Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
FRRR and Gardiner Foundation offer grants up to $5,000 to local not-for-profits
Community groups in small dairy communities across Gippsland, South-West and Northern Victoria can now apply for Gardiner Foundation Community Grants up to $5,000 to strengthen and build capacity in their dairying region.
Over the last 22 years, FRRR and Gardiner Foundation have granted more than $2.2 million to 560 projects that have helped these farming communities to be more connected, sustainable, and vibrant places to live and work.
This year, the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants Program is offering grants totalling $120,000 to not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) for a broad range of projects that help their dairying communities to thrive.
Allan Cameron, Gardiner Foundation CEO, said that the Foundation is committed to continuing to invest in the local groups that are working to enhance the liveability of small Victorian towns reliant on the dairy industry.
“We know that year in, year out, community volunteers are committed to the work of local community groups which meet local challenges and create opportunities to strengthen the fabric of their communities.” Mr Cameron said.
Historically, the community grants have funded a diverse range of projects, including initiatives that support education and training, health and social wellbeing or the amenity of a public setting.
Last year’s Community Grants Program provides some examples of the range of initiatives that are funded. In Leongatha, the local Men’s Shed, which hosts a range of community groups, including the local choir, received funds for an air conditioner. In Gellibrand, the local Hall Committee received a grant to buy new chairs to improve the amenity and safety of the community’s meeting space. Warrnambool College and Grasmere Primary School received a grant to establish an Indigenous sensory garden, which has provided students with hands on experience to enhance their educational outcomes.
“I look forward to seeing the impact that is delivered from this year’s grants,” Mr Cameron said.
Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said it’s wonderful to have partners, like Gardiner Foundation, that understand the impact that small grants can have on rural places.
“We know from past recipients that these grants have enabled communities to achieve more than they would otherwise. Groups also tell us how it can often be a catalyst for further funding. This reaffirms the importance of this program, and it shows that with just a small amount of seed funding, communities can build resilience and thrive.
“I encourage community groups to take advantage of these grants and consider how they can leverage the funds, so that they have the capacity to inspire, engage and strengthen their dairy communities,” Ms Egleton said.
Applications for the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants Program close 21 March 2024 at 5 pm AEDT.
An online grantseeker workshop will be held Monday, 19 February 2024 from 2-3pm AEDT.
For more information about the grants, or to register for the grantseeker workshop, please visit the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants Program webpage.
Twenty-eight community-led projects will share $123,850 in grants, thanks to a partnership between FRRR and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.
This is the 21st year of the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants, which provide up to $5,000 for locally-led projects that strengthen Victorian dairy communities.
Allan Cameron, Gardiner Foundation Chief Executive Officer said that local community groups and not-for-profit organisations play a critical role in the sustainability of Victoria’s dairy communities and it’s great to be able to support them to bring their ideas to fruition.
“Once again, we’ve seen creative projects come through from community groups to address persistent issues. Our commitment to the Victorian dairy industry values these groups and their ability to create vibrant communities broadly benefitting all residents including those involved in dairy. We look forward to hearing about the impacts as these projects are implemented in the coming year,” Mr Cameron said.
This year, the program attracted lots of interest, with community groups reporting challenges in local fundraising following two years of COVID interruptions and increasing operational costs hitting hard in the current economic environment.
Despite this, these local groups show a determination to overcome challenges and invest in projects and initiatives that enhance local opportunities or help fill gaps in service delivery, explains FRRR’s CEO, Natalie Egleton.
“In the applications this round, we saw a range of programs, activities and event equipment purchases that at their core build the social capital of the communities. From supporting a new community choir to several programs for engaging and enabling young people in learning, social and physical development. These and many other projects ensure that community facilities are fit for purpose to support meetings and activities, and that programs such as creating an edible garden present new opportunities for volunteers to develop skills and knowledge.
“This diversity of projects reflects that each of these communities is different and, therefore, so too are their needs and priorities. We are grateful to the Gardiner Foundation for recognising the importance of communities being able to access flexible funding to fill these gaps and for partnering with us for so long to provide this funding,” Ms Egleton said.
