Media releases: 20 June 2024
More than $120,000 awarded to local not-for-profits
FRRR and Gardiner Foundation have awarded $124,478 to 27 community groups across Gippsland, South Western and Northern Victoria for local initiatives that will support, strengthen and sustain their dairying regions.
For 22 years, the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants program has empowered not-for-profit organisations in Victoria’s dairy communities to create and lead projects that help locals to connect and support their farming regions to be sustainable and vibrant places to live and work.
This year, Victoria’s dairying regions will be boosted by a wide range of community-led projects including:
Allan Cameron, Gardiner Foundation CEO, said that the organisation’s longstanding partnership with FRRR has enabled it to invest more than $2.4 million in Victoria’s dairying regions.
“The Community Grants Program aims to support purpose-driven, not-for-profit organisations in rural and regional Victoria by enhancing their capacity to serve their local communities effectively.
“Since the program began in 2003, we have supported over 600 projects across the state. These grants provide crucial financial support to community groups, helping them overcome challenges as they work to revitalise their communities.
“We take pride in recognising the remarkable efforts of these groups within their communities, often carried out voluntarily, and in assisting them by funding projects that they believe will significantly enhance community resilience,” Mr Cameron said.
Jill Karena, FRRR Place Portfolio Lead, said that the impact that the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants program has had over the past 22 years is a testament to what is possible through collaboration with partners like Gardiner Foundation.
“Not-for-profits work tirelessly to strengthen and grow the social and cultural fabric of their communities. But with the current economic landscape and climate-related transitions impacting Victoria, keeping these organisations up and running is becoming exceedingly difficult. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this year we saw a predominant need from community groups for funding to develop organisational resilience and capacity.
“Victoria’s dairy regions are resilient and resourceful, and we have seen, firsthand, the transformational change and outcomes that local people can achieve when they have access to funding.
“We are proud to play a small role in enabling these groups to drive change, build connections and share the vibrancy and determination of those living in Victoria’s dairying regions,” Ms Karena said.
The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.
| Organisation | Project | Location | Grant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GIPPSLAND | ||||||
| A Better Life for Foster Kids Inc | Crisis Cases for Emergency Foster Care Improving community health and social wellbeing via the provision of Crisis Cases to support the transition of children into foster home emergency care in the Sale area. | Sale | $4,960 | |||
| Baw Baw Shire Council | Tables and Chairs for the Social Club Room Build community resilience through improvements to a meeting place that is used by local groups to improve social connectedness in Ellinbank and the surrounding region. | Ellinbank | $4,800 | |||
| Bruthen and District Citizens Association Inc | Community Grow Swap Learn Program & Workshops Build community resilience through purchasing equipment and running workshops that increase capability and capacity for local community gardening and increase participation and learning to improve community health and wellbeing. | Bruthen | $5,000 | |||
| Fabelo Inc on behalf of Fishy Stories | Fishy Stories Improving community health and social wellbeing by contributing to young children's learning activities at a local festival. | Fish Creek | $5,000 | |||
| Fish Creek Football Netball Club Inc | Recipes for Recovery Cookbook Build community resilience by recording the stories of the families within our community through food, producing a functional recipe book that will be treasured by generations to come and support local fundraising. | Fish Creek | $5,000 | |||
| Friends of Coal Creek Inc | Digitisation of the Historical Assets of Coal Creek Build organisational capacity to preserve historical items through digitisation, which will support tourism and enhance local identity and pride. | Korumburra | $5,000 | |||
| Heyfield War Memorial Hall Committee of Management Inc | Upgrade Kitchen Cupboards Improve community infrastructure with new kitchen drawers to increase utility for senior and disabled community members at the Heyfield War Memorial Hall. | Heyfield | $3,300 | |||
| Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc | Community Kitchen Project Build community resilience through installing a kitchen to provide a facility for local catering and programs to address food insecurity in Bunyip and surrounding communities. | Bunyip | $5,000 | |||
| Labertouche and District Men's Shed | Upgrade Wood-splitter to Electric Start Motor Build organisational capacity by installing an electric start motor on the wood-splitter that enables the local Men's Shed to contribute services of land clearing, firewood collection and woodworking to the Labertouche community. | Labertouche | $3,578 | |||
| Treble F Singers Inc | Training and Administration Aids Build organisational capability through purchasing audiovisual equipment and a laptop to improve operations and administration for the local choir, supporting local opportunities for participation and performances to support community activity. | Leongatha | $2,907 | |||
