Bright Spark Foundation is dedicated to funding scientific research in child heath. Importantly, we believe it is critical to fund the earliest stages of research to help advance the knowledge needed that leads to solutions improving the well-being of children.

• We support scientists. Funding salaries of WA based researchers with ‘BrightSpark’ ideas for improving child health is our aim – kick-starting careers of our emerging scientists and advancing the global scientific knowledge base.
• BrightSpark Foundation is a new name for an established organisation. As an independent organisation for over 30 years, we have played a unique role in WA in funding child health research.
• Over $7 million invested in research. By wisely investing the funds entrusted to the Foundation many years ago, we have provided and continue to provide grants & fellowships to many WA based researchers.

We are encouraged by the achievements of the researchers we have funded and excited to be able to assist many more in the future. We are determined to build on these past achievements. The Foundation’s vision is to increase the number of researchers we can fund each year. We hope you can assist us in achieving this vision.

Graham Dowland

Chairman

Where we have come from:

Initially named TVW Telethon Foundationand then Child Health Research Foundation of WA (Inc.), BrightSpark was established in 1977 with the aim of creating a self supporting charitable body capable of providing funds for medical research in WA.

For over 30 years, we have wisely investing the funds entrusted to us, in order to provide generous grants and fellowships to researchers. All supported research must be conducted in Western Australia at an approved Institution under authorised supervision.

An honorary Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee ensures fellowships are relevant to today’s medical needs. The Foundation works closely with major research institutions including UWA, the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Princess Margaret, Royal Perth and Fremantle Hospitals.

Outstanding merit determines the Foundation’s allocation of research funds and it not only seeks to ensure continuity in its funded research – up to 3 years for each project-it also offers support to both new projects and new researchers. In doing so, the Foundation encourages the exploration and development of scientific hypotheses and medical skills as well as the advancement and consolidation of local researchers at all levels.

In this way it has given opportunities to a wide range of researchers, from pilot studies on the effect of Chemotherapy on young children, to projects such as Dr Fiona Stanley’s work on perinatal epidemiology. BrightSpark operates on minimal infrastructure and overheads resulting in optimum distribution of funds to actual research. Since 1978 we have funded over $ 7 million worth of research.