A volunteer group that wants to empower Pakistani women through outdoor cooking, a sustainable homes program offering energy efficiency audits; and the Corio Model Railway Club are among the recipients of this year's City of Greater Geelong Community Grants.
The 2023-2024 Community Grants, worth $768,766, were awarded to 118 projects after careful consideration by the community assessment panel.
Nineteen arts projects attracted grant funding of $179,960, while $137,300 was awarded to 22 applicants for community events. There were 58 successful applications promoting healthy, connected communities, collectively awarded $245,210.
For climate change partnerships, five applications were granted $126,750 in funding and $79,546 was allocated to 14 environmental sustainability proposals. Grants include:
- A $50,000 grant to the Geelong Sustainability Group's Efficient Electric Homes Program to reduce emissions by offering up to 1000 energy efficiency audits and thermal and water efficiency upgrades.
- A $9,246 grant to Corio Model Railway Club to install roof-mounted solar panels, showcasing its commitment to sustainability.
- $10,000 for a mixed media historical art project by Jun Bin Lee and Platform Arts about the incredible journey of Ham Hop, a Chinese woman who moved to Geelong in the early 20th century.
- $1,700 to the Association of Bengalis in Geelong to empower Pakistani women through outdoor cooking and the promotion of healthy, low-cost meal preparation.
- $10,000 for the Portarlington Mussel Festival, a well-loved event on the Bellarine Peninsula.
- $9,777 for North Geelong Warriors FC to hold the North Geelong Warriors Festa, showcasing Croatian food, wine, music and dancing to Greater Geelong.
- A $10,000 grant to the Australian Highland Cattle Society towards a National Highland Cattle Show.
Mayor Trent Sullivan
The sheer number of applications reflects the great sense of community pride and innovation across the City of Greater Geelong.
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.
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.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken
Council'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.
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!
