Completed grants

The Economics + Maths = Financial Capability Project led by Dr Carly Sawatzki explored ways to develop and support humanities and mathematics teachers’ work as financial educators.

The project involved exploring how the Australian Curriculum frames finance-related content, compiling insights from education research, surveys and interviews with education professionals, teachers and students, designing a bespoke course for teachers.

The project worked with a consortium of peak teaching associations including the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, Business Educators Australia, the Victorian Commercial Teachers Association and the Mathematical Association of Victorian.

You can read the final report here.

The Glassbreaker series helped young women take control of their financial lives, through a series of facilitated workshops, access to financial literacy resources, membership of an online hub and community of like-minded women.

This project with Hobsons Bay Community Fund saw the development and delivery of two peer co-designed financial literacy programs to strengthen the financial knowledge and capability of students and young people in southwest Victoria.

This included a peer built and delivered financial literacy program, in 6 high schools over two years reaching approximately 750 students. A second program was the co-design of 8 financial literacy modules to be delivered by TAFE students to upper high school students, early school leavers and special needs students.

Cahoots supports children and young people with disabilities, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and others who face exceptional challenges by running camps and programs that give young people learning experiences to support their growth as individuals.

Ecstra’s support enabled Cahoots to deliver accessible and culturally appropriate online financial capability education. Cahoots hosted training sessions on an online platform and promoted across the sector Australia-wide.

Ecstra partnered with Little Dreamers to deliver a Dreamers Hub financial literacy series, spanning over six months, including podcasts, worksheets and tailored support for young carers. The series provided support to young carers on money matters and aims to increase their financial capability – with young carers often assuming extra familial financial responsibilities such as managing family budgets, paying bills and grocery shopping.

An interactive community full of resources, forums, games and instant support, the Dreamers Hub aims to improve the mental health, and increase social opportunities, for young carers. Educational content ranges from resume masterclasses, money matters, study skills, careers guidance and more.

A young carer is anyone under the age of 25 who provides, or intends to provide, care for a family member with a disability, illness or addiction.

Ecstra supported the scaling of the Young Changemakers program and evaluation by Inner North Community Foundation (INCF). The program involves students at participating high schools running a small grants process to commit funding to three local charities. 

The program aims to increase students’ financial capability through experiential learning – managing project budgets, allocating funds, reporting as well as learning about vulnerability, and the value of philanthropy.  

Two Good Co is a social enterprise providing survivors of domestic and family violence with meaningful employment.

Two Good Co has donated over 184,102 restaurant-quality meals to women’s shelters across Sydney and Melbourne and has paid over 35,207 hours of employment to vulnerable women through its Work Work Program. 

The Program hires women from the same community shelters they provide meals to and employs these women in their commercial kitchen for Two Good’s catering business. 

Ecstra partnered with Two Good Co in supporting victim survivors on their journey towards recovery; by helping to rebuild finances, confidence and financial autonomy.

Code Like a Girl is an innovative, social enterprise committed to increasing the representation of girls and women in tech and coding, helping to remove barriers for women pursuing a career in STEM. 

Ecstra’s grant supported 30 women from disadvantaged backgrounds to enrol in Code Like a Girl’s School of Code, providing access to a suite of learnings and career support to help participants acquire technical and business skills needed to launch a career in web development and tech. The program included a paid internship and freelance opportunities.

Women’s Health in the North (WHIN) works to eliminate gender inequities and improve outcomes in women’s health, safety and wellbeing.  

Ecstra’s grant supported the extension and scaling of the Let’s Talk Money Program, an award-winning financial literacy program that aims to support the economic empowerment of migrant and refugee women living in Northern Melbourne. 

Let’s Talk Money uses a peer educator/trainer approach, employing women from culturally diverse backgrounds to deliver practical and tailored in-language financial capability.

Global Sisters is a women led business incubator organisation that delivers innovative, impactful and sustained support to women who want to become financially independent through business. 

Back Her Brilliance is a national service that guides women on their micro-enterprise journey, providing Sisters with end-to-end support from ideation to acceleration. Their programs include business education courses, expert coaching, opportunities for scale-up, workshops and events.

