Applications for the City of Canterbury Bankstown’s 2019 Community Grant and Event Sponsorship program are now open.

Local community groups and not-for-profit organisations have the opportunity to share in more than half a million dollars in funding this year, to support the delivery of programs and services that benefit the Canterbury-Bankstown community.

Last year, 136 local community groups were successful in securing funding, including Panania Free Diggers for its Growing our Communities initiative.

"The aim was to reduce social isolation and provide seniors with free and low cost gardening activities," spokesperson Jacquie Dredge said.

"The program was conducted at Revesby Uniting Church on a fortnightly basis, with morning tea provided and an opportunity for participants to catch-up while involved in social and therapeutic horticulture activities. We also provided in-home gardening services."

Mayor Khal Asfour encouraged groups to apply for funding in one of the five categories where their program best sits, being:

Community (including environment);Youth;Arts/Cultural;Sports and Recreation; andCommunity Event sponsorship.

"These Community Grants have benefitted thousands of people across our City, by providing them with hundreds of essential services and programs," he said.

"In fact, we have provided more than $10 million over the past 22 years through this program, one of the largest annual commitments of any council in NSW."

Information workshops for organisations interested in lodging an application will be held on:

Wednesday 12 June (6–7.30pm), at Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre; andThursday 13 June (10–11.30am), at Campsie Administration Building, 137 Beamish Street, Campsie.

Applications must be lodged online at cb.city/communitygrants by 5pm Monday 1 July 2019.

For more information or to register, call Council’s Community Planning and Development Coordinator on 9707 9540.