A new era of grantmaking for L.E.W. Carty Charitable Fund

In the years since 1977, when the L.E.W. Carty Charitable Fund was established under the Will of Olive Carty, there have been many advancements in medical research that would have seemed unimaginable at the time Olive wrote her Will.

Navigating this shifting landscape and determining eligibility of grant applicants under the terms of her Will became progressively more difficult for the trustees of the L.E.W. Carty Charitable Fund, due to restrictive clauses that were originally included in the Will to satisfy laws no longer in effect.

Changes to eligibility

For some years the pool of eligible grantees has been seriously eroded, and in 2018 the trustees obtained a Cy Pres order from the Supreme Court of Victoria to broaden the terms of Olive Carty’s Will under which the Fund was established. This enables the Fund to provide grants to a wider array of entities undertaking worthy 21^st century medical research.

Changes to grantmaking

In the light of the changes to eligibility, the trustees consequently undertook a strategic review of grantmaking. The review has led to a new more-focused grants strategy for the L.E.W. Carty Charitable Fund.

Within the parameters of the funds available, we seek to make impactful grants in areas of particular health need. Two priority health areas of medical research have been selected for initial support: Asthma, and Child and Adolescent Obesity.

Additionally, trustees have decided to provide fewer but more significant grants on a multiyear basis. Commencing in 2020, our Signature Grants aim to help nurture early and mid-career researchers and, where practical, to retain leading researchers in Victoria.

For further information, please visit the Grants page of our website