Who We Are

The Crescent Foundation is passionate about bringing a positive change to the Australian community.

We aim to be the flag bearers' on three major causes:

 

Education and Refugees;

Helping the homeless & houseless; and

The conservation of Islamic Art & Culture.

Our Approach

Our approach to charitable giving is simple; 100% of monies donated flow through to recipients, which means that we do not deduct any fees or monies whatsoever from your contributions.

All donations above $2.00 are tax deductible and all our partners have Deductible Gift Recipient Status (DGR). All the costs and expenses of Crescent Foundation are covered by Crescent Wealth and it's sister organisations.

Complete transparency and visibility - Crescent Foundation is independently audited annually by

Our Passions

Together with our partners we have a strong vision of creating a culture of giving by encouraging ongoing financial support to those in our community who need it the most. We’re all about leaving a positive footprint on our community, society and country.

With the increasing rate of refugees re settling in Australia we are proud to help with their educating and upskilling. Helping the homeless and assisting in creating a culture of awareness and understanding through Islamic Art & Culture.

Crescent Foundation distributes all monies and donations received to our partners who are Australian registered charities and hold Deductible Gift Recipient status.

Refugee
Education

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Regugee Education

Each year, thousands of refugees arrive in Australia seeking asylum and a better life. Of the many challenges they face in a new land, affordability of university education is one of the biggest. Most of these asylum seekers are educated from their country and need Australian education to bring them par with the local work force. Crescent Foundation wants to lend a helping hand in assisting in educating and facilitating their settlement into the workforce and into Australia generally.

The Western Sydney University the Crescent Foundation have partnered to create the Crescent Foundation Leadership scholarships program under which it grants scholarships to prospective students of part time or full time courses studying at Western Sydney University over 3 years.

All Crescent Foundation Scholars will also be entitled to enter the Western Sydney Academy program

The Academy’s specialised learning experience focuses on developing tomorrow’s leaders through carefully tailored academic units, workshops, projects and events.

If you are a student and would like to apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here.

If you are interested in providing one of these sponsorship’s or assisting the Crescent Foundation Leadership Scholarship please contact us or download our brochure

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Helping the
Homeless

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Helping Homeless

Crescent Foundation is partnering with multiple organisations that help the homeless.

The Big Issue:

The Crescent Foundation is proud to support The Big Issue; an independent, not-for-profit social enterprise that develops solutions to help homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people positively change their lives.

It allows homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people to become financially independent by gaining employment through various programs.

The Big Issue uses donated funds to support their programs including:

Street Magazine where vendor sell The Big Issue magazine for a profit providing them with an income. Women’s Subscription Enterprise: This allows women work opportunities in a safe and secure environment where that don’t need to rely on selling the magazines on the streets and there is no pressure to make sales. Educational programs: Aimed at student, the participants are able to hear first-hand from people who have experienced homelessness disadvantage or disability, helping to breakdown stereotypes in our community. These workshops allow The Big Issue Classroom to employ homeless and disadvantaged people to share their personal stories with participants; offering them an income and the ability of financial sustainability. If you are interested in contributing to the Crescent Foundation please contact us.

BIG ISSUE (SML)

Conservation of
Islamic Art & Culture

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Conservation of Islamic Art & Culture

Crescent Foundation has partnered with the Islamic Museum of Australia (in Victoria). The Islamic Museum of Australia provides educational and cross-cultural experiences and showcase the artistic and cultural heritage of Muslims in Australia and in Muslim societies abroad. It also aims to foster community harmony and facilitate an understanding of the values and contributions of Muslims to Australian society.

As further commitment to preserving Islamic art, history and culture the Crescent Foundation has partnered with the University of Melbourne Grimwade Centre to preserve significant manuscripts dating to the 13th Century.

These manuscripts include Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Hadith by ‘Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn, as well as the famous 13th century Persian poet, Ahmad Ali transcribed the text in 1036 H.A (1836) for Charles Marriot Caldecott.

In 1995, the Australian Research Centre funding awarded to the University’s Conservation Centre, in partnership with the School of Physics, to undertake scientific analysis of specific manuscripts in the collection. This enabled Raman analysis of the most beautifully illustrated text. Specific pigments were analysed and translations of treatises on pigment and ink production were examined to determine the materials used to illustrate the pages.

The manuscripts are internationally significant. In 2007 scholars from around the world took part in the Symposium on the Care and Conservation of Middle Eastern Manuscripts at the University of Melbourne. Expert visiting scholars have come to investigate the materials and techniques and the writings of which the manuscripts are compromised. Currently four PhD students at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation are working on John Bowman’s collection. Their work is showcased here.

