Gardiner Foundation Community Grants Program
Investing in the communities that make up the dairy industry is critical to the sustainability of dairy farming in Victoria.
Gardiner Foundation is committed to strengthening Victorian dairy communities and is investing in change that benefits everyone in Victorian dairy, helping people to make places where where they want to live, work and invest.
In partnership with FRRR, the Gardiner Foundation Community Grants program provides $120,000 to fund community driven projects that strengthen dairy communities where people can thrive.
Grants up to the value of $5,000 are available to strengthen small Victorian dairy communities, helping to build their capacity to deal with local needs, and enhance existing community infrastructure.
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The 2024 program is now closed.
Recipient Announcements
How to apply
Please read the information on each of the three tabs below to make sure this is the right grant for your project.
If you want to explore other grant options, please go to Find Funding Now.
I have a question, who can I talk to?
Danielle Griffin
info@frrr.org.au
1800 170 020
Confirm you are eligible to apply for this grant
To make sure this is the right grant for your community, please read the grant information detailed in the Program Guidelines below carefully. Click on each headline to reveal the detail.
What are the program objectives?
Projects must measure against one or more of the following outcomes:
- Stronger community resilience
- Greater community participation and engagement
- More friendly and inclusive community
- Build a creative / culturally vibrant community
- Innovate or respond to local opportunities
- Give children the best start in life
- Strengthen the ability to respond to community / individual challenges
- (Re)build community identity and sense of pride
- Strengthen the local economy
- Increase engagement in learning and strengthen educational outcomes
- Promote environmental health / sustainability
Is this grant available in my area?
This program is open to not-for-profit community-based organisations from communities in a recognised Victorian dairy region – either Gippsland, South-Western or Northern Victoria. Preference is given to communities with a population of 5,000 or less.
How much funding is available? Are there priority areas?
The Gardiner Foundation Community Grants Program will make available $120,000 in grant funds for innovative, community-driven projects up to the value of $5,000.
What can be funded?
Grants of up to $5,000 are available to not-for-profit organisations in a recognised Victorian dairy region – either Gippsland, South-Western or Northern Victoria – to support projects that focus on one of the following activity areas:
- Building Community Resilience (for example, projects that facilitate community connectedness, develop leadership capacity within the community, improve local community infrastructure and meeting places, or support and develop volunteer community groups).
- Enhancing Environmental Sustainability (for example, projects that increase awareness of local environmental issues, provide opportunities for local residents to care for the local environment, and projects that work to restore, protect and promote the local natural environment).
- Fostering Cultural Vibrancy (for example, projects that celebrate, preserve and promote local culture and identity, creative projects that foster the arts, and support for local artists and the arts community).
- Lifelong Education & Training (for example, projects that provide local residents with access to opportunities that enrich their learning and skills development, from cradle to grave).
- Economic Strength (for example, projects that create local employment and training with an employment outcome, stimulate new spending within a community or region, events that attract visitors and which can demonstrate an economic benefit as a result, and projects that attract new residents to a community or region and improve economic prosperity).
- Improving Community Health & Social Wellbeing (for example, projects which address physical health, improved nutrition and access to fresh food and sustainable local food systems, projects that enhance mental health, and those which assist vulnerable members in communities to improve their health and wellbeing).
What can’t be funded?
There are several areas that we can’t fund through this program. If in doubt, please contact us.
- Projects that are not in proximity to a recognised Victorian Dairy Community;
- Individuals, private or commercial businesses are ineligible;
- Projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments are ineligible.
- Ongoing core organisational operational costs (e.g. rent, utilities, regular wages, loan repayments);
- The encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law. Applications from sporting organisations need to clearly demonstrate charitable outcomes and benefit to the wider community that are above and beyond the sporting activities of the club;
- Overseas travel and overseas projects;
- Prizes, gifts, trophies or awards;
- Projects that have already occurred or will occur before the grant is confirmed;
- Political lobbying;
- Projects solely focused on animal welfare cannot be considered;
Is my organisation eligible?
- Not-for-profit community-based organisations from communities in a recognised Victorian dairy region – either Gippsland, South-Western or Northern Victoria – can apply for funds to support projects and activities that offer clear public benefit (i.e. are for a charitable purpose) and clearly address a need in the community in one of the areas listed above.
