Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) is proud to announce $2.1 million in funding to seven Australian charities to evaluate their innovative programs and help point the way towards achieving better outcomes for children, young people, families and people experiencing disadvantage.
Selected through PRF’s Experimental Evaluation Open Grant Round, each grant recipient will receive $300,000 to conduct a rigorous evaluation of their initiatives, including an experimental component, over the next three years.
The grantees work across a range of areas, with work to include evaluation of a literacy program for primary students, examination of the impact of connecting nurse-led home visiting programs with financial wellbeing services, and evaluation of an Aboriginal-led program that supports women transitioning from correctional centres back into their communities.
This funding will demonstrate that robust evaluations can be conducted within a relatively short time frame and with modest budgets, enabling the generation of high-quality evidence to improve outcomes for communities in need.
PRF is receiving support from the Australian Centre for Evaluation at various stages of the grant round.
Quote attributable to PRF’s Head of Measurement, Evaluation, Research, and Learning, Dr George Argyrous:
“We’re delighted to support these seven exceptional organisations to enable rigorous evaluations of their work.
“Through this funding, PRF aims to deepen the understanding and experience of evaluation techniques in Australia to better measure and create social impact. These evaluations will contribute to the evidence base that will help shape future investment in social impact programs, not only benefiting the organisations themselves but also providing knowledge for the broader for-purpose sector.”
Quote attributable to Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities Treasury and Employment, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP:
“In medicine, randomised trials have helped patients live longer and healthier lives. Bringing that same rigour to social policy evaluation helps us find out what works, and for whom. My congratulations to the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the other funders, to the grantees, and to the expert advisory committee for making this happen. The Australian Government is proud to partner with you to deliver social impact at scale.”
The Experimental Evaluation grant recipients
Learning Links – Evaluation of the Reading for Life program
Learning Links will evaluate the impact of their literacy program, designed to improve reading skills and self-concept in Year 2 and 3 students with reading difficulties. The program will involve 180 students across 18 schools in NSW, using a randomised control trial to measure outcomes such as reading fluency, comprehension, and longer-term motivation.
Tresillian – Evaluation of the Parent-Child Nurture and Regulation (PCNR) group
Australia’s largest early parenting service will assess their innovative program supporting vulnerable parent-child dyads. The evaluation will employ a Bayesian Adaptive Trial design to measure improvements in parental disturbances of self-organisation and parent-child relationships, focusing on breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma.
Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation – Evaluation of The Yili Program
This Indigenous-led organisation will use a culturally-informed randomised control trial to assess their brain health and healing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. The study will examine outcomes related to educational engagement, wellbeing, and social reintegration.
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) – Evaluation of Healthier Wealthier Families (HWF)
MCRI will evaluate the impact of connecting nurse-led home visiting programs with financial wellbeing services to improve household income, reduce material deprivation, and enhance caregiver mental health for families in two Queensland regions.
University of Newcastle – Evaluation of Justice Our Way (JOW) program
This Aboriginal-led initiative supports women transitioning from correctional centres back into their communities. The stepped-wedge evaluation design will measure the program’s impact on reducing reoffending and improving health, wellbeing, and community connections.
We are Mobilise - Evaluation of Mobilise Matched program
We are Mobilise will rigorously evaluate its pioneering Mobilise Matched program, Australia’s first direct cash transfer program for individuals facing homelessness. This initiative combines financial support of up to $7,000 with goal-setting interventions to increase housing stability and explore innovative approaches to ending homelessness. The experimental evaluation will provide critical insights into the program's effectiveness and scalability.
Karitane - Evaluation of My Toddler and Me parenting program
Karitane will evaluate this brief intervention aimed at improving social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in toddlers while preventing early childhood mental health issues. The project will involve a randomised controlled trial to assess clinical and implementation outcomes, providing evidence to guide future scale-up and increase access for families across New South Wales.
