Mr Alec Prentice Sewell (1909-2003) of Toolangi, Victoria bequeathed a large part of his estate to The Ian Potter Foundation and expressed a wish that it be used for the "maintenance, education, welfare and benefit in life of needy children".

The Governors of The Ian Potter Foundation have chosen to honour his memory by making grants in his name to benefit needy children and young people, and by defining "needy children" as those who are disadvantaged by virtue of their economic, social, physical or geographical circumstances. Applications for these Sewell grants may be made under the Community Wellbeing, Education, and Environment and Conservation Program Areas.

The goal of these grants is to provide children and young people with access to programs and experiences that will increase the likelihood of their reaching their full potential.

For further information on the Foundation and how to apply for grants, please see the how to apply section of the website

Specific objectives of the grants are:

• To support projects that will lay the foundation for future positive health, social and educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people

• To support projects that will address the needs of socially or economically disadvantaged children and young people

• To support projects designed to improve the literacy of disadvantaged children and young people

• To support projects that provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people to learn about and care for the environment.

$200,000 over two years (2007 - 2008) to assist with refurbishing the School of Arts.

The Exodus Foundation was established in 1986 by the Reverend Bill Crews of the Ashfield Uniting Church in NSW to meet the needs of homeless youth and other people in need.

One of its most successful programs is the Schoolwise MULTILIT® (Making Up Lost Time In LITeracy) Program, which fast tracks the reading skills of children in Years 5 and 6 who have cognitive literacy skills equivalent to those of a child in Year 2 or below. The aim is to get students to the reading level of the average 10-year-old, recognised as the level that will serve the student for life. Many students exceed this level and, within one year of commencing the MULTILIT® course, reach the same reading level as their peers.

In 2006 The Exodus Foundation was given the Ashfield School of Arts, an adjacent building which had not been used for thirty years and required extensive renovations.

This building was given to The Exodus Foundation because of its capacity to relocate and grow its very successful Schoolwise MULTILIT® Program.

Classes commenced in the redeveloped School of Arts in February 2009. The contribution from the Alec Prentice Sewell Gift has allowed the program to relocate to an expanded purpose-built facility making it possible to offer four classes per year rather than the previous two. The larger space will also enable Exodus to undertake onsite training of teachers, and to develop other programs related to homeless youth. Over the long term, the grant from the Alec Prentice Sewell Gift will extend the school engagement strategies to underprivileged children from a wider area, enabling more young people to experience a life of different possibilities.

$47,350 in 2007 for the Shooting Goals for Children program

One of the consequences of running a successful basketball club for older girls and boys is a request from younger members of their families for their own basketball teams. This was the situation that confronted Open Family in 2007. It became clear to the leaders of the Redskins that there was a real need to provide similar experiences for younger children. This led to a request for funding for the establishment of a junior Redskins basketball program.

In July 2007 the Alec Prentice Sewell Gift made a grant to establish the program for children aged under 12. The grant covered the registration fees for one hundred children to join the Sunshine Basketball Association, provided a club uniform for each child, and covered coaching costs and the necessary first aid kit.

The club is situated in a disadvantaged area of Melbourne, with a large population of recent immigrants from Africa and East Timor. Children are referred to the club by the Western English Language School and their primary schools, as well as by the local police. Membership of the club allows the children to benefit from the sense of belonging to a successful organisation that promotes prosocial skills and self-respect at the same time as it develops basketball and teamwork skills, physical fitness, health and general knowledge. A secondary gain has been the strengthening of family and community connectedness through the involvement of parents and other family members in the club.