2023 Applications are now open!

Purpose

The Community Grants Program provides funding towards community projects, events and small capital equipment purchases to support community organisations and groups operating within the Wollondilly Local Government Area for the benefit of local communities. The Community Grants Program will be open for applications in May each year with successful recipients presented with funds in August.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding an organisation must meet all of the following:

Be a not-for-profit community based group or organisation,
Be an incorporated body or be auspiced (sponsored) by an incorporated body,
Offer services or activities within the Wollondilly Local Government Area,
Have no outstanding debts to Council,
Not be a political party or political lobby group, and
Not be a Government Agency.
Not be a State or Federal Government Service

Community Grants will not provide funds for applications that:

duplicate existing services or programs,
do not meet identified priority needs,
directly contravene Council policies,
are for previously funded events or projects,
request retrospective funding,
include recurrent costs of the organisation e.g. salaries, general administration costs, or
cannot deliver their event or project within the next Financial Year.

Applicants must demonstrate linkages to Council’s Community Strategic Plan Outcomes and Strategies.

Grant Categories

Category	Description	Amount
Community Projects	Projects that help local communities to build skills, identify opportunities and/or undertake actions for the social benefit of community members.	Up to $3,000
Arts and Cultural Events	Events that foster the Shire's cultural identity, or that provide an accessible, diverse range of community art and cultural opportunities.	Up to $1,000
Sustainability Projects	Projects that support the local environment and assist in making Wollondilly a more sustainable place to live.	Up to $500
Leisure & Recreation Activities	Activities that provide access to physical and social pursuits to support a healthy and active community.	Up to $500
Small Capital Equipment	Purchases of small capital equipment items to support community organisation activities.	Up to $500
Women in Sport	The fund aims to assist sporting clubs and organisations with seed funding towards projects or activities that aim to reduce barriers to participation for women and girls in sport and/or creates innovative, inclusive sport experiences that address the needs of women in sport eg: female change rooms	Up to $500

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

Demonstrates clear linkages to Council’s Community Strategic Plan
Demonstrate a strong community development aspect that involves and benefits the broader community through participation or access
Provide evidence of inclusive policies, Cultural Diversity or actively developing female participation in sport

Applications will be assessed against the assessment criteria by a panel comprising of Council Staff and an independent community member.

Following assessment, all eligible applications are reviewed at a Councillor Workshop prior to being recommended for funding at the next Council Meeting.

Conditions of Grant

Successful applicants are required to undertake an acquittal process and provide Council with:

Information on how the grant was spent
Evaluation of the event or project and its outcomes
Membership/participation rates
Copies of any promotional material and media coverage generated
Details of the acknowledgement of Council’s support within the community Funding will only be paid against a recipient created Tax Invoice inclusive of any GST by way of a direct deposit.

Download the Evaluation Report or complete Online.

Applications

An eligible organisation must apply by completing the Community Grants Application Form. The program is open from 1 May. Applications must be submitted by 5.00pm 31 May 2023 for consideration of a funding allocation.

You may want to read the Information Session PowerPoint for further details before applying.