| Venus Bay Tarwin Lower and District Men's Shed Inc | Festival FREE Fun for Kids Build community resilience and a stronger economy through providing free activities for children and entertainment for locals and tourists to support attendance of the 2024 Tarwin District Community Show. | Tarwin | $5,000 | |||
| NORTHERN VICTORIA | ||||||
| Gargarro Botanic Garden Ltd on behalf of Friends of Gargarro & Nursery | Growing More Than Plants Build community resilience through extending a community-run nursery to support volunteers, grow plants for the local botanic garden, and support the community organisation's financial sustainability. | Girgarre | $5,000 | |||
| Greta Valley Landcare Group | Moyhu Walking Track Landscaping Project Enhance community infrastructure by establishing a safe and educational pathway for accessing the King River from Moyhu to support both residents and visitor enjoyment of, and connection to, the local environment. | Moyhu | $5,000 | |||
| Gundowring Recreation and Hall Reserve Committee of Management | The Gundowring Hall in the 21st Century: Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer Improve community infrastructure with a split system air conditioner installed at Gundowring Hall to support increased community meetings, craft and wellbeing activities. | Gundowring | $4,752 | |||
| Lions Club of Upper Kiewa Valley Inc on behalf of Kiewa Valley Community Garden | Sprout & Stow - Kiewa Valley's Garden Gear Garage Enhance community facilities with a lock up container installed to store and maintain gardening equipment for all the users and visitors to the Kiewa Valley Community Garden. | Tangambalanga | $5,000 | |||
| Lockington District Business Centre Inc | Locky Ukers Project Build community resilience and cultural vibrancy in Lockington with musical gear to support the Locky Ukers in their community ukele practice and performance, ensuring inclusive participation and improvement. | Lockington | $2,129 | |||
| Murrabit Advancement Association Inc | Murrabit - Keeping Up With the News! Improve capability of organisation by purchasing a new photocopier to support local information distribution, including a monthly community newsletter that enables connection, enhances the services volunteers provide to community, and promotes local activity for greater participation and economic strength. | Murrabit | $5,000 | |||
| NCN Health | Chills Skills Across the Community - Supporting the Mental Wellbeing of Children in Moira Shire Build the resilience of primary school children through implementing a mental health program with local facilitators trained in an evidence-based program and supported to develop an ongoing community of practice. | Cobram | $5,000 | |||
| North East Regional Pre-School Association Inc on behalf of Whorouly and District Preschool | A Water Garden for Whorouly Kindergarten Increase the capacity for learning through play with the installation of a water play area with shade sail at Whorouly Kindergarten, supporting educational and social development of current and future preschoolers and children attending playgroup. | Whorouly | $5,000 | |||
| SOUTH WESTERN VICTORIA | ||||||
| A is for Atlas Limited | Dining Room Tales X Keayang Maar 2024 Build community resilience through delivering unique international artist experiences to enable rural communities access to global learning experiences for social resilience, and enable tourism opportunity. | Dixie | $4,419 | |||
| Anam Cara House Colac Inc | Renewable Rays for Respite - Sustainable End-of-Life Care Through Solar Energy Improve organisational infrastructure with a solar panel system that will reduce operational costs and allow for savings to increase care services. | Colac | $4,537 | |||
| Beech Forest & District Progress Association Inc | Strengthening Community Through Rebuild of the Old Beech Forest Bakery Oven Build community resilience and foster connection through installing seating and steel benches to complement the re-build of old Beech Forest bakery oven to benefit the community with staple food access and increasing economic and educational opportunities to build a more inclusive, sustainable future. | Beech Forest | $4,975 | |||
| Cobden District Health Services Inc on behalf of Cobden Men's Shed | The Cobden Men’s Shed – Shed Extension Build community resilience with an extension to expand Cobden's Men's Shed facility and increase the capacity for participation and activity that supports mental health and social wellbeing. | Cobden | $5,000 | |||
| Coragulac & District Kindergarten Inc | Skylights and Ventilation Increase the capacity for learning through installation of skylights and ventilation at Coragulac & District Kindergarten, supporting educational and social development of current and future pre-schoolers. | Coragulac | $5,000 | |||
| Progressing Cobden Inc on behalf of Cobden & District Historical Society | Equipment to Enable Cataloguing, Labelling and Storage of Collected History Build community organisational capacity by upgrading the equipment of the local historical society to enable digital cataloguing and conservation that will preserve local identity and support research on local and family history. | Cobden | $4,121 | |||
| Terang & District Progress Association | Activities at Colour Terang Festival 2024 Foster community vibrancy and social connection via free activities for children at the Terang Colour Festival, to enable affordable participation for the whole community. | Terang | $5,000 | |||
| United Way Glenelg Victoria Incorporated | Imagination Bush Library Increase the capacity for learning and social development by providing children with books to build their literacy skills and love of reading. | Dartmoor | $5,000 | |||
