Grants
Brimbank Community Fund Grants are awarded in conjunction with the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
2022 Grants
The Brimbank Community Fund 2022 Grants round will commence at 9am, Monday, 22 August 2022. Applications will close at 5pm on Thursday, 22 September 2022.
This year the Brimbank Community fund are offering up to four single year project funding grants of up to $5,000 per project. Organisations that are seeking smaller amounts are encouraged to apply.
The 2022 the grants round will focus on:
- Improving the education, employment and well-being of Brimbank’s young people (up to 25 years old).
- Improving services and support and promote mental wellness and the improving of services that specifically address mental health issues within the Brimbank community (all ages).
- Services that provide practical support and encouraging social cohesions for young people to socially engage with the community.
Applying for a Grant
You can apply for a Grant by clicking on the below link and completing the application. Please ensure you have read and understood the Grant Seeker Guidelines 2022, before applying for a grant.
https://brimbank.smartygrants.com.au/Brimbank Community Fund 2022-23
For a copy of the Grant Seeker Guidelines 2022, please see below.
For queries about guidelines, deadlines, or questions in the form, please contact 9249-4000, referencing the Brimbank Community Fund during business hours or by emailing BCF@brimbank.vic.gov.au and quoting your reference number.
2021 Grants
No grants were awarded in 2021.
2020 Grant Recipients
The Reach Foundation
The Reach Foundation received $27,000 for a three-year pilot program to support year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students studying at Victoria University Secondary College, St Albans campus. The project, entitled The New Normal will run 15 wellbeing workshops that are expected to assist up to 750 students.
The workshops are based around digital strategy, something that is entirely new to The Reach Foundation, who operated 100 per cent of their programs face-to-face prior to the pandemic.
Concern Australia
Concern Australia was awarded $7,644 to provide scholarships for six disadvantaged young people from the Brimbank area to participate in the Hand Brake Turn program.
The program provides practical, hands-on automotive training experience to young people aged between 15-21 years, as well support as young people begin their career pathways.
The program runs three days a week over five weeks, providing a mix of technical skills practice and life skill development.
2019 Grants
No grants were awarded in 2019.
2018 Grant Recipients
Western Edge Youth Arts ($4,000 grant) - St Albans Edge Theatre
This is an active practical drama project that allows young people to develop their talents, and create engaging content that speaks to their experiences as young people today.
They work with sophisticated drama processes to explore stories and characters, and have the opportunity to make complex decisions about artistic content through group discussions.
This funding enabled project participants to take the performance out of the rehearsal room and into an equipped and professional theatre.
The Youth Junction Inc. ($4,000 grant) B.O.P (Better Outcomes Program) - Soccer Program
This project provides an opportunity for young people aged between 16-25 years to improve their education, social skills, employment and well-being through sporting opportunities.
The B.O.P project was delivered Friday evenings, with the aim of preventing anti-social and criminal activity within the municipality of Brimbank at the weekends. It promoted engagement in early-intervention youth services linked to the Visy Cares Hub in Sunshine.
YouthNow Inc ($3,500 grant) - The Hatch
Young people need experience with new technologies in order to be competitive in the job market, to seek careers, and to build creative businesses.
This project funding provided a 3D printer and software to be used by Brimbank young people in YouthNow's HATCH innovation centre at the Visy Cares Hub in Sunshine. It is used in STEM sessions and innovation sessions.
Previous Grant Recipients:
Our Current Focus:
|
The Brimbank Community Fund focuses on supporting initiatives that seek to improve education, employment and well-being outcomes and unlock the potential of Brimbank’s young people (up to 25 years old). According to the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2016, Brimbank is the third most disadvantaged LGA in the Victoria. |
 |
Youth Unemployment in the West
Melbourne’s west was identified in a 2020 report by the federal government's Local Jobs Program as one of Australia’s youth unemployment hotspots, with 14.7% of young people not in employment. Though this figure has dropped from 18.7% in 2018, unemployment rates are still alarmingly high, particlarly as COVID-19 continues to pose ongoing challenges for young people seeking employment. In fact, unemployment rates in the west, and across greater Melbourne, are still higher than the post-GFC rates in 2014.
Educational Attainment
In 2016, 51% of Brimbank residents aged 15 years and over had no formal educational qualification, compared to 39% for Greater Melbourne.
Disengagement from education and unemployment can have significant affect young people’s physical and mental wellbeing and social connection. BCF are committed to addressing this.
 |
The Brimbank Community Fund is a sub-fund of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and is proudly supported by Brimbank City Council. |