Deadline: 18-Jul-22
The State Government of Victoria is inviting applications for the Emerging Stronger Grants Program to support local partnerships and innovation projects to re-engage volunteers, broaden the volunteer base, and strengthen volunteering in local communities.
A key priority in implementing the Strategy is to encourage people who have previously volunteered to return, while growing and diversifying the pool of Victorian volunteers. The Strategy also provides a roadmap of practical improvements to strengthen volunteering into the future.
The $1 million Emerging Stronger grants program will support place-based initiatives and innovation projects to re-engage volunteers, broaden the volunteer base, and strengthen volunteering in local communities.
The grant program is part of a $1.3 million investment, that also includes:
- A communications campaign to inspire Victorians to reconnect with their community through volunteering.
- A training and mentoring program and help organisations to reimagine and transform volunteering opportunities to meet modern volunteer expectations.
Objectives
- The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing is seeking project proposals across three objectives.
- Organisations may seek funding under one or all of the objectives:
- Re-engaging volunteers
- Broadening the volunteer base
- Strengthening volunteering in the local community
- Highly rated submissions will demonstrate critical community need and outline the priority sectors, organisations and communities that will be supported.
Scope
Projects may include:
- Developing resources and supports for community organisations to:
- Reduce barriers such as socioeconomic and structural factors, and discrimination related to age, culture, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Use a range of inclusive engagement practices to attract, recruit and support a diverse range of people. This also includes consideration for accessibility and culturally safe and appropriate formats.
- Partnerships between organisations to build organisational capability, community connections and pathways to volunteering. Showcasing how active engagement in partnerships can assist organisations to attract volunteers and support volunteering for a broad range of people.
- Developing or enhancing volunteering programs to strengthen connections with a broad range of community members and/or to develop pathways into education, employment or retirement.
- Promoting volunteering opportunities through a broad range of networks, in accessible formats and a number of languages.
Funding Information
The program will fund grants of up to $80,000 to enable delivery of initiatives across rural and regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne, and support critical community needs via a broad range of approaches.
Requirements
- Applicants must have an established partnership/consortium and/or relevant networks in place to support immediate commencement of project activities.
- There is no minimum or maximum number of partners.
- Partner organisations should all be aware of the application and provide a letter of support indicating their willingness to participate if the application is successful.
For more information, visit https://www.volunteer.vic.gov.au/emerging-stronger-grants-program