Council has
awarded a total of $497,659 to 131 different community groups in the first
round of its 2019-20 grants program.
The funding has been spread across the region and will be used to support a
wide variety of projects and interests.
Grants will go towards arts projects and festivals, equipment purchases,
community projects, environmental initiatives and heritage restorations. The
vast majority have been given to groups, clubs and organisations run by
volunteers.
Recipients include the Barwon Heads Arts Council, whose $6000 grant will
support the Bellarine Arts Trail 2020, and the Geelong Jukebox Rockers, who’ll
use a $4000 grant to help stage a three-day Summer Rock Festival.
The Geelong Museum of Motoring and Industry have been awarded $6000 to rebuild
a 1961 Ford Anglia ‘Harry Potter car’ with students from Western Heights
Secondary College.
The Indented Head Yacht Club will put its $2000 grant towards a beach trolley
to move boats, while the North Geelong Warriors Football Club receive $2000 to
buy equipment for its all abilities team.
Ocean Grove Community Association will use a $6000 grant to establish and
promote a solar and battery bulk buy, while the Waurn Ponds Community Garden
will build four machines to recycle plastics.
All applications were assessed by an independent panel, and unsuccessful
applicants will be given an opportunity to receive feedback.
The bulk of this financial year’s grants funding is still to be awarded, with applications
for a total of $3 million in infrastructure grants and $300,000 for community events
now being assessed.
It’s expected the recipients of these grants will be announced towards the end
of this month. There will also be a second round of applications later in
2019-20 to award any leftover funds.
A full list of recipients is available .
Mayor Stephanie Asher:
The grants program is one of the most
direct and effective ways for the council to make a genuine difference in the
community.We’re excited to award the first round of this year’s grants to such a varied
list of groups, who come from across the region and represent a wide range of
interests.Congratulations to all recipients and we look forward to announcing our next
round very soon, including our major infrastructure grants of up to $350,000.
Councillor Pat Murnane, Chair, Finance
portfolio:
Thanks and congratulations to the
community groups who have applied for these grants. The value of the council’s
investment is compounded many times over by the volunteers who put in hours of
hard work to make the projects come to life.The benefits of these grants will be felt by communities across the region and
there is something for all interests.We will have a second round of grants, so we encourage any volunteer group or
organisation in need of funding to check the guidelines and see if you are
eligible to apply.