Ecstra’s grant supported Global Sisters to identify, co-design and tailor financial products and services for female micro-enterprises in partnership with a range of financial institutions.

Women’s Information and Referral Exchange (WIRE) provides free support, referral and information for all Victorian women and gender-diverse people, WIRE is experienced in financial capability education and research initiatives with an intersectionality focus.

Ecstra’s funding enabled WIRE to produce COVID-19 related and beyond financial capability resources and information to support women and gender-diverse people. These resources helped women make informed financial decisions during this period of intense economic uncertainty.

Ecstra’s support enabled NSCLC to employ a Financial Advocate and Educator for 2 years to work collaboratively on building evidence on prevention of financial elder abuse in Western Australian. This included working with the Centre for Social Impact and the Victorian Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG) and NSW (EAGR), as well as providing education and advocacy programs for women and older people at risk of financial decision coercion.

Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights Inc (AMWCHR) seeks to advance the rights and status of Muslim and migrant women in Australia. The service supports women by building awareness of financial rights, financial abuse, and building capacity for economic independence and security.

AMWCHR established a Women’s Support Line, targeting highly vulnerable and isolated Muslim women experiencing a range of barriers to accessing mainstream services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Informed by Sydney Women’s Fund ‘Women’s Work’ research, Be Kind Sydney undertook an analysis and mapping of financial capability interventions aimed at Inner West and Western Sydney women to identify gaps, improve referral channels, and raise the profile of financial education in local communities. 

First Nations Foundation is an Indigenous financial wellbeing organisation working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to provide financial education, training, and resources. 

Ecstra provided funding to First Nations Foundation to develop an outcomes measurement framework to better understand and measure the impact of their work and programs.  The funding enabled First Nations Foundation to work with Social Ventures Australia  to develop and embed an outcomes measurement framework, measurement and reporting methodology.

A partnership between between Koondee Woonga-gat Toor-rong (KWT Fund), Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) and Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN), the Catchin Up Project empowers Indigenous leaders with practical money skills to share money lessons for life in their communities. The project 

provides training, resources and share stories to build the financial capability of frontline staff at First Nations organisations.

Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) delivers health, social, welfare and community development programs to Aboriginal people, including financial literacy and support services. 

Ecstra’s funding enabled BADAC to continue to deliver vital support to vulnerable community members, and to produce information and communications for clients on consumer financial issues – ensuring crucial support was available to those impacted by COVID-19.

Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) provides consumer education, advocacy, financial counselling and financial capability services to Indigenous consumers across the nation.

Ecstra’s support enabled ICAN to develop a financial counselling and financial capability remote service delivery model, ensuring Indigenous consumers in remote settings or impacted by COVID-19 restrictions had access to financial information, programs and support.

Cape York Institute delivers services and support to Indigenous people and communities, providing financial inclusion pathways for Indigenous people in the Cape York area. 

The Cape York Institute implemented an online portal integrating financial education content and programs to enable digital and remote learning, available in First Nations languages.

Cahoots supports children and young people with disabilities, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and others who face exceptional challenges by running camps and programs that give young people learning experiences to support their growth as individuals.

Ecstra’s support enabled Cahoots to deliver accessible and culturally appropriate online financial capability education. Cahoots hosted training sessions on a secure online platform and promoted across the sector Australia-wide.

Operating in the Northern Peninsula area of Far North Queensland, NPA Family and Community Services (NPAFACS) supports clients in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities including in relation to financial wellbeing and capability assistance to families and women experiencing family violence. 

Ecstra’s funding helped communities continue to safely access these vital services during COVID-19.

Exploring organisational culture to deliver ethical services for Indigenous customers. 

Clare Burns was the recipient of the 2019 Australian Business Ethics Network grant (sponsored by Ecstra) to research ethical decision making in financial markets. 

The grant process was competitive and underwent international peer review.

This project researched how to influence informed decision-making regarding small amount credit and consumer leases (SAC & CL) among Indigenous consumers in Western Sydney.

Professor David Michayluk working with Professor Robynne Quiggin led a team to investigate and propose new approaches to protect Indigenous consumers.

The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Life in the 21st Century is an Australia wide podcast and  radio show for older Australians, focusing on healthy aging and financial wellbeing.

