Author: Melanie

A close up shot of green grass and reeds
Environmental

Conservation Grants

Melanie

Funder:  NSW – Biodiversity Conservation Trust

Grant Background: The Biodiversity Conservation Trust’s (BCT) Conservation Partners Grants aim to assist BCT agreement holders to actively protect or improve the ecological value of their properties.

The following activities are supported:

  • Fencing—installation, repairs or replacement of wildlife-friendly conservation-related fencing (to control stock access)
  • Weed control
  • Introduced pest animal control
  • Supplementary planting, revegetation or vegetation enhancement
  • Habitat restoration—such as nest boxes, addition of ground layer including logs, rocks
  • Other maintenance—such as tracks or erosion control needed to maintain conservation value

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A lush green field beneath a vibrant blue sky
Environmental

Community Litter Grants

Melanie

Funder:  NSW – Environmental Protection Agency

Grant Background: The Community Litter Grant program aims to help deliver the Premier’s Priority to reduce litter by 40% by 2020. All funded projects must include direct community participation in the development of litter prevention activities.

Stream 1: Local single-community group projects – $4,000 to $10,000
Available for community groups who are taking their first steps in the litter prevention journey to conduct a litter prevention project at a single littered location. Expert help and support will be available for groups to apply for a grant and plan and carry out an effective litter prevention project.

Stream 2: Multi-site and/or multi-organisation – $20,000 to $70,000
Available for larger organisations who able to work across multiple sites and involve multiple groups, with the capacity to engage in litter prevention at scale and over the long term.

Continue reading “Community Litter Grants” →

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Arts & Creative

Country Arts Support Programme

Melanie

Funder:  Orana Arts & Regional Arts NSW

Grant Background: The aim of the Country Arts Support Program is to support community arts and cultural development in regional NSW through small grants that:

  • Assist locally determined community arts and cultural activities.
  • Increase opportunities for regionally-based groups to access a diverse range of arts programs.
  • Enable communities to explore and express their cultural identities.
  • Bring social and economic benefits to the community through training, employment and promotional opportunities.
  • Lead to greater awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity.
  • Increase the sustainability and resilience of regionally based community arts organisations.

CASP is managed by Orana Arts through devolved funding from Create NSW. All applicants must discuss their project with Orana Arts and applications must be submitted via Smartygrants which can be accessed via the Regional Arts NSW website during the application opening period.

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A large group of people putting their hands and feet together on green grass
Community

Tackling Tough Times Together

Melanie

Funder:  Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal

Grant Background: The Tackling Tough Times Together grant program helps communities access the resources they need to support one another through the ongoing effects of the drought.

This program is designed to provide flexible funding to support community-based activities that both help to relieve current stressors and symptoms, and most importantly, build capacity and resilience for the future. Funds could also support activities that engage your local community in being proactive, exploring options and creating something that will stand the test of tough times.

Objectives of the programme include to:

  • Reduce social isolation by facilitating strong social cohesion and connection;
  • Support and engage the community in leadership development and skills training;
  • Support opportunities for social and educational participation and address disadvantage caused by the drought, for children and young people;
  • Reduce volunteer fatigue and build the capacity, capability and sustainability of local not-for-profit organisations to provide support to their communities, particularly where they are playing an increased role during the drought; and
  • Support local economic recovery or renewal through projects that stimulate economic activity and cash-flow within communities.

Continue reading “Tackling Tough Times Together” →

A group of happy people sit around a dinner table
Community

Strengthening Rural Communities – Small & Vital

Melanie

This one is so good, it is worth repeating!

Funder:  Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR)

Grant Background: For smaller communities, regular access to funds can be a challenge, which is why the FRRR have created the Strengthening Rural Communities(SRC) program.

The following applications will be prioritised:

  • Projects initiated and delivered by local community groups.
  • Applications from communities fewer than 15,000 people.
  • Organisations that do not have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Tax status.

Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small and Vital grants can be used for a wide range of purposes including:

  • Delivering activities, programs and services;
  • Purchasing or hiring equipment and materials;
  • Community infrastructure projects;
  • Operational and administrative costs associated with your project will be considered. This could include wages, paying a skilled contractor, or paying for overhead costs incurred in the project’s delivery.

Applications must clearly demonstrate a focus on one activity from the following seven activity areas.

