$2 million granted to essential Geelong support programs

LOCAL children and mothers in need are among those set to benefit from a $2 million investment in the Geelong community, with the Geelong Community Foundation delivering a record year of grant funding.

Our Village – formerly Geelong Mums – has supported local families for more than a decade and was among 16 organisations to receive a multi-year funding partnership from the Foundation.

The charity collects, repairs and redistributes essential baby and children’s items, providing practical support to some of the region’s most vulnerable families.

Chief executive Ruth Holdaway said the organisation relied on external funding to continue meeting growing demand as cost-of-living pressures intensified.

“We are seeing an increase in demand,” she said.

“Since Covid in particular, the cost-of-living crisis has meant more people need our service but at the same time we’re trying to fundraise from the community.

“When people are feeling the pinch, doing it tough, it’s hard to donate to charities, so we have this increased need, but less funds coming in.

“That’s where organisations like Geelong Community Foundation are so important. We’re delivering impact and we know that the Foundation is somewhere that we can go for help and in times like this.”

Our Village repairs and packages pre-loved goods ranging from clothing and bedding to essential items such as prams, car seats and cots.

All items meet national safety standards and are distributed to families through partnerships with local social service organisations.

Powered by hundreds of volunteers, the organisation delivers about a third of its statewide support to the Geelong region.

From its South Geelong warehouse, Our Village supports almost 8,000 babies and children each year – close to half the 19,000 children it assists across Victoria.

Dr Holdaway said long-term funding partnerships provided certainty while also creating opportunities to improve and expand services.

“We need that constant support to continue to deliver our service, but also to be able to grow and develop and meet more of the need and adapt to the changes that our partners are seeing,” she said.

“We’d love to be able to deliver items directly to the caseworkers or even to the children themselves without caseworkers having to come to our door. We’d love to have donation drop-off points for pre-loved goods all around Geelong and the surrounding area. These are the things that financial support can help us with in the longer term.”

A combined 59 grants across four streams were announced by the Geelong Community Foundation on Thursday, including 39 new grants.

Chief executive Amy Waters said the Foundation is focusing on deepening partnerships and longer-term support for organisations.

She said larger and multi-year grants gave organisations greater certainty and reduced the time spent reapplying for funding.

“Many organisations are responding to increasing demand while also managing rising operational pressures, workforce challenges and growing complexity across the community sector,” Waters said.

“We’re hearing directly from our grant partners that larger, longer-term funding is helping create more sustainable community impact and lasting local change.”

Foundation chair Michael Betts said the record grant round reflects not only the generosity of the Geelong community but its commitment to backing local change.