- Applicant organisations must be a not-for-profit organisation with either an Incorporation Certificate and/or an ABN. If you are unsure if your organisation is a registered not-for-profit (for example, if you are a Co-operative, Other Unincorporated Entity, Public Company or Trust), please contact FRRR;
- Not-for-profit organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible.
- Organisations and/or projects demonstrating community partnerships are preferred to multiple applications from one community (please submit only one application per organisation).
- Projects should be undertaken between July 2024 and June 2025, as projects cannot be funded retrospectively.
NOTE: Previous FRRR grant recipients who have not completed final reporting requirements are ineligible.
Who can’t apply?
- Individuals, private or commercial businesses are ineligible;
- Projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments are ineligible.
Gather information to support your grant application
Please read the information below to support the planning and preparation your project. It also sets out what you MUST include for your project to be considered. There are plenty of helpful resources to support you along the way.
Please contact FRRR if you have any questions about the following information.
Your grant application MUST include:
Eligible legal entities
Every application needs to include an organisation that holds either an ABN or Incorporation Certificate. If your organisation doesn’t have that, FRRR may still fund the project but you need another organisation’s support, which we refer to as the ‘legal organisation’ (with your organisation being the delivery organisation). This situation often occurs when the organisation delivering the activity or project is a branch of an overarching organisation – such as a local CWA or YMCA branch. In this case, the CWA or YMCA would be the legal organisation.
Even though your organisation may complete the application (and will be doing the work), it’s the ‘legal organisation’s’ legal and financial information that needs to be provided. They also need to provide a letter of support, confirming they are willing to play this role, with a template available here for your convenience.
Why is this important?
The Gardiner Foundation Community Grants program is only able to distribute funds to not-for-profit organisations with an ABN or Incorporation Certificate, and FRRR needs to know that the organisation with that ABN / Incorporation number understands and agrees to carry out their responsibilities in relation to your project, if successful.
Financial information
Applications received without the requested financial information are ineligible. Providing incorrect financial information is currently the most common reason why applications are not able to be considered. You must include the organisation’s:
- Annual income (total income in your financial year);
- Annual expenditure (total expenses in your financial year);
- Current assets (from your audited financials, or bank balance minus any debts).
Please note:
- Provide a brief explanation of any large financial surplus or current assets and reasons why FRRR funds are still required;
- If financial information is more than 18 months old, please provide an explanation as to why the organisation does not have more recent documents;
- Please explain any deficits and steps to sustain the organisation financially;
- FRRR conducts a broad range of due diligence queries when reviewing applications, such as: reviewing current and past incorporation, DGR and ACNC status. If your organisation has happened to have their incorporation status, DGR status or ACNC status changed or ACNC registration revoked or voluntarily withdrawn, please let us know the reasons for this.
Please contact us if you cannot provide required financials or you are unsure about what to provide.
Why is this important?
FRRR uses this information to understand your organisation’s financial viability and ability to manage the grant funds.
Project budget
You must include a project budget that clearly shows the items that FRRR grant funds would be used for and that shows all income and expenses related to your project.
Budgets should be realistic and must add up – i.e. total expenditure must match total income.
Applicant contributions in cash or in-kind are highly regarded. Quotes or detailed rationale for items over $1,000 are
required, where possible. Note: FRRR suggests costing unskilled volunteer labour at $45 per hour.
For more info on costing volunteer labour, visit: https://explore.fundingcentre.com.au/help-sheets/valuing-volunteer-labour.
Why is this important?
A clear budget helps FRRR to understand the size of your project, exactly how FRRR funds will be spent and helps demonstrate community support for your project through in-kind contributions either from your organisation or partners / community members.
Helpful resources:
Supporting materials
FRRR strongly recommends that you provide supporting materials such as letters of support, evidence of permission from the property owner, community plans, survey results, photographs, media clips and research reports that can show broad community support and partnerships involved in the project. For more information on supporting documentation, watch this recording.
Large documents should be referenced and explained in the application.
Please note: A requirement of this program is that a high resolution photo (between 1MB to 10MB) must be submitted as part of the application process. The photo can be a group shot of staff or volunteers in your community organisation OR an action shot relevant to the project you are applying for including people. If you are successful, FRRR may utilise this photo in grant announcements and/or associated communications.