It covers issues including the economics of ageing in Australia, elder financial abuse and much more.

In 2022, presenters Lex Marinos OAM and Patricia ‘Little Pattie’ Amphlett OAM won the Senior Influencers of the Year Award for their work on Baby Boomers Guide at the NSW Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing, Health and Lifestyle award.

The Baby Boomer’s guide was distributed through the Community Radio Network which accesses around 400 stations across Australia. The guide is supported by the Older Women’s Network NSW and can be downloaded here.

Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (GSANZ) addresses the critical, contemporary issues facing women, girls and families. GSANZ worked in partnership with Fitted for Work to deliver one-on-one financial coaching and targeted support to 80 older women who became unemployed as a result of COVID-19. 

Each coaching service explored individual employment and financial security goals within a holistic framework of strengths-based future planning.

Australian Multicultural Community Services (AMCS) provides help at home and other support services to older consumers and their carers in Melbourne and Greater Geelong.  

This project raised awareness of financial abuse among older people from CALD backgrounds. Ecstra’s funding enabled AMCS to build the capacity of its staff to understand and identify financial abuse, deliver co-design workshops to inform the development of multilingual resources (including videos and fact sheets in 6 languages), and to test the efficacy of these resources. The project reached at least 1,500 people across Victoria.  

Ecstra’s support enabled Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre (NSCLC) to employ a Financial Advocate and Educator for 2 years to work collaboratively on building evidence on prevention of financial elder abuse in Western Australian. This included working with the Centre for Social Impact and the Victorian Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG) and NSW (EAGR), as well as providing education and advocacy programs for women and older people at risk of financial decision coercion.

Seniors Rights Service (SRS) protects and advances the rights of older people, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.  SRS undertakes various support and advocacy activities, including a dedicated financial hardship service with legal and social workers addressing financial abuse.

Ecstra’s grant enabled SRS to implement an awareness raising campaign across NSW focused on the financial abuse of older people during and after COVID-19. This included information and resources made available in four languages.

Lead by Dr Tracey West from Griffith University and informed by her research regarding elder abuse and related complaints data, this project included the development of practical resources (such as videos) to inform the community and professional services about how elder financial abuse is perpetrated. Focus areas included Powers of Attorney, access to accounts and wills, together with suggested protection strategies.  

Ecstra’s funding supported the Gippsland Men’s Sheds Cluster (44 men’s sheds) to develop and distribute easy-to-understand financial capability resources (including videos and/or podcasts) for older men. Once trialed in the Gippsland region, the resources will be made available state-wide, with potential for national roll-out through the men’s shed networks.

This project built on research funded by Dementia Australia involving digitising a Test of Financial Skills tool which assesses financial skills in older consumers. For example fraud detection, paying bills, handling cash, and financial judgement and management. 

On the basis of their results, participants received targeted recommendations for education and support matched to outcomes, helping improve their financial capability and decision making.

Ecstra’s funding supported a multi-disciplinary team to develop an Assurance Information Package (AIP) with practical strategies for informed financial decision-making for older people in times of crisis. The AIP will be distributed to financial services, aged care providers and advocates. 

Led by Dr Cassandra Cross, this project aimed to strengthen self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) against fraud victimisation. The project used a combination of an online survey and consumer interviews, to establish a baseline of data on levels of financial literacy, awareness of fraud, and victimisation experiences of SMSF holders to fraud.

The Macquarie University’s Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE) team led by Dr Henry Cutler investigated whether people make optimal accommodation payment decisions when entering residential care, factors impacting those decisions, and potential opportunities to improve payment decisions.

Following on from the retirement villages calculator project, Dr Kyng’s team investigated the financial risks for residents when relocating from a retirement village to other accommodation, particularly aged care, and produced educational financial literacy resources for consumers.

A team led by Dr Braam Lowies conducted research through 62 individual consumer interviews on the financial capability of older people, with a focus on home care packages and choosing financial products. Read their report here.

