The 15 grant recipients, which were handed between $30,000 and and $154,000 each for their respective initiatives, will inject funds into multiple areas across NSW.

The fresh round of funding takes the foundation’s total contribution to the community to over $18 million since 2003. 

Cancer Council NSW, who received the highest grant of $154,000, will transform their patient transport system through a centralised booking platform. 

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The organisation presently uses “spreadsheets” and “phone calls” to arrange bookings.

The funding has brought their plans for the system forward “by years,” according to director Annie Miller 

“For people wherever they live, we want to get them to treatment – and we need too,” she said. 

“A lot of people are hours away, they might not be able to drive themselves, can’t afford the fuel, and they may not have family or friends to drive them.

“We transport at the moment, but we don’t have full state coverage.

“This is the beginning of us being able to design and have full state coverage. This grant money is going to be a game-changer for us.”

Hunter recipients include: Procare Mental Health Services ($113,300), John Hunter Children’s Hospital ($53,000), Sugarvalley Neighbourhood Advancement Group ($30,300), Caring for our Port Stephens Youth ($53,000), Centre for Hope ($40,000) and Mentor Support Network ($30,000).

Phil Neat, Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation chair, said the quality of candidates made it a challenging to narrow down the grant recipients. 

“Today we provided funding to four new partners and committed to working on eleven new projects with partners we’ve previously supported,” Mr Neat said. 

“It’s important that we’re able to support the programs and initiatives of new partners, as well as support those partners we’ve successfully worked with in the past who are now applying for support for new programs and initiatives.

“This is evidence that the support provided by the Foundation has a real and positive impact in our communities.”

The foundation provides more than $1.5 million in grants each year to facilitate projects that address disadvantage in the Hunter, Central West, Central Coast, New England, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of NSW. 

Grants are issued twice a year.