The Snow Foundation

The Snow Foundation is the creation of brothers Terry Snow and George Snow who established the foundation in 1991 to benefit the disadvantaged community in Canberra and the surrounding region. Terry and Georgehad a pretty straightforward view, see someone struggling and you give them a helping hand. Their aim was to help those individuals and organisations that freely give their time to help the less fortunate live fulfilling lives. 'We were humbled by the outstanding work done by so many quiet achievers in our community. We saw the Foundation as an opportunity to try to make a difference to the lives of many people who, for reasons beyond their control, were doing it tough,' Terry said. In addition, they have been particularly interested in helping those people in the community whose needs were not covered by government sources, particularly individuals. Over the years, the Foundation has assisted in diverse fields such as the purchase of vital equipment and supplies for people with disabilities; kitchen utensils for the blind; wigs for the Cancer Council; breakfasts and educational scholarships for disadvantaged youth; art supplies for the 'Painting with Parkinson's program; sleep monitor, sofa, bobcat and bikes. The Foundation started with an initial contribution of $1 million and Terry has added substantially to the capital to enable it to maintain its existing activities and set-up new activities. The Foundation now has over $30m in capital. Geographically, the focus is on Canberra and the surrounding region due to the long association the Snow family has had with the Canberra region, dating back to 1926 when E.R. Snow, the founders grandfather, came to Canberra to establish the Capital's first general store. Moreover, Canberra is where Terry Snow is passionate about making a difference. In the 21 years since it was established, The Snow Foundation has reached out to help more than 200 different organisations and individuals, providing over $16 million in funding which includes $400,000 to individuals.