The sustainability and growth of regional towns is in the spotlight with applications open for Toowoomba Regional Council's (TRC) latest round of Community Economic Development grants.
TRC Economic Development portfolio spokesperson Cr Edwina Farquhar said eligible community or not-for-profit organisations were welcome to apply for funding under the program. Applications must be lodged online by March 1, 2025.
Cr Farquhar said communities across the Region's towns were encouraged to advance their ideas for eligible projects that deliver economic benefits and drive prosperity in their districts.
"These grants are intended to assist our regional communities leverage their strengths, build on best practice and ultimately grow our local economies," Cr Farquhar said.
"Eligible community organisations, which would typically include chambers of commerce and progress associations, are encouraged to apply.
"Council's Economic Development Branch is on hand to offer support. This assistance is in the form of a sounding board for project ideas; assistance in identifying capability gaps in local business communities (eg. workforce planning); coaching around submitting a persuasive and compelling application; and access to resources that will provide examples of what other townships have done to drive growth."
Cr Farquhar said the program aimed to deliver one or more of the following outcomes:
• Connect local businesses,
• Encourage business innovation,
• Build business capacity and skills,
• Contribute to the ease of doing business,
• Enable partnerships and collaboration between businesses and/or organisations in the Toowoomba Region,
• Address a local workforce gap, and
• Assist towards planning, professional and application fees in preparing grant applications for larger projects
"Council is determined to support our chambers of commerce, progress associations and other not-for-profit groups that meet the selection criteria to aid projects that will deliver genuine benefits throughout our Region," Cr Farquhar said.
"This funding is aimed specifically at empowering local organisations to deliver the types of projects that they know will support economic growth and opportunities in their own communities.
"Council envisages that these grants will support the implementation of the Toowoomba Region Economic Development Strategy and each township's Community Growth Action Plan.
"There is often value in stepping back to see what other regions and countries are doing to promote regional economic development. Our team has assembled a Townships toolbox that includes examples, tools and other resources from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
"Topics include why some towns thrive while others languish, characteristics of innovative towns, understanding the drivers for change, self-assessment tools for rural communities, understanding regional liveability and attracting tree-changers."
Eligible applicants are encouraged to discuss their project concepts before beginning their submissions by calling 131 872 to book a consultation with relevant staff.
The competitive review process means that not all projects can be fully funded.
The outcomes of the current grant round are expected to be known in April 2025.
