Australia: Community Strengthening Grant Program (Round 2)

Deadline: 2-Oct-23

The Golden Plains Shire Council is now accepting applications for the Community Strengthening Grant Program.

Council’s Community Strengthening Grants Program has been a valuable source of financial support for local events, projects and programs in Golden Plains Shire communities for 26 years.

Grant Streams

• Grants of up to $10,000 are available in four streams:
  • Healthy Active Living
    • The Healthy Active Living stream is available to assist incorporated groups and organisations undertake sport, recreation, health and wellbeing projects that directly benefit the Golden Plains Shire Community.
    • Examples may include:
      • Healthy Eating
      • Active Living: Increasing physical activity, sport, and active recreation opportunities for residents
      • Connected Communities: Social connectedness and activated spaces
      • Mental Health
      • Gender Equity and the prevention of violence against women
      • Increased access to health and community services
  • Creative Community
    • The Creative Community stream is available to assist incorporated groups and organisations to undertake arts and culture projects within Golden Plains Shire that directly benefit the Golden Plains Shire Community.
    • Examples may include:
      • Connecting and engaging through participation in creative experiences
      • Initiatives that demonstrate direct benefit to the local artistic community
      • Arts and Culture as a tool to revitalize local spaces
      • Workshops, performances and exhibitions
      • Arts activities as part of community festivals or events
      • Artist-in-residence programs
      • Public art and design projects
      • Community seminars and forums
      • Activities or projects which support the development of lost trades or practices
  • Community Safety
    • The Community Safety stream is available to assist incorporated groups and organisations to undertake projects within Golden Plains Shire which increase the community’s capacity, resilience and connection to plan for, rebuild and recover from emergencies or ongoing risks.
    • Examples may include:
      • Opportunities for residents to connect, to get to know their neighbours and build stronger communities that are better equipped to survive and thrive during and after times of crisis
      • Support activities which address specific risk factors within the community such as fires, extreme weather events, or crime
      • Small infrastructure projects which increase the safety of the community for example fire danger signs, communication boards or air conditioning units in public buildings
  • Environment & Sustainability
    • The Environment and Sustainability stream offers grants to assist incorporated groups and organisations to undertake environmental and sustainability projects on publicly accessible land within Golden Plains Shire.
    • Examples may include:
      • Environmental Sustainability – to meet the needs of the present but also provides a quality environment for future generations
      • Resilience – sustained ability of a community to use available resources to respond to, withstand, and recover from adverse situations
      • Environment – the physical and biological surroundings, both where they work and live and the way these affect how people feel
      • Waste – covers waste management activities including reducing landfill waste, increasing recycling, composting, improving community knowledge on waste actions

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must be a community group or organisation.
• Community groups and organisations must be: – not for profit; and – incorporated or have an auspice arrangement.
• Groups may submit multiple applications per round, but they must be for different projects and cannot be the same application over multiple streams.
• Government organisations and agencies are not eligible to apply. However, kindergartens, Committees of Management, other community committees and local branches of larger organisations (e.g. CFA and SES) are eligible where significant community benefit can be demonstrated.
• The project must be carried out within the Shire and/or benefit Golden Plains Shire communities and residents.
• Primary and Secondary schools are eligible to apply as long as the project is not solely curriculum-based and can strongly demonstrate a partnership with another community organisation or have a joint use agreement in place guaranteeing community access.
• Previous funded applicant must have no outstanding debts or overdue acquittals with Golden Plains Shire Council.
• Applicant must have a level of public liability insurance appropriate to cover the project. This is where if increased insurance is required to your specific project, it can form part of the budget in your application.
• Applicant must demonstrate the organisation’s ability to deliver the project by providing evidence of other projects delivered by the organisation or project plan.
• Applicant must provide quotes or evidence to support the budget for any individual expenditure over $250.
• Applicant must match the requested funding through either cash or in-kind (volunteer labor) contributions.
• The following rates should be used as a guide when calculating in-kind budget expenses:
  • Community group/individual labor: $30 per hour.
  • Professional labor provided by a qualified tradesperson: $45 per hour.
• The number of times an applicant has previously received funding through the Community Strengthening Grants Program will be considered during the assessment process. Council may choose not to fund a project by applicants who have previously received funding should the program be oversubscribed.
• For facilities’ improvements, the applicant must either be the owner of the land/building/facility or have the written consent from the owner. Consent evidence must be in writing and attached to the online application.
• If the community facility is on Council-owned land/property, the applicant must discuss the project with a Golden Plains Shire Council officer prior to submitting the application.

For more information, visit Golden Plains Shire Council.