Among the projects funded are:
Gippsland
Northern Victoria
South Western Victoria
A full list of grant recipients is detailed below.
| Organisation | Project | Location | Grant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GIPPSLAND | ||||||
| Hillend & Grove Rovers Football Netball Club | Interactive Display Screen Build digital capability by purchasing an interactive large screen for the sporting club's meeting facilities to support local training for CFA and community information nights. | Willow Grove | $4,272 | |||
| Jeetho Hall Inc | Planning Ahead to Maintain our Unique Community Asset Building community resilience by improving local community infrastructure and meeting places to increase hall usage for social connectedness and economic prosperity. | Jeetho | $5,000 | |||
| Manna Gum Community House Inc | Corner Inlet Young People's Cooperative Increase youth engagement and participation in social community activities with street games equipment and art supplies for Community Houses in the Corner Inlet region. | Foster | $4,982 | |||
| Milpara Community House Inc | What's a Good Thing To Do? Support young people's social connection in Korumburra by engaging them in a co-design process to imagine and develop local spaces and activities for their use. | Korumburra | $5,000 | |||
| Mirboo North Grainstore Committee of Management Incorporated | Improving the Usability of our Community Space Building community resilience by improving local community infrastructure and meeting places. | Mirboo North | $5,000 | |||
| Orbost Exhibition Centre on the Snowyriver Inc | pARTicipate — Part 3 Digital Connections to Strengthen Community Participation Build the capacity of the Orbost Exhibition Centre by purchasing a portable video conferencing system to improve community meeting options, including remote connection to increase participation in activities. | Orbost | $5,000 | |||
| The Leongatha Men's Shed | Heating and Cooling System for Communal Area Improve community facilities by purchasing an air conditioner for the local Men's Shed to support members and other community groups using the space. | Leongatha | $3,795 | |||
| Treble F Singers Incorporated | Community Singing Group — Enhancing the Health and Wellbeing of Its Members Enhance community vibrancy and culture through supporting the Treble F Choir's purchase of a filing cabinet for sheet music and a video camera to record performances. | Leongatha | $1,136 | |||
| Welshpool and District Primary School | Wetland Warriors Enhance educational outcomes through enabling hands-on, nature-based educational outcomes for students by purchasing tools for the Wetland Warriors program. | Welshpool | $5,000 | |||
| Yinnar & District Historical Society & Museum | Installation of Split System in the Old Railway Goods Shed Improve community facilities by purchasing an air conditioner to support volunteers and improve visitor experience at the Yinnar Museum. | Yinnar South | $4,100 | |||
| NORTHERN VICTORIA | ||||||
| Boys to the Bush Ltd | Wangaratta Men of Tomorrow Schools' Program Support Boys to the Bush to deliver a program of development for adolescent boys to engage positively with peers and their community through an extra-curricular program of practical learning. | Wangaratta | $5,000 | |||
| Corryong Historic Machinery Club Inc | Corryong Historic Machinery Club Museum Build community resilience through building capacity of the Corryong Historical Machinery Club with IT, defibrillator and air conditioning to support operations and development. | Corryong | $4,135 | |||
| Gannawarra Shire Council | Supporting Rural Mental Health & Wellbeing Post Floods Build community resilience through mental health and wellbeing workshops delivered across the Gannawarra Shire that was impacted by 2022 flooding. | Cohuna | $5,000 | |||
| Goulburn Region Preschool Association Inc | Tungamah Kinder Bike Path Support lifelong learning and community wellbeing with the installation of a bike path for children at Tungamah Preschool to develop gross motor skills and increase outdoor activities. | Tungamah | $5,000 | |||
| Kyabram Blue Light | KyFit School Expansion Utilising the New Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centre Expand support for young people by growing the KyFit teen gym program to increase capacity for more students to participate. | Kyabram | $5,000 | |||
| Kyabram Community & Learning Centre Inc | The Edible & Bush Tucker Garden Enhance community spaces for learning and sustainability with both bush tucker and edible gardens created by volunteers at the Kyabram Community Garden Traffic School. | Kyabram | $5,000 | |||
| Murrabit Advancement Association Inc | Murrabit — Hot Water All Round! Upgrade the Murrabit community-owned toilet and shower facilities with hot water, signage and landscaping to improve local and visitor experience. | Murrabit | $5,000 | |||
| Myrtleford & District Agricultural & Pastoral Society Inc | Improved Facilities in Cattle Pavilion for 2023 Myrtleford Show Building Community Resilience by supporting the local show society infrastructure for the benefit and development of local volunteers and community activities, including preparedness. | Myrtleford | $5,000 | |||
| Wangaratta Concert Band Inc | Enhancing our Community Traditions and Supporting our Future Through Music Foster community vibrancy with the purchase of bugles and a tenor saxophone for the Wangaratta Community Band to perform at community events and remove barriers to young people joining. | Wangaratta | $3,110 | |||
| SOUTH WESTERN VICTORIA | ||||||
| Anam Cara House Colac Inc | Overcoming Barriers to Communication and Social Interaction Through Accessibility Equipment Increase capability for access and participation in activities that enhance quality of life through headphones for the hearing impaired clients of Anam Cara Hospice Colac. | Colac | $1,986 | |||
