Cruthers Art Foundation Pty Ltd Information

The Cruthers Art Foundation was established in 2006 as a Prescribed Private Fund, a legal structure introduced to encourage private philanthropy by allowing families to raise money from family members and disperse it to the activities and charities of their choice. The CAF's initial trustees were Sir James and Lady Sheila Cruthers, their son John and Ivan Hoffman. It was established concurrently with negotiations with The University of Western Australia to donate the Cruthers Collection of Women's Art to the University. The CAF was a co-signatory of the Deed of Gift signed by the Cruthers family and the University on 30 June 2007. The CAF provides an annual grant to the University for the maintenance and upkeep of the CCWA, which is matched by UWA, and for art acquisitions and a range of other activities. It has also provided larger grants for specific activities around the CCWA, including events to launch the CCWA in October 2012. These included the exhibition Look. Look Again, the collection publication Into the Light and a two day symposium on women's art, Are We There Yet? In 2011 the CAF transitioned from a Prescribed Private Fund to a new structure established by the federal government, a Private Ancillary Fund. In 2014 it appointed a corporate trustee, Cruthers Art Foundation Pty Ltd. In 2014 the CAF funded its first external projects as part of its national research and advocacy role. They are The CoUNTess Report, a statistical gender equality project within the visual art sector managed by artist Elvis Richardson, and Filling the Gap, a national art historical survey of women artists 1870-1960 whose work has slipped from sight, managed by art historian Juliette Peers.