IFM Investors’ community grants to support social and environmental benefits through local partnerships

Seven community partnerships in Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico and Columbia will share in the latest round of funding from the IFM Investors Community Grants Program, which supports partnerships between IFM’s portfolio companies and local community organisations.

Projects range from installing animal-shaped pollinator gardens in public schools in Mexico, to regenerating local wetlands and creating employment pathways for Aboriginal Australians at Sydney Airport.

The IFM Investors Community Grants Program has delivered just under A$1 million in funding to local communities since it began in 2019, with this latest round supporting seven partnerships that promote employment pathways or create positive environmental impacts.

The grant criteria requires applicants to demonstrate that projects have a clear social or environmental outcome, whilst encouraging creative ideas and strong partnerships with our assets.

To be successful, applicants needed to show their projects would have a positive impact, deliver defined objectives, and involve close collaboration between the asset and the community organisation.

The full list of successful recipients includes:

• A$50,000 for a partnership between Sydney Airport and Aboriginal social enterprise Wildflower Gardens for Good to regenerate the Airport Wetlands

• A$49,900 for around 30 pollinator gardens to be designed and installed in public schools, in partnership with Aleatica

• A$49,695 for training scholarships for two people with Asperger’s syndrome to carry out an energy review and optimisation exercise of Aqualia’s water management facilities with support from therapists and Aqualia staff, including those with lived experience of Asperger’s syndrome

• A$43,500 to support the revegetation of 7000 square metres of land adjacent to Adelaide Airport, improving the natural environment and building community connections

• A$13,800 for Birdlife Australia to create a database and checklist of the key features of nest trees used by Powerful Owls throughout Greater Sydney, working with Ausgrid

• A$50,000 for Anglian Water to partner with the Nene Rivers Trust to re-establish the connectivity of the Slade Brook to its floodplain and to create a more diverse habitat, as well as aiming to improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding in Kettering

• A$50,000 to install ultrafiltration water purification filters to improve water quality in rural Columbian communities with Aqualia.

Successful recipients were selected from a competitive field, highlighting a strong culture of community involvement across IFM’s portfolio companies.

Quotes attributable to Global Head of Infrastructure, Kyle Mangini

“As long-term investors in critical infrastructure assets, we believe it’s important we support our portfolio companies to build strong partnerships with their communities.”

“Each grant is going to a project that will deliver a grassroots benefit and reinforces our commitment to local communities where we invest.”

Quotes attributable to Head of Sustainable Investment, Australia, Rena Pulido

“With these grants there is an opportunity to help create employment pathways and positive environmental impacts at the grassroots level, harnessing local knowledge and the passion of local communities.”

“As asset managers, we believe strong communities and activities to support natural ecosystems impacting those communities are absolutely critical in helping us to achieve our purpose to invest, protect and grow the long-term retirement savings of working people.”    

For media queries, please contact: 

Australia: Jamila Fontana | 0407 251 130, media@ifminvestors.com  

UK/Europe: ifmuk@fticonsulting.com  

North America: ifmus@fticonsulting.com 

About IFM Investors 

IFM Investors was established more than 25 years ago with the aim to invest, protect and grow the long-term retirement savings of working people. Owned by a group of Australian pension funds, the organisation has A$217 billion under management as at 31 March2023. Because IFM is owned by industry pension funds, we prioritise the interests of 640 like-minded investors worldwide by focusing on assets that combine excellent long-term risk/reward characteristics with broad economic and social benefits to the community. As a signatory to The United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, IFM actively engages on ESG issues with the companies in which we invest with the aim of enhancing their net performance while minimising investment risk. Operating globally from offices in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Berlin, Zurich, Amsterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo, IFM manages investments across infrastructure, debt, listed equities and private equity assets. For more information, visit www.ifminvestors.com