1. Building community resilience

2. Developing organisational resilience and capacity

3. Enhancing environmental sustainability

4. Fostering cultural vibrancy

5. Lifelong learning and education

6. Economic strength

7. Improving community health and social wellbeing

Continue reading “Strengthening Rural Communities – Small & Vital” →

A large group of people putting their hands and feet together on green grass
Community

Saluting Their Service

Melanie

Funder:  Federal – Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Grant Background:  Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program is designed to preserve Australia’s wartime heritage and to involve people throughout the nation in a wide range of projects and activities that highlight the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel in wars, conflicts and peace operations.

The objective of the program is to acknowledge and commemorate those who served Australia and its allies in wars, conflicts and peace operations.

There are two categories of grants available under the program:

  1. Community Commemorative Grants – Grants up to a maximum of $4,000 available for local, community-based projects and activities.
  2. Major Commemorative Grants – Grants available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national or state/territory perspective.

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A stunning mountain range is reflected in a mirror lake with forest
Environmental

Small Environmental Grant Scheme

Melanie

Funder:  Wettenhall Environment Trust

Grant Background: The Scheme provides support for people undertaking projects that will make a positive difference to the natural living environment, in land, sea or air, rural or urban.

They are looking for projects around:

  • flora and fauna conservation(Australia-wide)
  • threatened mammal conservation (Australia-wide)
  • landscape restoration and education (Victoria only)

These projects should involve any of the following:

  • monitoring, recording and sharing data
  • delivering community education
  • providing community capacity building (e.g. training)
  • research and science

What they fund:

  • Projects that directly make positive changes to biodiversity conservation in Australia.
  • Projects should have some short term outputs, but also have long term objectives and values.
  • Projects that show the following: enthusiasm, collaboration, passion, innovation
  • Projects that use citizen science
  • Projects that are about community education relating to conservation

Continue reading “Small Environmental Grant Scheme” →

Sunrise over a paddock containing cows
Agriculture

Emergency Drought Transport Subsidy NSW

Melanie

Funder:  NSW – Rural Assistance Authority

Grant Background: The Emergency Drought Transport Subsidy provides drought affected farmers in NSW with subsidies for the transport of fodder, water and stock.

Subsidies may be used to:

  • transport stock to and from agistment
  • transport stock to sale or slaughter
  • transport fodder or water to stock on drought affected properties

Subsidies of up to 50% of the total freight cost, to a maximum of $5 per kilometre (GST exclusive) to a maximum eligible distance of 1,500 kilometres are available.

Continue reading “Emergency Drought Transport Subsidy NSW” →

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Business

Innovation Fund for Regional & Small Publishers

Melanie

Funder:  Federal – Australian Communications & Media Authority

Grant Background: The Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund (the Innovation Fund) has been established by the Government to support regional and small publishers to transition to and compete more successfully in the evolving media environment. The Innovation Fund will preserve and improve the viability of Australia’s regional and small news publishing industry in the current period of transition.

The Regional Grant Opportunity is a new grant opportunity under the Innovation Fund that is targeted at regional publishers of public interest journalism.

The objective of the Opportunity is to provide regional publishers with the financial security to conduct their business in the medium term so that they can take calculated risks to reorient their business models to adapt to the digital age. The grants are designed to assist regional publishers who can demonstrate a solid business case to increase the sustainability of their publishing activities, including news gathering, production, and distribution.

This objective recognises the specific challenges faced by regional publishers in comparison to metropolitan publishers.

The intended outcome of the Opportunity is to improve the sustainability of successful applicants by at least one of the following measures relating to their news publishing activities:

  • increases in advertising or subscription revenue;
  • increase in other revenue that supports the production of public interest journalism;
  • increases in readership or distribution; or
  • the reduction of operating costs through more efficient business practices.

Continue reading “Innovation Fund for Regional & Small Publishers” →

A group of people sit around a board room desk in an office. They are working on folders and paperwork
Business

Safe Work Sponsorship

Melanie

Funder:  Federal – Safe Work Australia

Grant Background: The Safe Work Australia Sponsorship Program is committed to improving work health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia and provide support through the Program to the initiatives of individuals, businesses, government and non-government organisations that align with this commitment.

The aims of this Program are to:

  1. a) increase community awareness and knowledge of WHS and workers’ compensation
  2. b) build our profile as the national policy body for WHS and workers’ compensation
  3. c) build relationships with key influencers and national bodies, and
  4. d) support priority areas and industries listed in the Australian WHS Strategy 2012–2022.

Continue reading “Safe Work Sponsorship” →