charities, schools and Australians who need them most. Good360 allows charities to get the right goods to the right people, at the right time. In addition to helping charities all year round, Good360 works to help communities impacted by disaster – at the outset and long into the recovery phase.
As a founding partner of Good360 in Australia, Goodman has provided Good360 with both an office for their team to grow and an extensive warehouse space to support their operations. We also helped them establish their disaster recovery operations in response the 2020 droughts, fires and pandemic.
Goodman Foundation continue to provide cash grants for Good360’s annual operational costs and remains a close partner.