Why is this important?
FRRR seeks to fund projects that are well-supported by the broader local community, are locally led and delivered, show good partnerships and benefit multiple parts of the community. As FRRR is not always familiar with your community, our staff consider support material as evidence toward understanding level of community need, benefit and support.
Helpful resources:
Clear project information
Each application is assessed on its ability to address local priorities and benefit the broader community. A clear description of exactly what the grant funds will be used for, when and where the project will happen, who will benefit and who will be involved in delivering the project, why the project and grant funds are needed, how funds will be spent and how the activities and success of the project will be recorded, evaluated and shared.
Where possible, we encourage you to make it really clear that your organisation is ready and able to deliver the project and, if required, provide ongoing support for the initiative.
Why is this important?
FRRR needs to clearly understand your project to assess its merits. Applicants should focus on addressing the what, when, where, who, why and how of the project, as this is the best way to clearly communicate the details of the project.
A ready community is best placed to achieve the aims of your project, so during assessment, our staff look for
information that tells us that good leadership, skills and awareness exist in your community to support the project now and in the future.
Helpful resources:
Focus area
We have grouped the kinds of projects communities commonly ask us to help fund into seven areas, which we call the Activity Tree:
1. Building community resilience
2. Developing organisational resilience and capacity
3. Enhancing environmental sustainability
4. Fostering cultural vibrancy
5. Lifelong learning and education
6. Economic strength
7. Improving community health and social wellbeing
We ask you to nominate one of these seven areas when you apply. So, before you lodge your application, download the Activity Tree to help you identify your focus area.
Why is this important?
FRRR makes grants to communities, but we also need to be able to demonstrate to our funding partners where communities need support.
Need some more help?
We have a large selection of resources on our Grantseeker Resources page to help you along the way.
Submit your grant application via the Grants Gateway
Applications are now closed.
Please contact FRRR if you have questions about any aspect of the Grants Gateway online application form.
Applications closed
Helpful resources:
It is time to submit your application. If it is helpful, you can download a sample copy of the application form.
Please read the instructions on how to use the Grants Gateway How-to Guide and have your questions answered with our Grants Gateway FAQs.
Before you submit your application via the online Grants Gateway, please ensure you have:
If you have significant issues accessing a stable internet connection, please contact our team to discuss an alternative way of applying:
Ph: 1800 170 020 or Email: info@frrr.org.au
Inspiration – Past projects
Explore some of the projects we’ve previously funded to see how other organisations have helped their community thrive.
South Western Region: Reconnecting community in South Purrumbete
A Gardiner Foundation Community Grant helped the South Purrumbete Recreation Reserve’s committee of management continue to rejuvenate the grounds and building to create a great community hub.
The $4,870 grant went toward electrical works essential to reinstating power, water and toilet facilities. These improvements will ultimately help to facilitate community connectedness, as the committee of management and volunteers work to restore the Reserve buildings and grounds to a safe and suitable condition to enable large gatherings at future community events.
Gippsland Region: ‘IncrediGirls’ makes for incredible learning opportunities
Welshpool and District Primary School identified challenges with the gender imbalance at their school and received a $5,000 Gardiner Foundation Community Grant to support the girls in their school and promote connection and empowerment.
The ‘Incredi-Girls’ program created opportunities for students to develop an interest and passion for STEM skills. Additionally, it indirectly fostered teamwork, connection and leadership opportunities. Two other schools within the cluster are now running similar programs and ideas off the back of the ‘IncrediGirls’ program.
Northern Region: Kyabram’s Tastes & Tunes Festival boosts community
A $5,000 grant from FRRR’s Gardiner Foundation Community Grants program was pooled with the organiser, Kyabram Development Committee’s own fundraising, along with funding from the local Bendigo Bank, Ky Valley Dairies and other sources, to put on the Kyabram Tastes & Tunes street festival.
The FRRR grant funded the the entertainment component of the Kyabram Development Committee’s Tastes & Tunes Festival, which attracted a crowd of around 4,000 people and helped boost the local economy, as well as community connectedness and individual wellbeing.
