I'm a community organisation - what's in it for me?

Who can partner with a school and apply for a NAB Schools First award?

Schools are partnering with a diverse range of community partners. In the context of NAB Schools First awards, a community partner is any agency or entity that is not a school. This may include:

• Local businesses
• Government
• Not-for-profits
• Sporting groups
• Service clubs
• Police citizen's youth clubs
• Building or trade associations
• Community health centres
• TAFEs or universities
• Aged care centres
• Science organisations
• Environmental groups
• Refugee/migrant support groups
• And many more

Nationally, several sectors are actively developing partnerships with schools. Of the 2011 award winning partnerships:

• 41% involved a not-for-profit or community organisation
• 29% involved businesses
• 17% involved a University or TAFE
• 17% involved a Government Department or Local Council

To read about our 310 award winning partnerships, visit the winners page.

Reported benefits to organisations partnering with schools:

There are enormous benefits to organisations willing to partner with local schools. Examples include:

• Increased staff pride and engagement
• Greater access to motivated and work-ready young people
• Increased profiling of their cause or service
• Improved relationships with their local community
• Contribution to the development of socially responsible young people
• Strengthened organisational reputation of community responsibility, and
• Increased awareness of social issues.

What do the partners contribute to school-community partnerships?

Partnering organisations are helping schools address their particular needs in a variety of ways. For example:

• Mentoring
• Assistance with social justice projects
• Issues management
• Financial management
• Grant-writing skills
• Construction of facilities
• Professional Training/Professional Development for staff
• Vocational offerings or training
• Creative productions or exhibitions opportunities
• Health and fitness promotion or improvement
• Environmental projects
• Expertise with 'at risk' and vulnerable students
• Service learning

Awards available in 2012

NAB Schools First enters its fourth year in 2012 with 130 awards and $3 million available to outstanding school-community partnerships. The awards breakdown is:

• 55 x Impact Awards ($30,000 each)
• 65 x Seed Funding Awards ($15,000 each)
• 10 x Student Awards ($5,000 each)

Impact Award Winners were then in the running for:

• 8 x State/Territory Awards (a further $30,000 each)
• 1 x National Award (a further $140,000)

Click here to see who won in 2011

Looking for a partner?

Do you have a great idea for a school-community partnership that's based on an identified need but don't have a partner? To find one, register for the Partnership Matching Service and start creating your partnership.

Create a profile around your partnership needs, outcomes and requirements and start searching for potential matches immediately.

Useful Links
I'm a school - what's in it for me?
I'm a student - what's in it for me?
Toolkit
Knowledge Bank
Awards Categories
Award Winners