Grants awarded to Orbost community groups

The Orbost Garden Club is one of 18 community groups to share in $56,102 funding to deliver community projects and events across East Gippsland, announced this month.

The club was awarded $4,500 to host its 50th birthday celebration and the Garden Clubs of Gippsland Conference early next year. Club member Rae Wilkinson said being awarded the funding through East Gippsland Shire Council’s 2018/19 Community Project Grants round two would enable the group to plan and host many of the birthday and conference activities.

“Many thanks to Council for its generous grant towards our event and I would encourage other local groups to apply for the next round of grants,” Mrs Wilkinson said.

Successful grant recipients in the Orbost district were:

Mayor Cr Natalie O’Connell said there is a community value-adding aspect of the program with all funding provided on a dollar-for-dollar matching requirement.

“This means that Council funding helps generate further spending within the region and achieves more value for community than it would without these partnerships,” Cr O’Connell said.

The total combined project spend for the 21 community projects is more than $240,000.

The Arts, Culture and Heritage grants stream awarded three arts projects totalling of $14,200 across the shire.

“The objective of the grants program is to provide local community-based organisations the opportunity to access funding for a variety of needs and initiatives in a manner that is open, transparent and accountable,” Cr O’Connell said.

The 2018/2019 budget allocation for the Community Project Grants is $111,363 and Arts, Culture and Heritage Grants $45,000. This year round two received 37 applications in total.

The next round of grants for community, arts and heritage projects and events opens on June 5, 2019, and details can be found on the council website.

Orbost Garden Club members Dick and Rae Wilkinson, Jan Kelly, Beryl Macalister (President) and Bev Farley, pictured at the Orbost Sensory Gardens, are delighted to have received East Gippsland Shire Council grant funding to help with staging the club’s 50th birthday celebrations and hosting the Garden Clubs of Gippsland Conference early next year.  The club currently has 46 members and is active in the Orbost community.