Gardiner Dairy Foundation is once again partnering with FRRR to offer grants of up to $5,000 to not-for-profit groups to strengthen small Victorian dairy communities in Gippsland, Northern Victoria and South West Victoria with a total funding pool of $120,000.
Now in its 18th year, Gardiner Dairy Foundation’s ‘Working in Dairy Communities’ Small Grants program, is delivered through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR). The grants program assists small dairy communities in strengthening resilience and enhancing existing community infrastructure. Since launching in 2002, Gardiner Dairy Foundation has invested more than $1.7 million via this program and has supported 445 community projects.
Dairy Australia data shows that regions affected by the current bushfire crisis account for a significant volume of Australia’s milk output, including East Gippsland which has seen some of the worst damage across Victoria. Already battered by drought, many farmers are now struggling to secure feed for their cattle.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we support Victoria’s dairy communities,” said Gardiner Dairy Foundation Chief Executive, Clive Noble. “‘Working in Dairy Communities’ Small Grants can enhance community facilities and meeting places, support lifelong learning through education and training, or they can add to the vibrancy and culture within a community.”
FRRR Victorian Grants Programs Manager, Carlene Egan, says that the grants can often have an impact far beyond their initial purpose.
“We know from past grant recipients that the assistance enables them to achieve more than they would otherwise and can often be a catalyst for further funding. This reaffirms the value of these small grants, and it shows that with just a small amount of seed funding, communities can achieve amazing things.”
Applications for the ‘Working in Dairy Communities’ Small Grants program open Tuesday, 4 February and close Monday, 16 March 2020 at 5 pm AEDT. There’s more on the FRRR website.
Free grantseeker workshops
To assist community groups to translate their local ideas into a suitable project, Gardiner Dairy Foundation and FRRR are running a free grantseeker workshop in each of the three Victorian dairy regions. These sessions will provide invaluable advice for community groups wanting to put together a competitive grant application, for this or any other program. Workshops will be held at:
Foster
Date: Wednesday 5 February 2020
Time: 10.30am — 1pm
Location: Manna Gum Community House, 33 Station Rd, Foster
Peterborough
Date: Thursday 6 February 2020
Time: 10.30am — 1pm
Location: Peterborough Community Centre, 19 Macs Street, Peterborough
Numurkah
Date: Tuesday 11 February 2020
Time: 10.30am — 1pm
Location: Numurkah Community Learning Centre, 99 Melville St, Numurkah
For more information or to register for the workshops, email events@gardinerfoundation.com.au