Australia's national carrier has invited regional community groups across the country to apply for a share of its multi-million dollar grants program.
The Qantas Regional Grants program will give another $2 million in grants this year to support Australian based not-for-profit community groups and projects that benefit regional areas. A total of $10 million has been set aside for five years.
This latest round follows record interest last year, with thirty-two community groups chosen out of 1600 applications from around Australia to receive a grant which included a combination of cash, flights and marketing support.
QantasLink Chief Operating Officer Rachael Yangoyan said the grants program is a great opportunity for the many hard-working community organisations around the country to receive a boost to their efforts.
"Qantas has been connecting regional Australia for over 100 years and our regional grants program enables us to give back to grass roots community organisations that are the heart of many towns across the country," Ms Yangoyan said.
"It's been incredible to provide grants to more than 50 organisations across Australia who are doing important work for their regions.
"This crucial work includes supporting children experiencing food insecurity, providing free health services to vulnerable communities and protecting native species for the next generation.
"Being able to reinvest in the regions we serve is very rewarding for everyone at Qantas, and we encourage groups who are doing extraordinary work to enhance the lives of their communities to apply for a grant."
Interested organisations can apply today at qantas.com/regionalgrants.
Recipients are determined by a panel made up of community group and Qantas representatives and applications close on 10 May 2024. Successful recipients will be announced in July 2024.
Qantas is Australia's largest regional airline, connecting more than 57 regional communities with capital cities. In the 2023 financial year, the Qantas Group contributed 5,920 full time equivalent jobs and added $1.9 billion to regional Australia's economy. During the same time period, the Group contributed to 45,600 full time equivalent jobs and $5.4 billion to regional Australia's tourism industry.[1]
The Qantas Regional Grants program complements a broader range of initiatives the national carrier provides to regional Australia, including year-round discounts for residents in 16 regional and remote towns to make air travel more accessible.
PREVIOUS GRANT RECIPIENTS
The Qantas Regional Grants program was launched in 2019, with the first year of funding distributed among 20 community groups. The program was paused during the pandemic, and relaunched and doubled in size in 2023.
Some of the 2023 recipients included:
- Aussie Ark (New South Wales) - to expand their eco-tourism accommodation offering and support the conservation of threatened native animals.
- Ability Enterprises (Queensland) - to complete a plastics recycling facility which provides employment to 45 vulnerable people.
- Eat Up Australia (Victoria) - to purchase ingredients and train more volunteers to provide free lunches to disadvantaged school children in eight more regional areas.
- FABalice Festival (Northern Territory) - to encourage more interstate and international tourists to visit Central Australia and build the festival's inclusive profile.
- John's Vision (Western Australia) - to buy a portable eye camera and transform the business into a mobile optometry, providing high quality eye care to aged care and community centres in West Australia's regions.
- Royal Flying Doctors Service SA / NT (South Australia) - to develop a telehealth unit at the newly established William Creek Clinic and provide healthcare access to remote communities.
- Navigate Family Services Inc. (Tasmania) - to provide free therapy for school aged children, their parents and siblings who present mental health and neurodevelopmental challenges.
- The Indigenous Marathon Foundation Limited (Australian Capital Territory) - to work with remote and regional schools to increase school attendance and improve health outcomes of First Nations primary school children.
[1] Qantas Group Submission to the Aviation Green Paper 2023, pg. 131.
