12 June 2024

Canon Oceania launches 2024 Grants Program in Australia

Canon Oceania launches 2024 Grants Program to improve technological access in Australia

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 12 June 2024: Canon Oceania is today opening submissions for its 2024 Grants program, with $40,000 available to recipients across Australia and New Zealand. The Grants will support community organisations across Education, Community, and Environment categories, as well as a dedicated First Nations Grant category this year for the first time in the program’s history.


Pictured clockwise (from top L) previous winners Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Hobart Rivulet Platypus and FoodLab Sydney

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 12 June 2024: Canon Oceania is today opening submissions for its 2024 Grants program, with $40,000 available to recipients across Australia and New Zealand. The Grants will support community organisations across Education, Community, and Environment categories, as well as a dedicated First Nations Grant category this year for the first time in the program’s history.

This year’s Grants Program launches alongside research conducted exclusively for Canon Oceania that shows a lack of access to technology could be holding Australians back from major career and life opportunities. The Canon Oceania survey of 1,000 Australians showed nearly half of all respondents, including 65% of Gen Z participants, say they may have chosen a different career path for themselves if they’d had greater access to technology in schools, including opportunities like media, design, creative arts, and photojournalism1.

Australians also strongly agreed that equal access to technology impacted future career prospects, with 92% of Australian women and 87% of Australian men identifying career benefits2.

Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director for Canon Oceania, said that improving access to technology was a core goal of the 2024 Grants Program.

“The Canon Oceania Grants Program is guided by our Kyosei philosophy of living and working together for the common good. Putting these values into practice means helping more Australians have access to technology that allows them to tell their stories, connect with each other and develop valuable skills. Through this year’s Grants Program, Australian organisations and the communities they serve will have the opportunity to receive high-quality photo, video and printing technology, as well as funding support,” said Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director for Canon Oceania.

Previous winners of the grant program have used program funding and Canon equipment supplied through the grant to close the technological equity gap for their communities. Teigan Butchers, Advocacy Program & Innovation Manager at Cerebral Palsy Alliance, which won the 2023 Canon Education Grant for its CPActive program, said the Grant had provided better access to technology that had unlocked new opportunities for young Australians.

“Being the recipient of a Canon Grant has been a big win for our community, giving us another tool to create meaningful change for people with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities. The funding and equipment we received through the 2023 Canon Grant allowed us provide opportunities for our Youth Ambassadors to access photo and video technology, and helped participants develop new skills, tell their stories and amplify the lived experience of people with disabilities. Equal access to technology is important for all Australians, but particularly important for Australian students with disabilities. We’re proud of the students and community members who have developed new skills as a result of the Canon equipment and funding provided by the Grant,” said Teigan Butchers, Advocacy Program & Innovation Manager at CPActive.

This year will be the 18th year of the annual Canon Oceania Grants Program. Since the program’s inception, Canon has provided more than 110 community organisations and schools with more than $550,000 in funding and product support. Across the 2024 categories of Community, Education, Environment, and First Nations, the program will provide each Grant recipient with $5,000 worth of cash and Canon product ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product). Products will range from cameras to lenses, printers and other accessories.

The 2024 Grants categories

The 2024 Grants will be awarded under the following categories:

1 x Community Grant – AU$5,000 ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product)
Open to organisations with their community at the heart of what they do, ranging from not-for-profits, to grassroots groups.

1 x Education Grant – AU$5,000 ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product)
Open to schools and other educational centres for children and adults alike.

1 x Environment Grant – AU$5,000 ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product)
Open to not-for-profits and organisations dedicated to raising awareness of the protection of the environment or promoting sustainable practices.

1 x First Nations Grant – AU$5,000 ($2,500 cash and $2,500 in Canon product)
Launching for the first time in 2024, this grant is open to First Nations community groups and organisations.

Submissions are open now 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 2024, please visit:
https://www.canon.com.au/about-canon/community/grants


1 MYMAVINS survey May 2024, n=1,006
2 MYMAVINS survey May 2024, n=1,006

Survey commissioned by Canon Oceania and conducted by independent research agency MYMAVINS in May 2024 via a quantitative online survey. The survey gathered 1,006 responses from Australians aged 18 years and over. The sample is broadly representative of the general adult Australian population in terms of age, gender, wealth, and region.

Canon News Source: Canon Australia