| Gellibrand Community House Incorporated | Seating for the Gellibrand Hall Strengthen community resilience with new chairs for the Gellibrand Community Hall to increase safety and capacity of the community meeting space. | Gellibrand | $4,950 | |||
| Johanna Public Purposes Committee Incorporated | Reinstate BBQ Gas Cooktop Improve community facilities with a new gas cooktop for the public BBQ at Johanna Reserve to support local communities and visitors in their use and enjoyment of the parklands. | Johanna | $2,977 | |||
| Kawarren Recreation Reserve | Shelter Shed Repairs Improving community facilities by repairing the shelter shed of the Kawarren Reserve to support local community and visitor use. | Kawarren | $5,000 | |||
| Loved and Shared Incorporated | Increasing our Reach Build capacity of the Loved and Shared not-for-profit organisation with professional photography and office equipment to improve operations and promote their charitable cause of repairing and rehousing children's goods. | Warrnambool | $4,803 | |||
| South West Community Foundation | Regional Snapshot — Vital Signs and Community Connections Project Build the capacity of the Foundation to support their community by undertaking a Regional Snapshot to collect data, which can be shared to better understand and act on local issues, opportunities and challenges. | Warrnambool | $5,000 | |||
| South Western Model Engineers Inc / Cobden Miniature Railway | All Weather Waiting Area Building community resilience with improved local infrastructure via an accessible covered waiting area for visitors to the Cobden Miniature Railway. | Cobden | $5,000 | |||
| Warrnambool & District Community Hospice Inc | Hospice in the Home — Audio Visual Equipment Build community resilience with equipment to enable the engagement and training of volunteers to support at-home hospice care for small communities surrounding Warnambool. | Warrnambool | $4,855 | |||
| Warrnambool College | Indigenous Garden Project Enhance educational outcomes by hands on development of an Indigenous sensory garden at Warnambool College and Grassmere Primary School. | Warrnambool | $3,749 | |||
The Grants Only Group (GOG ) is a vibrant group of older and younger community members committed to helping community groups in their area succeed with their grant applications. Primarily focused on the Lower Tarwin Valley District in Victoria, dairy farming is an integral part of these communities and the surrounding areas.
While working with many community groups to raise funds for local events and activities, GOG frequently saw groups hiring sound systems. This gave them a bright idea. In 2020, the group successfully applied for a $4,838 Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grant to purchase a Community PA System. The grant allowed them to purchase four speakers, tripods and microphones that could be used by organisations and businesses in the townships of Venus Bay, Tarwin Lower and Walkerville.
Thirty-seven organisations in the area were emailed about the available equipment, who to contact and how they could place a booking for use. Since purchasing the Sound System, there has been high demand. So far, the Community Luncheon Group, Tarwin District Auto & Machinery Club’s Australia Day event, which raises funds for dementia, and Tarwin Mechanics Institute Hall’s Anzac Day service have all had a turn with the new gear.
Some clever thinking by GOG has created a practical shared community asset that reduces costs and time for the running of local community activities.
GOG President Wendy Don said “By strengthening our community, we are building the foundations for the sustainability of Dairy farming in the Lower Tarwin Valley. All the locals and the many tourists that visit these beautiful Gippsland Dairy Communities will benefit for years to come.”
This case study is courtesy of the Gardiner Dairy Foundation
A new teen fitness program in Kyabram is inspiring community spirit and building fit and healthy bodies.
A health and wellbeing centre has been established by Kyabram Blue Light at the town’s P-12 College, thanks to $5,000 from the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program in partnership with Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR).
The centre has proven to be a holiday hit with local teenagers and will be used regularly during the school year.
It is part of the KyFit police and teen gym-based mentoring program and, according to organiser Senior Constable Mitchell Bull, the benefits are wide-ranging.
Teenagers have played a central role in establishing the gym in an old storeroom at the school.
“The kids have done the majority of it,” Senior Constable Bull said. “They put together a wish list of equipment, posters and information and then volunteered on weekends to load trailers and remove rubbish and then helped in designing the layout and setting up and testing the equipment.
“It’s not just given to them on a silver platter – it’s a community effort and we all chip in. For six or seven weekends in a row we had up to 10 kids at the gym helping out. We removed six trailer loads of rubbish from the storeroom.”
The gym includes two bench presses, two rowing machines, two magnetic resistance bikes, two treadmills, two decline sit-up benches, sets of dumbbells from 3kg to 10kg and 13 spin bikes for classes.
The Gardiner Foundation grant also helped with installing fans, electrical power points and tiles for the floor.
“We made every cent count and called in favours left, right and centre and had a lot of volunteer assistance with everything,” Senior Constable Bull said. “It’s nothing fancy but it’s equipment tailored to young people.”
The gym is the latest development in the KyFit program that started in 2019 and is run by Kyabram Blue Light using police members, volunteers and community members.
“It was identified there was a need for a sporting or physical program that didn’t require the time, cost and travel commitments of the likes of football or netball,” Senior Constable Bull said.
