The Yarra Ranges Council has announced $150,000 worth of new community funding in its 2025-26 budget.
Tuesday’s council meeting saw the motion passed unanimously with particular support from councillors Tim Heenan and Jeff Marriott.
The package introduced a new community grant-making model that aims to respond to local needs, facilitate inclusivity in neighbourhoods, and relieve pressure on existing programs.
The $150,000 allocation will be distributed across four key initiatives.
$20,000 will be committed to boosting the Monthly Grants Program to help meet the growing demand from community groups seeking small-scale funding for local projects.
$82,000 is scheduled to be used to pilot a new Community Pitch Program. Allowing community members to present and vote on local projects, the Community Pitch Program will run as a pilot and is intended to incentivise local innovation and participation. The initiative also includes $70,000 in funding for projects and $12,000 in officer support to coordinate the program.
The remaining $48,000 is allocated for Neighbourhood House funding, supporting 12 community-managed services that promote connection, inclusion and learning. The funding will provide an extra $4000 per centre to ease rising operating costs.
Cr Heenan said regarding the Neighbourhood House Funding, “What a fantastic good news item from everyone’s benefit.”
“An increase in the monthly grants budget by $20,000 means we can lift the ceiling to $1500, and that’s going to make a big difference,” he said.
“Having been in council for many years, I remember when each councillor had $20,000 to allocate back in 2012. They were small amounts, but they made a real impact. These new measures respond to what the community’s been asking for, – smaller, more accessible grants that help groups keep doing what they do best.”
Cr Heenan also welcomed the $82,000 allocation for the Community Pitch Project, and said “It is something I am really looking forward to seeing in the coming year.”
Cr Heenan also noted that while large capital projects often dominate the headlines, smaller grants are equally vital.
“We sometimes forget that little amounts of money are just as important. For many groups, a small grant is what keeps their activities going. This is going to be a fantastic news item for our community in the coming weeks,” he said.
Cr Marriott also expressed satisfaction with the new scheme.
“In a former life, I worked in a nonprofit organisation, and if the council had come through and announced this, we would have been wrapped,” Cr Marriott said.
“The increase helps meet rising demand, and the officer support of $12,000 for the pitch project could mean the difference between a project getting off the ground or being stagnant for a year.”
Cr Marriott also noted that local events like the Toy Library celebration in Olinda and the Grand Afternoon Tea in Provost and Olinda had already benefited from council grants.
“These are the kinds of activities that bring people together,” he said.
“This funding means even more of them can go ahead.”
In addition to the new grants, the Yarra Ranges Council introduced a revised Healthy Active Ageing program that will use existing funds to create active and social opportunities for older residents to stay healthy and connected.
As part of this program, the Senior Citizens Clubs will receive an imbursement of $45,000 with $5000 allocated to each club under a new three-year funding model.
The Council’s renewed focus on healthy and active ageing will also see a $32,000 injection into the Universities of the Third Age (U3A) organisation, $10,000 of which will boost the lifelong learning programs the organisation runs across the shire. A further $25,000 will be allocated to Strategic Healthy Ageing Grants, to fund intergenerational projects that promote activity and socialisation for the shire’s older residents.
While the risks outlined in the new community funding packet included program failure due to under-resourcing, perceived inequity or competition between townships or regions, and growing pressure on Monthly Grants, these areas were recommended to be managed through the delegation of adequate officer time, transparent communication and the monitoring and adjustment of funding where possible.
