Apply now for an Environment Levy Community Group Grant

Council is ready to support the wonderful work of environmental community groups through the annual Environment Levy Community Group grant scheme, which opens for applications from today.

This year, the annual grants scheme will distribute 20% of the Environment Levy budget to local environmental groups who are working towards conserving our biodiversity and enhancing our water quality, minimising our greenhouse gas emissions and building our region’s resilience to a changing climate, and/or supporting a thriving environment.

Environment portfolio holder, Councillor Jess Milne, said that the grants scheme is one of the ways Council provides practical support to a number of groups doing amazing grassroots work in the community.

“We know that many of the community groups in our region are struggling as a result of COVID-19. They haven’t been able to do their usual fundraising which has impacted on the services they can provide and the projects they can run,” Cr Milne said.

To apply for a grant, community groups must complete a grant application form, which can be accessed via https://gympie.smartygrants.com.au/environmentlevygrant.

The grants can be used to fund on ground land management activities; community engagement activities; services supporting environmental activities; and for enhancing regional knowledge.

Last year, six groups benefited from the grants program, which supported nine projects across the region. Some of these projects included: • weed eradication, weed control, and native plantings on the Mary River and Deep Creek sections of the rail trail • investigations into the feasibility of replacing the moorings within the Tin Can Inlet with seagrass friendly moorings to improve water quality • rehabilitation of vegetation along the Victory Heights Trail Network • community education • tree plantings • wildlife rescue and rehabilitation resources and activities.

Grant applications will be assessed based on how well they align with the environmental priorities of the region as identified in the Gympie Regional Council’s Environment Strategy (2018-2023) or its Koala Conservation Management Plan 2018.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, projects must meet the following criteria: • the project must be within the Gympie region • a project plan must accompany the grant application • the project must demonstrate quantifiable environmental outcomes within the Gympie region area • where relevant, the project must demonstrate how the works will be maintained beyond the project completion date.

Applications close 5pm on Wednesday, 2 September 2020.

To find out more, visit www.gympie.qld.gov.au/environmental-groups.