“The gym will help those who may not have the opportunity to be involved in the local gyms or sports clubs.”
Personal trainers, defence force members, police and other community members help with the program, ensuring young people can access a variety of training programs ranging from boxing to swimming sessions and pitting their abilities against the police fitness test challenge.
A weekly in-school program attracts at least 13 participants and after-school programs are reaching about 30 teenagers. The school also uses the facilities for physical education classes.
Senior Constable Bull said the grant had helped to empower local young people. “We used the gym over the school holidays, allowing kids to drop in when there wasn’t much else to do – we can barely keep up with the demand,” he said.
“A lot of kids want to join the program now because they’ve seen the benefits the others are getting. It’s helping with their physical and mental health and the kids are seeing the benefits of physical activity and working out with other people.”
Police can also use the fitness programs to help break down barriers between officers and young people.
“The kids get the benefits of getting to know local police and other volunteers and mentors,” Senior Constable Bull said. “It’s about building a relationship between police officers and young people and showing we’re approachable if there is a problem in the community that needs to be discussed.”
It’s also beneficial for police. “It means we’re not always seeing the negative side of things in the community and we get to work towards positivity,” Senior Constable Bull said.
The program is free for local teenagers who also receive a free sports top when they get involved.
In recognition of his work with young people, Senior Constable Bull was named Citizen of the Year for Campaspe Shire at the 2022 Australia Day Awards.
Now in its 20th year, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program is delivered by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). Grants of up to $5,000 help not-for-profit organisations in small Victorian dairy communities deliver projects that will benefit local people and strengthen their ability to deal with local issues and enhance existing community infrastructure.
Applications for the 2022 program opened on 1 March and close on 13 April. More information can be found at https://frrr.org.au/funding/place/gardiner-communities-grants/
$120,000 in Gardiner Community Grants available
The annual Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program (Gardiner Community Grants) has opened today. Delivered in partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), this round marks the 20th year of the program, which is focused on supporting communities across Victoria’s three dairying regions.
This year Gardiner Community Grants will encourage projects to focus on building the capacity of community organisations and improving digital connectivity. The new focus is in response to insights from FRRR’s Heartbeat of Rural Australia Report, which was published late last year.
The report highlighted that there was a significant digital divide in rural communities, compared to urban areas, and that local not-for-profit organisations needed capacity building support to be able to do their vital work, particularly following the impacts of back-to-back disasters, including COVID, on fundraising and volunteers.
A digital connectivity grant project might involve upgrading infrastructure and facilities, improving digital access or providing training that enables the community to benefit from digital services.
A building capacity grant aims to support organisations to sustain or grow the effectiveness of their operations. Funds may be requested for salaries to increase the organisations paid workforce, training for volunteers, upgrading office equipment or supporting strategic planning and improved governance.
The small grants program, which has $120,000 in available funds for grants up to $5,000, will continue to support a broad range of community projects that local groups identify can make their community socially, economically or environmentally stronger. Applications for events to enhance cultural vibrancy, volunteer planting projects to support environmental sustainability, extending education and training opportunities, support for infrastructure projects or programs to improve health and wellbeing are all encouraged.
Allan Cameron, Gardiner Dairy Foundation Chief Executive Officer, said Gardiner is committed to strengthening Victorian dairy communities and is pleased to be partnering with FRRR for the twentieth year to support innovative, community-driven projects.
“Investing in the communities that are at the heart of the Victorian dairy industry is critical to the sustainability of dairy farming in Victoria. Since launching the program with FRRR in 2002, Gardiner Dairy Foundation has supported over 500 local projects and distributed more than $2 million to Victorian dairy communities.
“Gardiner is committed to supporting the needs of the communities as they change and evolve, now, and in the future. That’s why, this year, we are encouraging initiatives around digital literacy and organisational capacity, to help local groups respond to the current needs of Victoria’s dairy communities,” Mr Cameron said.
Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said that the Heartbeat of Rural Australia Report called for more support to go to community groups to address critical issues, and it’s wonderful to see Gardiner Foundation respond.
“Our Heartbeat Report highlighted significant gaps and challenges for rural communities, but also highlighted the critical role that local not-for-profits play in meeting the needs and filling the gaps in rural communities. That’s why we value our longstanding relationship with Gardiner, because they, like us, are committed to working together to support these vital community groups in the long-term.
“For 20 years, Gardiner’s Community Grants have consistently boosted Victorian dairy communities with contributions towards large important community projects, and significantly enabling many smaller community organisations and projects, often for items and activities that are less accessible through government or major philanthropic funding,” Ms Egleton said.
Applications for the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program open Tuesday, 1 March and close Wednesday 13th April 2022 at 5 pm AEDT. More information can be found at – https://frrr.org.au/gardiner-communities-grants/.