The FIAP Program has a bold future vision for an Australia where individuals and families are able to realise their potential and thrive. Connecting with others and having access to resources and tools to help build financial resilience and wellbeing is central to achieving this vision. In Phase One (2015-2018) the FIAP Program enabled 30 organisations (Trailblazers) to take 580+ actions to improve financial inclusion, resilience and wellbeing for their customers, employees and the wider community. By the end of Phase Two (2024) the ambition is to work with more than 100 member organisations, collectively reaching almost 350,000 employees and 1.7 million customers deemed most ‘at-risk’ of experiencing financial vulnerability.

Ecstra was the Principal Supporter for the transition through Phase Two of the FIAP Program. The program aligns with Ecstra’s commitment to support and grow cross sector collaboration, to build on the evidence base of “what works” in financial capability approaches, and to achieve improved outcomes for consumers, including FIAP Program member employees.

Ecstra teamed up with The Funding Network (TFN) to offer free pitch-coaching workshops to our community partners.

TFN helps build the financial capacity and sustainability of non profits and social enterprises. Their innovative and interactive workshops provide community leaders with practical tools and skills for storytelling and fundraising.

This partnership provided opportunities for Ecstra grantees and TFN’s alumni to share outcomes and build networks with sector peers.

Thriving Communities Partnership (TCP) is a not-for-profit for-purpose organisation working with business, service providers, academics, government, and NGOs to build networks and platforms for shared learning and collective action. 

TCP developed the One Stop, One Story Hub (the Hub) a world first cross-sector digital platform, connecting people to support programs and service providers, simply, through a single entry point in a safe and secure way. For people experiencing vulnerability, this means: One Stop, One Story, removing the need to retell their story and relive trauma.

Ecstra funded TCP to develop an evaluation model, enabling the measurement and sharing of outcomes to create a more aligned system for consumers. Ecstra’s funding also enabled TCP to scale the project and further build cross sector engagement and collaboration.

Financial Rights Legal Centre conducted research to develop an informed consumer representative position on consumer data and open insurance.

UCare Gawler developed and delivered a pilot program aimed at addressing the financial capability needs of military veterans and their families whilst they adjust and transition to civilian life, through financial capability outreach, targeted referrals and assistance.

ADA Australia produced two educational cartoon videos targeting a national audience. Video 1 focused on increasing the financial literacy of adults (18 – 65 years) with a mild to moderate level cognitive disability and/or impaired decision-making capacity. Video 2 helped educate those who have been appointed as a formal decision maker for financial matters.

Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Legal Centre partnered to deliver a public education campaign on borrowing options (using the Watch Your Nuts video). 

The campaign was aimed at shifting attitudes around Australians’ borrowing habits.

Led by Dr Laura de Zwaan (Griffith University) and Dr Deanna Grant-Smith (QUT), the team undertook research to understand the financial and work-life balance expectations of MLM consultants in Australia and to develop financial literacy resources to assist potential consultants to make an informed decision about entering into an MLM scheme.

The project team led by Professor Stefan Trueck developed an AntiPort website, a mobile phone application and an educational video to raise awareness and better protect consumers from the risks of fraudulent mobile number porting.

Tender Funerals is a not-for-profit funeral service model that aims to ensure all Australians can access meaningful and affordable funerals. 

Tender Funerals established a network of local franchisees and provide support to local sites, including a public facing website and educational resources for communities.

Tender Funerals is a not-for-profit funeral service model that aims to ensure all Australians can access meaningful and affordable funerals. 

Tender Funerals established a network of local franchisees and provide support to local sites, including a public facing website and educational resources for communities.

With a team led by Professor Roslyn Russell, this project created and promoted a financial capability toolkit for young adults. The aim of the project is to prevent the escalation of economic abuse in young adult relationships.

See the financial capability toolkit and money quiz at You, Me & Money.

Watch a video about the co-design process behind the toolkit here.

Read the full project report here.

The Violet Initiative is a social enterprise changing the way we spend our last stage of life. Violet helps caregivers by providing non-clinical support through a Guided Support Program and a growing library of stories and information.

Violet is working across sectors to address the needs of carers. Violet engages health care and aged care providers, geriatric and palliative care specialists, community providers, banks and insurers.

Ecstra’s funding has assisted Violet in developing the capacity of partner organisations to provide support on financial issues to carers.

Violet’s financial services awareness and referral programs train customer service staff to sensitively address end-of-life issues, to deal with financial queries as well as offering referral pathways to Violet.