The Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN) held two Pitch Nights this month to assist local suicide prevention organisations receive funding.
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The Pitch Nights - held at Belmont and Tamowrth - saw Lead by Story, Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Corporation, Youth Insearch Foundation, and Top Blokes Foundation all present pitches for programs.
The audience then had the ability to allocate funding to the programs they felt would best meet the needs of the community.
HNECC PHN utilised the Pitch Night model to include local community members in the decision-making of funding.
Unlike a traditional tender process, the audiences had the unique power to allocate their $1,500 toward the program or programs they felt most passionate about.
The PHN provided $150,000 to all four of the pitch programs as base level funding, with the two audiences then pitching an additional $300,000 in pledge funds that would be shared across the four programs.
The nights see an equitable way to share the Targeted Regional Initiatives for Suicide Prevention funding and engage with communities on how the network assigns funds to local services.
The four pitching organisations were selected through a competitive grant round run earlier in the year with submissions shortlisted and assessed via a selection panel.
HNECC PHN Chief Executive Officer, Richard Nankervis said, disappointedly, the Hunter, New England and Central Coast regions have high rates of suicidality and distress.
"The aim of the pitch nights is to provide funding to enhance the development of early intervention programs, as informed by local communities, to see a long-term reduction in suicide rates across the region," he said.
"This is no small feat for the providers, however the inclusion of these programs across our region will make a substantial impact on communities' awareness of mental ill-health, help-seeking mechanisms, referral pathways and accessing timely care."
Kate Arndell, Rural Adversity Mental Health Program Coordinator who attended the Tamworth event, said as a member of the Tamworth Suicide Prevention Collaborative it was fantastic to attend the event.
"Hearing from the four projects pitching reinforced the inspiring work people are doing in the suicide prevention space and the impact we can have working with a whole of community approach," she said.
"It was heartening to see the passion and dedication individuals have, to reducing the impact of suicide in our regional areas."
Manager, Suicide Prevention and System Improvement, Hunter New England Local Health District, Alexandra Potter, said innovation in suicide prevention was a necessity.
"Every new idea has the potential to save lives across the Hunter, New England and Central Coast regions and I commend the PHN for not only supporting innovation, but showcasing it in a way which drove community engagement and a reaffirmed commitment to suicide prevention in our communities," she said.
The live crowdfunding events were hosted by The Funding Network (TFN) and with attendees to hear more about how their support has contributed to helping these social change initiatives flourish in the coming months.
