Golden Plains Shire Council has awarded Community Strengthening Grants to 13 Golden Plains community projects in the second round of the 2023 program.
Council awarded almost $80,000 in grant funding to successful groups to deliver 13 projects across four streams; Environment and Sustainability, Healthy Active Living, Community Safety, and Creative Community.
In this round, grants were allocated to organisations right across Golden Plains Shire, and will support projects including arts and music initiatives, safety barriers for Smythesdale Cemetery, social gatherings, community engagement and support for older residents.
Council’s Community Strengthening Grants are a valuable source of financial support for local events, projects and programs in Golden Plains. Applications for the second round of this year’s program were open during September.
Mayor Cr Brett Cunningham said there was a wide range of community groups who applied for grant funding and it was fantastic to see so many projects supported.
“Council’s Community Strengthening Grants are all about supporting local people and groups to achieve their project goals by giving them access to important grants funding,” Cr Cunningham said.
“Congratulations to the successful groups which represent communities right across Golden Plains Shire, we’re sure these grants will help make all these projects a success. Council is proud to support this program which has been running for 26 years and has resulted in so many successful outcomes.”
The recipients of the second round of Council’s Community Strengthening Grants 2023 are:
| Community Group | Project Name | Grant Category | Grant Amount |
| The Bop Arts Co-op Ltd | Reactive The BOP Workshops | Creative Community | $10,000 |
| Smythesdale Community Arts and Music Fiesta | Smythesdale Community Arts and Music Fiesta 2024 | Creative Community | $6,877 |
| Trust for Nature (Victoria) | Working together to heal Country - Dog Rocks Reserve | Environment and Sustainability | $10,000 |
| Meredith Community Centre Inc. | Seniors Out and About | Healthy Active Living | $7,000 |
| Smythesdale Craft and Cuppa | Craft and Cuppa Program 2024 | Healthy Active Living | $1,500 |
| Inverleigh Senior Citizens Club Inc. | Inverleigh Seniors Community Engagement | Healthy Active Living | $7,000 |
| Haddon Community Learning Centre Inc. | Chairs, Tables, and Trolley Replacement and Upgrade | Healthy Active Living | $7,170 |
| Golden Plains VEX Robotics Club | Golden Plains VEX Robotics Club | Healthy Active Living | $8,082 |
| Golden Oldies Mens Activity Group | Golden Oldies Mens Activity Group | Healthy Active Living | $7,000 |
| Shelford Community Garden | Shelford Community Garden | Healthy Active Living | $1,936 |
| Smythesdale Cemetery Trust | Safety Barriers at Smythesdale Cemetery | Community Safety | $920 |
| Shelford Public Hall Reserve Committee of Management | Carpark Undergrowth Clean Up | Community Safety | $8,646 |
| Cape Clear Recreation Reserve | Extreme Weather Days | Community Safety | $1,971 |
For more information about Council’s Community Strengthening Grants program visit goldenplains.vic.gov.au or contact Council’s Community Development and Grants Officer at [email protected] or 5220 7111.