What We Fund

Jacka Foundation for Natural Therapies (JFNT) is a not-for-profit charitable fund that supports research in naturopathy and its related modalities, and the development of a community of researchers, scholars and leaders in the naturopathic profession.

The Foundation warmly invites applications for small, community-led projects that support or promote natural therapies. 

2024-2027: Leichhardt Women’s Health Centre – $15,000 

Established in 2013, the Leichhardt Women’s Health Centre (LWHC) funds a naturopath to provide essential naturopathic consultations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Southwestern Sydney. Delivered in partnership with Budyari (Miller) Community Health Centre, this program ensures culturally safe, community-based care, supported by an Aboriginal Access Worker who provides follow-up case coordination to ensure continuity of care.

The Jacka Foundation is proud to support LWHC with a grant of $5,000 per annum over three years, to fund a dispensary offering herbal teas, supplements, and natural products to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families, improving health outcomes and promoting community wellbeing. The success of this initiative has been made possible through the leadership of Dr. Ses Salmond, Manager of LWCHC, whose expertise and commitment to inclusive, community-driven healthcare continues to drive meaningful change. 

2024: Development of a Non-Animal Model for Pain – $200,000

This project continues the work of Professor Ron Quinn with the Mudjala project with the Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Community and Griffith University, as outlined below.

The aim is to establish a non-animal model for pain using cells from dorsal root ganglion that express a range of pain targets and a skin permeability model using 3D-printed tissue.  These objectives are relevant to the ongoing Mudjala project as well as other topical remedies. 

2019: NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University $6m over 15 years
JFNT continues its support for the work of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), based at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). Since 2015, JFNT has supported academic leadership and promoted research into natural therapies at NICM, and in July 2019 a pledge for further funding of $400,000 a year for 15 years was finalised.
 
The new funding agreement supports:

  • Research in complementary and integrative medicine,
  • The Jacka Foundation PhD scholarship for a candidate with a naturopathic background, and
  • The Jacka Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.
  • It also contributes to
  • The position of the Jacka Foundation Senior Research Fellow (Inaugural Fellow Dr Carolyn Ee), and
  • The development of the Jacka Foundation Conference Centre in the NICM building at WSU’s Westmead campus. It is envisaged that the conference centre will become a hub for the exchange of information, research and best practice in complementary and integrative medicine, and facilitate NICM’s reach to a global audience.