The City of Greater Geelong awards community grants.

THE City of Greater Geelong has awarded $768,766 in Community Grants to support a range of initiatives, including an outdoor cooking program for Bengali Australian women, a sustainable homes project, and the Corio Model Railway Club.

Mayor Trent Sullivan highlighted the strong community response to the grant program.

“This year, we received incredible interest in our annual Community Grants with 235 applications made across five grant streams, including for arts, environment, community and events,” Cr Sullivan said.

“The pool of applicants was impressive and showcased the wealth of innovation and talent across our city, as well as the drive of local people to foster the wonderful sense of community we have across Greater Geelong.”

The 2023-2024 Community Grants will benefit 118 projects.

This funding focuses on enhancing arts, community events, healthy living, environmental sustainability, and climate change partnerships.

A grant of $50,000 was awarded to the Geelong Sustainability Group’s Efficient Electric Homes Program, aimed at reducing emissions through energy efficiency audits and upgrades for up to 1000 homes.

The Association of Bengalis in Geelong received $1,700 to empower Bengali Australian women through outdoor cooking classes and healthy meal preparation.

The Portarlington Mussel Festival, a staple event in the Bellarine Peninsula, was granted $10,000.

North Geelong Warriors FC will celebrate Croatian culture with the North Geelong Warriors Festa, thanks to a $9,777 grant. The event will feature Croatian food, wine, music, and dancing.

Additionally, the Australian Highland Cattle Society will organize a National Highland Cattle Show with a $10,000 grant.

Artist Jun Bin Lee and Platform Arts will use a $10,000 grant for a mixed media project about Ham Hop, a Chinese woman who migrated to Geelong in the early 20th century.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken said the City’s Community Grants program provides immense community benefit.

“The projects and initiatives that have been supported respond to a community need and will improve the health and wellbeing of our community,” he said.

“The significant number of applications have highlighted the passionate endeavours of a large number of motivated and highly talented individuals – thank you for your work!”