Canon Oceania awards AUD $5,000 grants to four local groups

Canon Oceania has named the recipients of its 2025 Grants Programme, awarding support to four grassroots organisations working across social, environmental, educational, and First Nations sectors within Australia.

Each winning organisation will receive AUD $5,000 in combined funding and Canon technology to enhance their work and impact in their respective communities. The four grant categories for 2025 are Community, Environment, First Nations, and Education.

Community: Ambulance Wish Western Australia

Ambulance Wish Western Australia has been selected as the Community category winner for its work in fulfilling the final wishes of those with terminal illnesses. The service, run by medically trained volunteers, provides specialised transport for people to revisit meaningful places or attend important personal events during their last days. Through the grant, Ambulance Wish WA will equip each of its ambulances with cameras to document these experiences for the families they support.

Susie Wilson of Ambulance Wish WA stated, "For the families we support, capturing their loved one's final wish is something they will treasure forever. Canon's grant gives us the tools to capture these moments with care and quality, ensuring that legacy of love is preserved. We're incredibly grateful to Canon for helping us capture these important stories."

Environment: Medical Pantry

Medical Pantry is the recipient of the Environment category grant. The not-for-profit addresses both surplus waste in healthcare and the shortage of medical supplies in vulnerable communities. Having rescued over 15,000 tonnes of equipment from landfill since 2021, the organisation will use Canon's support for their 'Plastic Map' initiative. Volunteers will utilise Canon equipment to photograph and document more than 500 types of medical plastics to create a visual database that can inform manufacturers and policymakers about the scale of plastic waste in healthcare.

Dr Martin Nguyen at Medical Pantry, said, "Canon's support helps us spotlight a hidden problem: medical supplies carry no recycling symbols. With PlasticMap, we'll identify the plastics in common products and build a free repository for sustainability champions, recyclers, and industry. Canon's backing will help us scale with clearer data, stronger partnerships, and a faster path to a zero-waste health system."

Dr Nguyen added, "Too many healthcare products end up in landfill because packaging offers no guidance. Canon's support powers PlasticMap, an open, practical repository of what these products are made from, so hospitals, educators, and recyclers can turn waste into value for people and the planet."

First Nations: Cockburn Integrated Health

Cockburn Integrated Health has been awarded the First Nations grant for its Aboriginal Ear Health Programme, which works to reduce the high incidence of middle ear disease among Aboriginal children. This program, delivered in partnership with local health services and universities, provides free ENT, audiology, and speech pathology services to more than 400 children annually. With Canon's cameras and printers, the organisation will create personalised therapy resources and visual evidence documenting the program's impact.

Professor Francis Lannigan at Cockburn Integrated Health said, "The incidence of chronic ear disease in Australian First Nations' children is unfortunately one of the highest in the world. Our program therefore strives to close the ear health gap by providing timely, free, culturally safe ear health services for Aboriginal children in Western Australia. It's wonderful to have the support of such an internationally recognised company as Canon, assisting us to do this important work. With our Canon grant, we will have the opportunity to acquire essential digital resources, supporting our team as we strive for excellence in health service provision for these children and their families."

Victoria Bishop at Cockburn Integrated Health stated, "Our Speech Pathology team works both in our clinic, and out in the community with Aboriginal children in their homes, schools and day care centres. We're always looking for ways to capture important moments in a child's daily life, and to build communication learning into these routines. We're so excited for the opportunity to use Canon portable photo printers to turn images from our sessions into personalised resources that a child can practice and re-practice with their family, friends, and teachers."

Education: Farrer Primary School

Farrer Primary School has been recognised in the Education category for its initiative to embed Indigenous culture into school life through music. The school, in partnership with composer Dan Walker and Ngunnawal Elder Tyronne Bell, is developing a new school song in the Ngunnawal language. The Canon grant will provide audio-visual equipment to capture the songwriting process, including workshops, rehearsals, and interviews, thereby creating a lasting cultural resource for the community.

Sarah Harris at Farrer Primary School commented, "Farrer is committed to reconciliation and embedding cultural integrity in our learning. This project gives students the chance to create something enduring; a song that reflects their voices, builds their understanding of culture, the truth about First Nations' languages history, and their community."

Long-term commitment

The Canon Oceania Grants Programme, now in its nineteenth year, has supplied over USD $600,000 in funding to more than 120 organisations throughout Australia. Canon's approach is informed by its philosophy of Kyosei, which involves working for the common good and supporting community initiatives through technology and funding.

"Canon's belief that community is the fabric of our society is at the heart of everything we do, and technology can play an important role in sharing stories and bringing people together," said Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director for Canon Oceania.

Fukushima added, "This year's Grants Programme winners are a powerful example of that belief in action, and we are proud to celebrate the spirit behind their work. We share in their celebrations and look forward to seeing how these grants make a real and lasting difference in communities across Australia."