"to create opportunities for young people to reach their potential, where such potential is hampered due to disadvantage or inequality"

The Anna Wearne Fund joined Melbourne Community Foundation in 1997 in memory of 23-year-old Anna Wearne who tragically died in a car accident.  A small group of Anna's close friends and family joined together to encapsulate Anna's spirit into the aims and objectives that would shape this fund.

Fundraising began at Anna's funeral with people donating around $200 to support our aim, but it was mutual efforts from a committed advisory committee that raised sufficient funds to enable Anna's friends to request MCF to make distributions to the projects they sought to support.

It was never envisaged that the fund would ever financially compete with the larger charities and foundations, nor does it wish to. The Anna Wearne Fund fills a unique niche in the community. However, in spite of not having a great deal of money, in the seven years of its existence, MCF through the Anna Wearne Fund has distributed almost 40 different grants to a variety of charitable organizations. These include awards to Swinburne University to support the efforts of young people who have dropped out of mainstream education but return to gain a year 10 certificate, ongoing support to young children of the Carlton Housing Commission flats to provide after school and holiday activities and funding to provide music tuition for Tolly, an 11-year-old Indigenous guitarist from Deniliquin. Without support from MCF, Tolly would not have been able to continue his lessons. Learning and playing music helps give him confidence, raise his self- esteem and help with his literacy skills.

As a friend and advisory committee member said; "Our dear friend Anna gave us the inspiration to start this fund. We are often surprised at the diversity and number of requests for funding received. Unfortunately we cannot fund them all however, our small contributions continue to make a big difference for young people".