Dr. Frederick Mulder CBE will make a personal donation to The Funding Network (TFN) Australia of $1 million upon the successful sale of the rare 121 piece collection which is valued at $9.3 million.
“From the very beginning Fred has been enormously generous, both with his time and with his advice,” says TFN Australia co-founder Lisa Cotton. “He came out to Australia during our pilot events in 2013 and went on to provide some funding to us as we were getting started.”
“Fred is a really interesting person—he studied philosophy at Oxford, started collecting art and went on to set up a family foundation with the proceeds of his art sales. His collecting and art sales have always funded his philanthropy. He still attends nearly every TFN event in the UK.”
Cotton praises Mulder as “a very evolved grassroots giver” who’s also fond of the B Corp and Divest-Invest movements.
“There’s probably not too many art dealers who are so deeply immersed in philanthropy the way he is,” she says.
No other gifts of this size are known to have ever been given to an Australian collective giving group and TFN Australia has sought assistance from a specialist art adviser, Anna Waldmann, to help facilitate the sale which is offered exclusively here in Australia.
“If the sale does come to fruition it will enable us to scale the model and deepen our impact,” Cotton explains, adding that the proceeds will be used to build the national organisation’s capacity and resources, particularly in Melbourne which she describes as “the next big market for us.”
TFN Australia has helped more than 130 grassroots nonprofits and is the largest of Australia’s 36 collective giving groups in terms of funds raised.
“We’re the one of the few staffed collective giving groups in Australia and I think the primary point of distinction is that TFN is a truly multi-dimensional model,” Cotton says.
“We provide pitch coaching and showcase NFPs at events, then facilitate connections within our network post-events including in-kind support, mentoring and skilled volunteering. The relationship with our alumni doesn’t end after TFN events. It often lasts for years afterwards.”
“I’m not surprised that we’re seeing more collective giving models emerging, particularly with what’s happening in the world with people feeling disempowered and wanting to act to make the world a better place.
“When people are feeling vulnerable, they often look for things that add meaning to their lives, things that are accessible to them, and collective giving models are ideal to fill this need.
“It’s a perfect time for this practice to really scale and grow and play a key role in the philanthropic landscape.”
Read the full article in Generosity Magazine here.