Deadline: 01-Mar-2024
Submissions are now open for the Event Support Grant Program to support local not for profit organisations that make their region shine through a range of imaginative events.
The Event Support Grant Program is developed with a philosophy of partnership, whereby Council provides funding to encourage, involve and support non-profit legal entities to make a positive and ongoing contribution to the region’s economic prosperity, community wellbeing and cultural life.
Priorities
- The Event Support Grant Program seeks to respond to Council’s vision, values and goals, as outlined in the Corporate Plan 2019-2024. The Event Support Grant Program is a strategic investment tool, assisting the non-corporate community sector to meet and respond to Council’s priorities. It enables Council to contribute to the community by:
- Enhancing the Region’s livability by supporting initiatives that foster community pride/spirit.
- Ensuring that Council’s cultural facilities and services, such as theatres, art galleries and museums meet the needs of a growing and diverse community. In this regard, Council is supportive of events occurring in these facilities.
- Collaborating with external agencies to encourage physical activity in the community.
- Encouraging and supporting activities to achieve multicultural and intergenerational understanding and equity.
- Strengthening social networks and providing appropriate social infrastructure to build resilience and connectivity to the community.
- Promoting a sense of community among young people and encouraging them to participate and remain in their community.
- Promoting the region as a tourist and cultural destination.
- Providing opportunities for the region to host a variety of festivals and events
Event Categories
- Major events
- To encourage and support a range of events across the region that celebrate the region’s character and cultural diversity and contribute to improving the economic prosperity and social wellbeing of the broader community.
- Regional events
- To encourage and support a range of events across the region that celebrate the character of the local community and provide substantial social benefit along with the reasonable economic prosperity to the community at large.
- Community Events
- To encourage and support a range of events across the region that capture the imagination and attention of the community and provide fun-filled exciting entertainment programs where entry is open to the public to attend free of charge or at a subsidized rate.
Funding Information
- Major events: Over $10,000
- Regional events: Up to $1,500 to $10,000
- Community events: Up to $1,500
Outcomes
- Council seeks the following outcomes from the Event Support Grant Program:
- The generation of community pride, celebration of place and social activity through the provision of arts, cultural, recreational, leisure and educational events.
- Benefits to disadvantaged/vulnerable groups by the development of opportunities for women and girls, people with disabilities, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, (including Indigenous Australians, older Australians, young people and people at risk).
- Benefits to the region’s economy.
- Cost efficient initiatives.
- The betterment/sustainability of established events
Eligible Projects
- Priority will be given to applications that include one of the following initiatives:
- development of new events possessing the potential to becoming regular events
- development and revitalisation of an established event
- enhancement of the professional delivery to economically sustain an event
- social interaction within an isolated community.
Ineligible Projects
- Ineligible activities/applications will include, but not be restricted to:
- the purchase of land
- the core business of educational, religious and medical organisations
- events run solely for commercial profit
- payment of debt
- payment of insurance premiums (insurance premiums will usually be ineligible, however, provision is available for these payments to be considered on a case by case basis)
- political activities
- items included in another grant application or to top-up funding for a previous grant or any other Council funding
- a government agency or department of local, state or federal levels
- organisations with gaming machines and/or trade regularly with a liquor licence most days of the week
- operational costs including, but not limited to: Council lease costs, Council general rates and utility rates, on-going salaries, auditing, rent and other administrative expenses
- funding for prize money, prizes or trophies.
- Other eligibility restrictions may apply to specific funding categories. Low priority is given to events that have received funding previously for similar events, excepting community events.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organisations can apply for an event support grant if they:
- are an eligible community organisation or are under the auspices of an eligible community organisation as defined in the 2.59 Community Grants Policy
- are an organisation operates or provides services within the Toowoomba Regional Council area or be able to demonstrate that economic and social benefits arising from the event will be directed to and benefit the local community
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- are applying for a project that does not form part of the core business of public and private educational institutions (primary, secondary and tertiary including Parents & Citizens and Parents & Friends Associations) and demonstrates broader community benefit.
Ineligible
- individuals
- for-profit companies, trusts and other organisations
- government, semi-government organisations and statutory authorities
- unions and student guilds
- research foundations
- professional associations
- an organisation that has been granted approval for support through a Toowoomba Regional Council funding program for the same project
- recipients who have previously defaulted on the conditions of funding ineligible activities / applications will include, but not be restricted to:
- the purchase of land
- the core business or educational, religious and medical organisations
- events run solely for commercial profit
- an organisation that has not acquitted an overdue TRC funded grant application.
For more information, visit Toowoomba Regional Council.