If you are interested in contributing to the Crescent Foundation and our projects, please contact us.

Uni Melb and IMA (SML)

Team

Crescent Foundation distributes all monies and donations received to our partners who are Australian registered charities and hold Deductible Gift Recipient status.

Crescent Foundation Directors play an important strategic, governance and oversight role in the organisation.

Board of Directors

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Ms Nora Amath

Director

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Nora Amath is an academic, author, human rights advocate and interfaith leader who is passionate about helping others and promoting peace. Born in Vietnam, Nora grew up in the US after her family had to flee her home country in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Nora currently works at the Islamic Women’s Association of Queensland as a CAMS (Community Advocating for Multicultural Services) Statewide Coordinator and as a supervisor for the Settlement Grants Program. Previously Nora worked as a lecturer of Acquired Linguistics and TESOL at Bond University. She has completed a PhD in Community Development and Sociology of Religion. Nora has been actively involved in a number of NGOs and community organisations. Most notably, she is the chairperson of Australian Muslim Advocates for the Rights of all Humanity (AMARAH), advocating for human and social rights, social reform, environmental responsibility, and better intercommunity relations. Nora has served on the boards and committees including the Islamic College of Brisbane Advisory Committee, Muslim Community Reference Group (a Qld. State Government initiative), Ethnic Community Council of Queensland Youth Advisory Committee, Believing Women for a Culture of Peace, Al-Nisa’ Youth Group Inc. and the Multicultural Advisory Council to the Queensland Government. Always dedicated to those in need, Nora co-founded a Brisbane safe house for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence. Nora also works with refugee students at Woodridge State School. In recognition for her services to the community, she received the prestigious award of Australian Muslim Woman of the Year 2006. In 2007 and again in 2012, she was awarded the Australia Day Community Award. In 2015 Nora was recognised as the 2015 Peacewoman of the Year, awarded by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, a UN-affiliated organisation
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Mr Hisham El-Ansary

Director

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Hisham is responsible for leading the Bupa Health Services business since 2014. This includes subsidiaries providing dental, optical, health coaching and medical services to over 1,500,000 people across 270 locations in Australia and New Zealand. He joined Bupa as Chief Financial Officer in 2008 where he played a key role in the integration of MBF. As Director of Strategy and Development (2011-14), Hisham led the acquisition and establishment of a number of new subsidiary health companies. He now runs these companies as an emerging business portfolio. Prior to joining Bupa, Hisham was CFO of department store, Myer. Over the past 30 years, he has held senior executive roles in a variety of industries including retail, energy, aviation and construction. Hisham’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics and Master of Business Administration degrees. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a director of children’s charity, Very Special Kids, and a number of Bupa companies.
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Mr Affy Bhatti

Director

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Affy is a Management Consultant with over 16 years of experience leading projects and managing change from the UK and Australia. He leads Deloitte’s Project Risk practice in Perth which helps solve complex program and project management challenges. Affy is also actively involved in community based work. He is a co-founder of Muslim Professional Network that connects Muslim professionals with community based, grass root projects, to enhance the standards of excellence in the WA Muslim community. He is the local chair of Crescent Institute, a not for profit organisation that provides meaningful access to Australia’s prominent business leaders through small intimate networking events. Affy is also a current member of the WA Multicultural Advisory Committee, led by the WA Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests and was on the selection panel for the 2017 WA Australian of the Year Awards.
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Ms Samira Baqatada

Director

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Samira’s working experiences spans over 20 years and ranges from working overseas with NGOs and in Australia, with diplomatic missions of the Arab Gulf countries to Australia. Samira specialises in the area of aid and development, Management, International business development, brand development, translation and media analysis. Samira is actively involved in the local community. She has been associated with The Australian and Arab Women’s Friendship Association which promotes friendship, harmony and understanding and aims to breaking down racial and social barriers. Samira has a Bachelor of Arts (English and Education) from the University of Aden 1993, PGC Management from the University of Canberra 2006, and Small Business Management IV, Canberra Institute of Technology, 2013.
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Mr Talal Yassine OAM

