Helping make 23 community projects happen with community grants

We’re proud to announce we’re supporting 23 community groups to make their community and environmental projects happen through our 2020 Community Grants Program. These groups do outstanding work for our community and environment, making Melbourne’s south-east a great place to live, work and play. 

This year’s grant recipients span across our whole service region, and are working on projects to support the health and liveability of our bays and waterways, and/or are supporting our community in the areas of affordability, environment, health and liveability, and water security and literacy.

Congratulations to our 2020 Community Grants recipients:

• Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation, a not-for-profit charity, scientific and education organisation that aspires to be to be a leading Australian marine mammal conservation organisation, protecting the marine environment through research, community engagement and education, was successful in receiving a grant to support their Mission Marine and Marine Champions projects which support volunteers and youth leaders for the marine environment.
• Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group Mt Martha, an environmental friends group which has worked for 23 years to preserve Balcombe Estuary, its bushland and coast through community engagement and best practice habitat management, was successful in receiving a grant to support their Healthy Waterways project which aims to improve and protect water quality in local waterways entering the bay.
• Baxter Fire Brigade (CFA), a wholly volunteer CFA Brigade providing frontline emergency service response to the community, was successful in receiving a grant to purchase a new defibrillator.
• Bayles Primary School, a small rural school with approximately 150 students from Foundation - Year 6, was successful in receiving a grant to support their ‘Grow4Growth’ garden education program.
• Chelsea Heights Community Centre’s community garden, which was started in 2009 to practice, encourage and educate bayside gardeners in sustainable organic gardening including edible planting that would benefit the community and have no detrimental effect on the local environment, was successful in receiving a grant to replace low garden beds with high wicking garden beds.
• Flinders Christian Community College, a Christian secondary school in Carrum Downs, was successful in receiving a grant to support the development and operation of a frog wetland, which will be a project for P-12 students to participate in.
• The Food For Change Foundation, an organisation that aims to proactively address issues around food insecurity by helping Victorians reliably and safely access a variety of healthy and nutritious foods, was successful in securing a grant to support the development of a new farm at the Briars in Mt Martha.
• Gould Group, an organisation that empowers teachers, students and the community to live more sustainably through education in, about and for the environment, was successful in receiving a grant to support the redevelopment of their coastal and marine education programs for kindergarten-aged children.
• Holy Trinity Anglican Kindergarten Hampton, a community run kindergarten known for providing exceptional play-based learning programs for Bayside children, was successful in receiving a grant to support the development of a raingarden and planting indigenous plants that will form a habitat to support local wildlife.
• Katandra School, a small government primary school for students with an intellectual disability, was successful in receiving a grant to support new features for their learning garden.
• Lighthouse Foundation, an organisation that provides homes and therapeutic care to children and young people impacted by long-term neglect, abuse and homelessness, was successful in receiving a grant to support the renovation of the Lighthouse Clayton home for homeless people with a new water tank and sprinkler system. 
• Lions Club of Chelsea District, who are volunteers that serve the community to physically and/or financially help individuals, groups and projects who need their help, was successful in receiving a grant to support planting indigenous shrubs at Edithvale Wetlands.
• Maralinga Community Garden, a newly formed community garden in Keysborough aiming to provide a community space and supportive environment to enable local residents to grow and harvest fresh produce from the garden, was successful in receiving a grant to support the implementation of accessible garden beds for the mobility impaired.
• Mornington Life Saving & Swimming & Youth & Social Club, a club providing youth development programs and a safe aquatic environment for swimmers and beach goers at Mills Beach, was successful in receiving a grant to purchase equipment for their ‘All Access Nippers’ program to operate in line with COVIDSafe regulations.
• Nepean Conservation Group, an independent conservation group, leading and inspiring the community to appreciate, recognise, conserve, protect and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of the Nepean Peninsula, was successful in receiving a grant to support replanting for biodiversity regeneration in Blairgowrie.
• R.A.R.E.S. Foundation, a not-for-profit based at Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park that works on conservation projects and creating new processes through modelled action, was successful in receiving a grant to establish a South East Water Wet Lab in the education centre and continue surveys of Langwarrin Creek in Pearcedale.
• Red Hill Riders Mountain Bike Club, a club that has been officially operating on the Mornington Peninsula since 2009, was successful in receiving a grant to support the removal of invasive weeds and planting of indigenous plants in the Arthurs Seat Park.
• Ripponlea Primary, a public school dedicated to the education of primary school children in the Port Phillip and Glen Eira areas, was successful in receiving a grant to support the development of a stormwater diversion project so stormwater can be used for irrigation purposes.
• Sandringham Life Saving Club, a club run entirely by volunteers with a focus on patrolling the beach, rescue services, training, youth engagement and community involvement, was successful in receiving a grant to purchase equipment to deliver COVIDSafe training for the club patrollers and volunteers.
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Crib Point, a school located close to Westernport Bay, was successful in receiving a grant to support the regeneration of their wetlands.
• Swinburne University of Technology’s Healthy Rivers Healthy Bay Team, who engage school students in waterway issues, their connection to catchments and bays, and ways to help, including water conservation, were successful in receiving a grant to support the Healthy Rivers Healthy Bay Program for Disadvantaged Schools in the Western Port Catchment (Cardinia, Casey and Mornington Peninsula Shires). 
• Wellsprings For Women, an organisation that supports isolated and vulnerable women, many from refugee backgrounds, to gain control over their lives and improve their self-esteem, skills and well-being, was successful in receiving a grant to support the Nature’s Champions program which educates women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to learn a number of practices which enhance environmental sustainability, including water and energy saving.
• Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association, an Aboriginal Gathering Place in Hastings that runs cultural programs, events and activities for the community including charity support, was successful in receiving a grant to support the Pun Pun (the word for ‘wetlands’ in Boon Wurrung) extension project, which includes adding a billabong to the Willum Warrain wetlands.

In 2020, we’ve expanded the program to provide around $100,000 to support our local communities, after what has been a challenging year for many.

Our annual Community Grants program is now in its second year, and is just one of the activities we undertake as part of our Five-Year Customer Commitment to support our community and protect the environment.

Information about our 2021 Community Grants Program intake will be available on our Community Grants page in August 2021.