Dry July Foundation is a

not-for-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that runs the annual Dry July campaign that challenges people to abstain from drinking

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

for the month of July to support people affected by

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. Since its inception, more than 290,000 participants have collectively raised over $73m AUD, helping to support more than 80 cancer support organisations across Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

The campaign

Dry July encourages people to give up drinking alcohol for July and invites people to sponsor them for their efforts. Participants nominate a cancer service where they want the funds they raise during the campaign to go. Dry July provide a number of tools used to assist people with their fundraising. These include Golden Tickets; a donation minimum of $25, which allows participants a night off from their Dry July campaign,

posters A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

, social media images and general fundraising tips.

Dry July beneficiaries

Dry July raises funds to create better environments and support networks for adult cancer patients and their families. To do this, Dry July partners with cancer services organisations across Australia and New Zealand. In order to become a Dry July beneficiary, cancer support organisations must submit an

Expression of Interest An invitation to tender (ITT, otherwise known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business ...

. The cancer support organisation must meet the Dry July beneficiary guidelines in order to ensure that the projects they wish to fund are patient-centric and focus on improving the wellbeing of adults living with cancer. Examples of eligible projects include entertainment systems, accommodation facilities, transportation to treatment, complementary therapy program costs, and improving waiting and treatment area facilities. The list of Dry July Australian beneficiaries can be found a
their website
In 2016, Dry July New Zealand moved to a full grant program funding model. Previous beneficiaries of fundraising can be found o
the New Zealand website

Dry July grant program

For the first time in 2014, the Dry July Foundation offered a grant program for cancer support organisations in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. Participants who signed up to take part in Dry July could choose to support the 'Dry July Foundation supporting WA', where the money raised would then be distributed via a grant program. In 2015, the Dry July Foundation expanded this grant program to the other states in Australia as well as in New Zealand for their New Zealand campaign. Eligible

organisations An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived fr ...

may request funding for projects via a Grant Funding Application. As per the Dry July campaign beneficiaries, projects funded via the Grant Application must be patient-centric and focus on improving the wellbeing of adults living with cancer.

Ambassadors

Dry July's ambassadors have included: *

Adam Spencer Adam Barrington Spencer (born 29 January 1969) is an Australian comedian, media personality and former radio presenter. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search ''Raw Comedy'' in 1996. Soon thereafter, he began ...

Milestones

In 2008, Phil Grove, Brett Macdonald and Kenny McGilvary pledged to give up alcohol for a month to raise some money for their local hospital. After the challenge was picked up by 702 ABC Sydney's

, over 1,000 people signed up to Dry July, raising over $250,000. In its second year, Dry July supported six cancer services around Australia. With 4,000 participants, the organisation raised over $1.3 million. In 2010, 9,000 people signed up to Dry July, raising $2.4million+ for 10 cancer services across Australia (with each Australian state and territory represented). In 2011, Dry July had 11,500+ participants sign up and raise over $2.8million for 13 cancer services. Dry July expanded internationally in 2012, with the first Dry July New Zealand taking place. Over 2,000 New Zealanders signed up and raised NZD$550,000+. In Australia, Dry July added an additional 7 cancer services to its beneficiary list, and raised over $3.7million from its 15,000+ participants. In 2013, Dry July in Australia had over 18,000 participants raise $4.3million for their 31 beneficiaries. For the second Dry July New Zealand, over 4,000 people participated and raise over $765,000 for three beneficiaries:

Auckland City Hospital Auckland City Hospital is a public hospital located in Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital in New Zealand,Largest hospital in New Zealand...' - News-Medical.Net, Tuesday 29 June 2004 as well as one of the oldest medical faci ...

Wellington Hospital Wellington Hospital might refer to: * Wellington Hospital, New Zealand, a hospital in Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington Hospital, London The Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, London is the largest private hospital in the United Kingdom, an ...

and

Christchurch Hospital Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary hospital in the South Island of New Zealand. The public hospital is in the centre of Christchurch city, on the edge of Hagley Park, and serves the wider Canterbury region. The Canterbury District He ...

. 2014 saw Dry July raise $3.8 million for 37 cancer services across Australia, with 19,600+ participants signed up to the challenge. In 2015, Dry July had 21,400 participants sign up and raise $4.1 million for 42 cancer support organisations in Australia.

Governance

Dry July Foundation currently has six board members.

External links

Official Dry July Website

References

{{Reflist Cancer fundraisers Medical and health organisations based in Australia Temperance organizations