Before Blake Morrison found employment with Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA), he struggled to find supportive and long-term work. After gaining invaluable geospatial skills from ASA’s on-the-job training, ASA helped him transition his employment to a multi-year contract at the University of New England’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre as a Spatial Analyst.
“When I was at ASA, I loved the variety of work, and applying my brainpower and having it potentially benefit ASA and client projects,” says Blake. “I felt freed from the shame cycle of Centrelink and feel like ASA has allowed me to maintain and enhance my job prospects.”
There are more than 100 young neurodivergent adults employed by ASA, one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing work-integrated social enterprises which provides career pathways in the geospatial and engineering professions – industries with critical skills shortages. Team members use their unique cognitive talents, such as attention to detail, pattern recognition and memory retention, to deliver professional ‘big data’ services for multiple industries and all levels of government. ASA’s aim is to be a career starting point for young neurodivergent adults so that they can eventually transition their employment to other inclusive organisations.
In mid-2023, PRF invested $5 million in ASA through a blended finance arrangement – half the funds as a grant, and half as an impact investment – for the social enterprise to scale its operations and provide more employment opportunities for young neurodivergent people, who face an unemployment rate of 34 per cent – 10 times the national average.
More than one year on, ASA CEO Geoff Smith says the finance has helped the organisation to increase its impact.
“This blended finance partnership was monumental for ASA,” he says. “It shows that with some tailored support, social enterprises like ASA can mature past the grant cycle and create systemic impact over the long term. The capital has allowed ASA to scale its impact across Australia and facilitated the employment of 40 new young autistic and neurodiverse adults in the first year.”
PRF Chief Impact Officer, Ben Gales says that investing PRF’s resources in innovative ways can help unlock sustained impact across the sector.
“We know that many for-purpose organisations are keen to become more sustainable and less reliant on grants but can struggle to access traditional finance. PRF’s blended finance investment in ASA, in which the grant component funds the social impact (employment support for young neurodivergent people) and patient capital for expanding its commercial operations – has given ASA the capacity and freedom to scale, and provide employment and support to young neurodivergent people for the long-term.”
Geoff Smith was named the 2025 Queensland Australian of the Year, and in the next year, ASA anticipates it will support more than 50 people into new and sustainable employment.
This story was originally published as a case study in PRF's 2024 Annual Review.
