A
total of 135 local clubs and organisations will share in $731,840 in funding
through a range of grants awarded as part of Council’s 2021-22 Community Grants
program.
The grants, ranging from $260 to $10,000, will support arts projects and
festivals, community events, environmental sustainability initiatives,
equipment purchases and community-based projects.
Mayor Stephanie Asher said the grants were a vital way for the Council to
assist community groups who make a huge contribution to Greater Geelong.
“Most of the clubs and groups we support through the grants program are
volunteer-led, and they almost always run on a very tight budget,” Mayor Asher
said.
“We hope these grants will relieve some financial pressure, and help the
recipients continue making a positive difference in our community.”
Among the successful applicants is the East Geelong Little Athletics Club,
which has received an $1860 grant to buy discuses, hurdles, shot puts, a rake,
agility equipment and an equipment trolley.
Club President Kylie Harris said she was overjoyed for the 47 little athletes
in the club who will benefit from the funding.
“The club name might be old but the club as a whole has transitioned over the
past two years to all new members and as the smallest club of the Geelong
Little Athletics Centre I want to establish East Geelong as a club that can
provide team training with proper equipment – something we have been unable to
do since I took over the club two years ago," Ms Harris said.
“With the purchase of this equipment the kids will be able to not only do
running but also learn warm-up skills and practice for field events, and the
best thing is that it will help build confidence in a fun team environment.”
The list of grant recipients also
includes:
- sixteen environmental sustainability projects, such as
Geelong Sustainability Group’s ‘100 per cent Electric Vehicle Project’
(awarded $10,000);
- seventeen arts projects and eight arts festivals,
including the Jazz in a Hat Festival, Reconciliation in the Park and the
Geelong Arts Festival – Youth Edition (each awarded $10,000);
- twenty-six groups receiving up to $2000 for equipment
purchases, including the Bellarine Keen-agers Table Tennis Club, Geelong
Mums, Grovedale Toy Library and Waurn Ponds Deakin Cricket Club;
- thirty-two groups receiving support for community
projects, such as the Victorian Skateboard Association with its ‘Greater
Geelong Skate Park Activation Project’ ($10,000) – a 15-event development
program; and
- thirty-six community events, including the Bellarine
Agricultural Show ($3000), City of Geelong 2022 Lunar New Year Discovery
Experience ($5000), and the Geelong Classic Truck and Machinery Show
($5760).
For the first time this year, community event organisers were able to apply for
funding specifically to support COVID-safe compliance.
All grant applications were assessed by an independent panel using set criteria
before being signed off by the Council.
Councillor Anthony Aitken, Chair of the Council’s Finance portfolio, said
further grants would be announced soon.
“Our major grants of up to $350,000, which help fund new community facilities,
will be awarded before the end of the year, as will our Geelong Heritage and
First Nations Cultural Heritage grants,” Cr Aitken said.
“We have also just allocated an extra $590,000 for a new round of COVID
recovery grants for the arts, community groups and events.
“So the Council absolutely recognises the importance of grants in terms of
supporting community-based groups, and we continue to heavily fund the program
through our annual budget.”
A full list of recipients for this initial group
of 2021-22 community grants is available here.
A second round of applications for Environmental Sustainability grants will
open early in 2022 to award the remaining budget of $44,438.
With the addition of the newly allocated $590,000 in COVID recovery grants, the
Council’s total Community Grants budget for 2021-22 is now just over $4.934
million.