Grants strengthen community projects

GROUPS in Drysdale, Torquay and Ocean Grove are among 23 Victorian initiatives funded in the latest round of grants to strengthen remote, rural and regional communities across Australia.

The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) has just awarded more than $250,000 in grants to Victorian projects.

Recipients of the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) grants in the Geelong region are:

• Wombat’s Wish in Drysdale, which will use $10,000 to increase opportunities for bereavement support and improve the health, wellbeing and education outcomes for young people through the initiation of post-camp counselling sessions
• Surf Coast Energy Group in Torquay, which will use $9,930 to boost the community’s ability to learn about conservation management and increase connection to place through the delivery of the Spring Creek Community Futures community engagement workshops, and
• The Repair Cafe Bellarine and Bellarine Training and Community Hub in Ocean Grove, which will use $2,515 to increase reach of the repair cafe service through the development and delivery of social media and marketing.

All three grants have been awarded in the SRC’s Small & Vital funding stream, which is for projects that local communities have prioritised for their long-term viability and vitality.

FRRR announced the more than $1 million in awarded grants last week.

FRRR chief executive officer Natalie Egleton said the foundation was seeing a wide range of requests from across the country, reflecting the diverse needs in each place.

“Rural communities continue to inspire and move forward despite the numerous difficulties they’ve faced and the uncertainty ahead.

“They want something to hope for, to build towards, and we continue to be here to support and celebrate their achievements and are ready to walk with them through any challenges they may be dealing with, or to harness any opportunities they have in front of them.

“With COVID-19 restrictions still being unpredictable, we want groups to know that if you have received a grant from us and, for whatever reason, you have had to delay, postpone or cancel your project, please reach out to our team.

“We want to work with you to adapt or redefine your project so that the funding stays in your community.”

For communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires, 34 community-led projects across Australia are sharing $602,958 in grants through SRC’s Bushfire Recovery stream.

The next round of SRC applications is being assessed and will be announced in December.

The present round is accepting applications until November 23, with funds to be awarded in March 2022.

For more information, head to the FRRR website.