Sporting organizations "are being encouraged to go directly to the community rather than rely solely on the government to address the funding crisis" as the Australian Sports Foundation revealed it expects to raise A$44M ($33.4M) this financial year for sporting projects, according to Nicole Jeffery of THE AUSTRALIAN. ASF Chair Mark Stockwell said that the foundation, which is the "only body that can accept tax-deductible donations to sport," had raised A$40M ($30.4M) by Tuesday. He added that the figure would reach A$44M by Friday, the end of the financial year. If the ASF reaches the A$44M mark, it will be a A$12M ($9M) increase on last year's total, and a A$27M ($20.5M) increase in the past three years. Stockwell: "I think the foundation is becoming more and more important in the face of government funding declining, particularly with the efficiency dividend (that the federal government is demanding of all agencies including the Australian Sports Commission). It's a way to take responsibility for your own fundraising and we teach you how to do it" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 6/28).