Your Donation Feeds Youth for Life

Like the old adage says; “Give a person a fish & feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish and feed them for life”

That’s what your support for Noosa youth will do!

You'll be helping local education charities like these

Altitude

Altitude believes all young people deserve the chance to realise their potential. Through our educational scholarships, we can help transform young lives and create far-reaching opportunities for success. Altitude gives young people who live or study in the Noosa region the chance to fulfill their potential and overcome financial barriers to success. We do this by providing scholarships through local schools and offering ongoing support. Our scholarships of $1500 a year support talented and motivated students who may otherwise lose out on the opportunity to pursue their educational dreams.

But Why Bother; Noosa’s Rich!

If you look at simple percentages, the Noosa community seems well off. But percentages hide the real need to help Noosa school children. Consider;

the Myschool website analysis of every Noosa region state school shows
- 1,013 children in 2023 fell in the lowest socio-economic sector of Australians.
- Many of them are missing out on school opportunities
local charity The Thursday Girls supported;
- Bursaries for swimming lessons to some of these children.
- Otherwise, they have to sit and watch their classmates learning to swim!
- Music lessons leading to a life long appreciation of music
- School uniforms so kids are not embarrassed to attend school
- and school camps
- These are $50-$200 “treats” the children’s parents can’t afford!
- Means some of these disadvantaged kids can have more enjoyable school years.
5,424 Noosa region households earn less than $800pw and
- many of these households have kids missing out on some of childhood’s “treats”.
- At 23% of Noosa households, it actually worse than the 21% average across Australia. Overall Noosa is ‘average’; not ‘rich’
University of the Sunshine Coast reports that
- 1 in 5 local students are experiencing financial hardship.
- Some are school leavers trying to study while doing part-time work to cover expenses.
- Others are single parents training to reenter the workforce. Some have to maintain their normal household and cover living away from home expenses while doing compulsory work placement to gain experience.
well known The Smith Family
- supports 684 students from 358 families (in 2024) across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
- Following TSF infographic used with permission.

Three easy ways to educate disadvantaged youth

One off cash donation

Pay a once-off cash donation and receive a tax deduction for your support of a better future life for financially disadvantaged local students

Recurrent credit card donation

Make simple automatic recurrent donations off your credit card. A convenient way to space out your donation over the year. You still get both a tax deduction and the great feeling from helping local students go further than their financial circumstances would otherwise permit.

PAF and Trust donors

If you already have a philanthropic trust set up, we can help you support our Noosa region students. Email us on reception@noosa.foundation to start a conversation.

Do you need more information?
No problem! Ask us anything

Can I donate whatever I want?

Any donation is welcome. Give what you feel you can comfortably afford. Spread the amount over a recurrent payment if more convenient.

Are there needy students in Noosa?

There are well off people in Noosa without doubt. But there are also many young people experiencing family breakup or from families experiencing financial hardship. Your support at school and university is a great way to help them on a better path for the rest of their lives. it is a great return on your investment.

Do donations go to local students?

The charities we support have all guaranteed that your donations will go to students in the Noosa region

How do you decide who gets the money?

The schools have chaplains and counsellors who know students who are disadvantaged and will benefit greatly from your support. The University has an application process to screen for eligible candidates.

If you would like to discuss this education initiative for Noosa region disadvantaged students, please email your questions to reception@noosa.foundation

GRANTEE FEEDBACK

The committee of The Thursday Girls is very appreciative of the generous grant from the Noosa Community Foundation. As a registered charity it will be used to further our work supporting children and young people whose families are suffering financial hardship. We fund optional but educationally beneficial school programmes such as school camps, music and swimming lessons plus uniforms to name a few. Local schools apply for funds for individual students and if approved the funds are paid directly to the schools, providing the nominated student access to new opportunities and educational resources.

"At Altitude Scholarships we are incredibly grateful for the financial support provided by Noosa Foundation. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to support five bright and ambitious young people to continue their education without financial worry. In addition to relieving financial burdens, the scholarships facilitated by the Noosa Foundation fosters increased levels of confidence among recipients, ensuring they stand on equal footing with their peers as they pursue their educational goals." Jan 2024

The Noosa Community Foundation (NCF) Bursaries will support Noosa-based students with financial need and enrolled in any undergraduate program at the University of the Sunshine Coast. NCF will donate funds for equity bursaries valued at $2,500 each.