Grants to help local ideas grow

COMMUNITY groups, clubs and not-for-profit organisations across the Surf Coast can now apply for grants of up to $3,000 through Surf Coast Shire’s Quick Response Grants program.

The grants support time-sensitive community projects throughout the year, with funding available until the allocation is exhausted

Projects can include local events, equipment purchases, pilot programs or initiatives responding to emerging community needs.

Unlike other grant programs, applicants are not required to provide a financial contribution.

Surf Coast Shire councillor Mike Bodsworth encouraged community organisations to apply early.

“Our shire is full of passionate, caring people with great ideas that will have a truly positive impact on our community and environment, and these grants help turn simple but powerful ideas into action,” he said.

“Because the grants are assessed as applications come in, there’s no long wait for funding rounds, just a straightforward process until the budget is spent.”

Among last year’s recipients was Torquay College, which used a Quick Response Grant to establish its Surf Coast Secrets Bush Blitz program.

The school’s STEAM coordinator Tracey Vaught said the funding paid for equipment including butterfly nets, magnifiers, binoculars and seedlings, allowing students to explore local ecosystems through hands-on environmental surveys.

“The grant opened the door for this. We wouldn’t have been able to afford all the equipment otherwise,” she said.

Other projects funded last year included Surf Coast Secondary College’s R U OK? Day wellbeing initiative and the Aireys Inlet Community Garden’s wicking beds project.

For more information, head to the Surf Coast Shire website.