Community & Sponsorship
As an organisation owned by our members, any profits generated by UFS are invested back into the business for the benefit of our members, our customers and the community. This means that we invest money back into the local communities that we operate businesses in, by supporting a range of organisations and causes, providing considerable donations and in-kind support to local groups and organisations each year!
Strong community partnerships are important to UFS, so if you represent a not-for-profit community organisation, we welcome your approach for support of your event or cause.
UFS Community Donations and Sponsorship Guidelines can be downloaded here.
The UFS Sponsorship application form can be downloaded here.
As well as directly supporting organisations through our sponsorship and donations program, we support many other charitable causes in our stores. We are happy to certify documents as a service to the community, and ask that in return a gold coin donation is made to the collection tins in our stores for various organisations, which includes:
Cancer Council, Lifeline, Support Australian Farmers Buy a Bale campaign, Royal Children’s Hospital, Bush Fund, Starlight Foundation, Apex Guide Dogs, Ballarat Soup Bus, World’s Greatest Shave, Ballarat Cancer Centre, Ovarian cancer research, Australian Himalayan Foundation, Diabetes Victoria, Maxigesic tokens for prostate cancer, Starlight, Leukemia Foundation and CFA.
Royal South Street Society is Australia’s foremost Eisteddfod, promoting, fostering and encouraging participation and interest in the performing arts. UFS has sponsored the Royal South Street Society every year for over 25 years.
Peach’s Run is a Ballarat based fitness challenge in honour of James ‘Peach’ Petrie.
James died by suicide in 2022 after a mental health battle. Peach’s Run aims to honour James’ memory whilst raising awareness and funds to support mental health programs.
Share the Dignity is an organisation working to end period poverty in Australia. They work to ease the burden of having a period for women living below the poverty line, by collecting sanitary products and providing them to those in need.
The Ballarat Foundation is a community foundation dedicated to supporting the Ballarat community for over 40 years.
They create impact by funding local programs, awarding grants and fostering community involvement.
Daughters of the West is a free health program facilitated by the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation. The aim of the program is to empower women to make their health and wellbeing a priority by giving them the tools and knowledge.
BMMH provide support for men struggling with mental health issues in the Ballarat region by enabling access to appropriate mental health care. They aim to reduce the burden of mental illness in our community and to reduce suicide rates for men.