PNI Foundation

Pinnacle is passionate about enabling better lives through investment excellence. This belief is reflected through Pinnacle’s strong commitment – together with affiliated fund managers – towards partnering with the PNI Foundation (Foundation) to drive positive, long term social change. Through building the capacity of excellent Australian not for profit (NFP) organisations, the Foundation is helping to deliver tangible impact within communities across six key causes – identified as critically important by employees and stakeholders of Pinnacle and Affiliates.

Funding Approach

Each relationship is based on a long-term commitment, with all charitable partners carefully selected for their relevance to Pinnacle’s values and commitment to ESG principles, importance to employees, and their strategic fit with the interests of individual fund managers. We are delighted that the Foundation continues to work so closely and successfully with Affiliates, to build the capacity and increase the impact of these great not-for-profit organisations.

The ongoing determination, resilience and flexibility which was the hallmark of our partners during the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, has continued to drive ongoing community rebuilding. Our partners’ immense sense of commitment and responsibility towards those they support – who remain vulnerable in these challenging times of increased living costs, high interest rates and low housing affordability – is both humbling and inspiring”.

IAN MACOUN

The Foundation’s success is built around close engagement and collaboration across the wider Pinnacle Group, with Pinnacle Affiliates actively working with the Foundation to build longterm NFP partnerships. In addition, Affiliates provide investment management services to the Foundation on a pro bono basis. Pinnacle also offers extensive pro bono support, across a wide range of functions”.

Mary Jung, Foundation CEO

History and Vision

Tracing its history back to Pinnacle’s antecedent companies in 1987 – including Wilson HTM, Wilson & Co and the Wilson family – today’s PNI Foundation is closely aligned with the strategic business objectives of the Pinnacle Group (ASX: PNI). Rebranded at the start of 2024 from Pinnacle Charitable Foundation, and now reflecting Pinnacle’s ASX ticker, the PNI Foundation is supported by the Group to achieve its vision of “helping to build a more compassionate, creative and clever Australia”.

Effective, longterm relationships with inspiring NFPs enable the Foundation to fulfil its purpose of “helping to develop a more effective, viable and sustainable not-for-profit (NFP) sector in Australia”.  The impact of these powerful collaborations in turn enables helps the Foundation to fulfil its mission; “to make a positive impact on the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Australian communities, through funding and supporting a wide range of charitable endeavours linked to the philanthropic interests of Pinnacle and affiliated fund managers”.

The PNI Foundation operates as an independent public ancillary fund (PuAF), registered with the ACNC (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) with DGR Type 2 status.

Partnership Philosophy

In every partnership the Foundation’s aim is to facilitate the delivery of solutions which can be analysed and assessed, strengthened and scaled.

As an early stage backer which frequently offers seed funding to encourage trials and incubate new projects, the Foundation has often been able to invest in the future of young, passionate NFP entities as they seek to have a growing impact within their communities. Many partners have leveraged this initial support, securing further funding from private and public donors to successfully build their long term capacity to drive change.

Partner Support and Selection

In all cases the Foundation provides annual funding of between $20,000 and $100,000 for specific projects and programs, which are approved via a formal application process. The goal is to build multi year engagements which foster strong and close relationships, and support the ability of selected NFP partners to address often complex social issues. These reflect UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) identified and adopted as priorities by the Foundation.

Affiliates collaborate closely and donate directly to partners which align with the interests of their employees, investors and business strategies. During 2023 donations of over $700,000 were primarily directed towards 17 partners, increased by a further $445,000 from seven Affiliates. All partnerships seek to address six broadly defined causes.

Pinnacle’s Backing

With the financial backing of Pinnacle and access to extensive pro bono services across investment management, portfolio reporting, finance, marketing and IT, the Foundation operates with low overheads and high impact. The Foundation Board is particularly grateful to Ian Macoun for his personal pro bono commitment to skillfully managing the Foundation’s investment portfolio, which is governed by a formal investment strategy. This strategy aims to provide reasonable capital protection in volatile markets whilst seeking to drive growth over the longer term. Investments are held in a range of suitable products offered across Affiliates, which include funds offering franking credits, monthly income streams, global exposure and a range of non-equity exposed assets. As part of their broad commitment to the Foundation, all Affiliates donate the equivalent of management fee rebates back to the Foundation through cash or additional units in investments.

This access to expertise, insight and market knowledge creates excellent opportunities for the Foundation to enable professional, well governed organisations to deliver impact – through partnerships which allow them the flexibility to focus on their core business.

Shareholder and Investor Engagement

Pinnacle and Affiliate stakeholders are also invited to contribute directly to the Foundation, with 100% of all public donations directed to charity partners. As the Foundation is endorsed by the ATO as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) covered by Item 2 of the table in section 30-15 of the Income tax Assessment Act 1997, eligible donations made to the Foundation over $2.00 are tax deductible. Details of Directors, governing documents and Annual Information Statements can be accessed via the ACNC register.

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Core Focus Areas

Currently the Foundation’s designated areas of focus are the following:

  • Mental wellbeing – supporting positive mental health together with illness prevention and early intervention;
  • Disadvantaged children and young people – providing education and welfare;
  • Sexual, domestic and family violence – facilitating legislative reform, advocacy and legal support for sufferers;
  • Specialised medical research – seeking new treatments for children’s genetic diseases and for dementia sufferers;
  • Current issues – addressing longer term social issues heightened by COVID-19; and
  • Environmental sustainability – focussing on water resource management and regulatory frameworks, disaster recovery and drought mitigation.

Board of Directors

The management and control of the business and affairs of the Company and Foundation are vested in the Board of honorary Directors. The Board provides direction, control and accountability for overall governance, strategy and performance. The Directors delegate day to day duties and responsibilities to the Foundation CEO, to enable efficient and effective operation.

Jonathan Trollip Chairperson

Lorraine Berends AM Director

Mark Connors Director

Alex Ihlenfeldt Director

Jayne Shaw Director

Gerald Willeston Director

Newsletters

Our newsletters aim to update and inform donors, employees, collaborators and interested readers about our partnerships and their impact. Find out more about our recent collaborations and commitments through the latest newsletter, available below: