Funding allocations were approved by Council

Published on 04 September 2020

An additional 10 community groups have been successful in receiving funding under Loddon Shire Council’s 2020/21 Community Grants Scheme.

The Group 2 allocations were approved by Council at its August meeting last week.

Mayor Cheryl McKinnon said the scheme had allocated a further $55,688 towards community projects.

“It’s fantastic to see a further 10 community groups within our Shire receiving funding towards their projects,” Cr McKinnon said.

“This funding follows an allocation by Council of around $124,000 previously under the scheme.

“In total, almost $180,000 in funding has been allocated for this year’s grants scheme,” Cr McKinnon added.

“I’d like to congratulate the successful Group 2 applicants, and thank all the community groups who took the time to put forward applications towards this year’s grants scheme.”

Grant allocations under Group 2 include Boort Amity Club, Boort Cemetery Trust, Boort Tourism Development, Boort Angling Club and Bridgewater on Loddon Development Committee.

Other recipients were Inglewood Town Hall Committee of Management, Mitiamo Football and Netball Club, Wedderburn and Regional Theatre Society, Wedderburn Community Centre and Wedderburn Development Association.

Applications for this year’s Community Grants Scheme opened on 1 March 2020 and closed on 1 June 2020.

Grants are funded on a 2:1 basis. This means that for every $2 provided by Council, successful applicants must contribute a minimum of $1 towards the cost of a project. Groups can claim up to 50 per cent of their contribution as in-kind contribution or voluntary support.

To fast track this year’s approval process, Council split the applications into two groups, based upon completeness of the initial application. Council approved the first group of grant allocations at its July meeting with 24 community groups receiving funding. 

The Loddon Shire Community Grants Scheme started in the 2000/01 financial year to help recreation, sporting and service organisations deliver projects that improve the quality of life for residents.

Council has since invested around $2,500,000 towards the scheme, supporting over 700 community-based projects worth more than $5,300,000.