Company Secretary

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Talal currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Whitlam Institute and Western Sydney University Foundation Council Board. He also serves as Chairman of First Quay Capital and Chairman of the Australian Arab Dialogue. Talal has also served on the Australia Post, Board of Sydney Ports, Macquarie University and the Western Sydney Area Health Service and the Chairman of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Council of Australia Arab Relations. In an executive capacity, Talal spent 10 years at PwC as a director and strategist, and at investment firm Babcock & Brown in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Later Talal held leadership positions in Better Place Australia, Platinum Hearing and Star Transport Australia. Talal holds a Master of Laws, a Master of Business Administration which was focused on international business strategy, as well as honorary and adjunct Professorships within the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University and School of Business in the University of Western Sydney, respectively. On Australia Day 2010, Talal was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to business and to the community through a range of education, health and multicultural organisations.
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Ms Fatma Saaoud

Coordinator

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Fatma is the National Coordinator of the Crescent Foundation. She is passionate about creating change and opportunity and is proud of our commitment to corporate giving. Fatma is also a Senior Manager at LandCorp Australia and currently serves as a the head of the Crescent Institute Melbourne committee. Previously Fatma was a Relationship Manager at Crescent Wealth; responsible for growth of the Melbourne team and market and has considerable experience in the financial services industry. Fatma holds a double Bachelor’s degree: Bachelor of Commerce & Art majoring in Finance from Deakin University.
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The Hon. Professor Bob Carr

Chairman

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Professor the Hon Bob Carr

Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr is also the longest continuously serving Premier in New South Wales history.

He served as Minister for Planning and Environment 1984 to 1988 and as Leader of the Opposition from 1988 until his election as Premier in March 1995. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2003 securing an historic third four-year term. He retired from state politics in 2005.

During his 10 years the State Government set new records for spending on infrastructure, became the first government in the State’s history to retire debt, hosted the world’s best Olympics in 2000 and achieved the nation’s best school literacy levels. Forbes magazine called Bob Carr a “dragon slayer” for his landmark tort law reforms.

As Premier he received the World Conservation Union International Parks Merit Award for creating 350 new national parks. He introduced the world’s first carbon trading scheme and curbed the clearing of native vegetation, both anti-greenhouse measures. He was a member of the International Task Force on Climate Change convened by Tony Blair, and was made a life member of the Wilderness Society in 2003.

Bob Carr has received the Fulbright Distinguished Fellow Award Scholarship. He has served as Honorary Scholar of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue. He is the author of Thoughtlines (2002), What Australia Means to Me (2003), My Reading Life (2008) Diary of a Foreign Minister (2014) and Run for Your Life (2018).

In March 2012 he was designated by Prime Minister Julia Gillard as Australia’s Foreign Minister, elected to the Australian Senate to fill a casual Senate vacancy and sworn in to the Senate and Cabinet on March 13, 2012.

As Foreign Minister, Bob Carr fostered stronger relations between Australia and Southeast Asia, lifted sanctions on Myanmar, campaigned for the passage of a global Arms Trade Treaty and led the final stages of Australia’s successful bid for Australia’s seat on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. His plan for a Syrian medical pact was backed at the G20. He assisted Prime Minister Gillard in achieving a strategic partnership with China.

Following his resignation from the Senate on October 24, 2013, the University of Technology, Sydney appointed him to lead the Australia-China Relations Institute – a think tank dedicated to Australia-China relations.

Bob Carr serves on the Board of Melbourne University Press; is a Director of The Lysicrates Foundation and a Committee Member of the UNSW Matraville Education Program Advisory Council.

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Dr Sayd Farook

Director

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Dr. Sayd Farook is an innovation and strategy leader based in the United Arab Emirates. He is currently the Advisor to the Director General at the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

In his capacity as Advisor, he is one of the key team members supporting a number of the strategic initiatives for Dubai, including Dubai 10X, Dubai Capital of Islamic Economy, Area 2071, UAE AI Strategy 2031 and the Arab Strategy Forum. He enjoys building strategic initiatives from the ground up, launching them and seeing them to fruition. In his career, he has been responsible for deploying number of these initiatives and most prominently known for his contribution to building the Thomson Reuters global Islamic Finance and markets team as Global Head Islamic Capital Markets. Besides this, he achieved a number of impactful industry firsts for Thomson Reuters while he managed a team of 30 fully dedicated resources.

Besides his executive role, Dr. Sayd Farook is also the Chairman of Finocracy, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Responsible Finance and Investment (RFI) Foundation, Director of Goodforce Labs and Co-founder of the Falcon Network (angel investment network). Dr. Farook has a Doctorate in Financial Economics, a Business (Honours) degree and a Law degree from the University of Technology Sydney.