COVID-19 VIC: Non-Profits – Hobsons Bay Community Fund Recovery Impact Grants Program

This program aims to support the community of Hobsons Bay as the Fund responds to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will focus on the recovery of the Hobsons Bay community from the personal, social and economic toll of COVID-19.

The program has four key priority areas, including:
- The mental health of young people.
- Family violence and its impact on women and children.
- Building and enabling digital literacy for older people.
- Helping unemployed people in their job-seeking endeavours, with an emphasis on women and youth.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available.

A total funding pool of $80,000 is available for Round 2021.

Eligible applicants include any non-profit, club, group, organisation, community centre, neighbourhood house school and other organisations or groups delivering services or programs within Hobsons Bay.

For-profit organisations that are seeking to deliver a charitable project or program, for example in partnership with a not-for-profit or community group, are advised to contact the HBCF Grants Sub-Committee to discuss the
project before applying.

Applications from sporting clubs will only be considered if the sporting activity is done as an integral part of, or is incidental to, a charitable purpose.

Eligible activities are those that address one or more of the four key priority areas, including:
1. Youth Mental Health, with a focus on:
- Projects that provide a safe/culturally inclusive entry point to the mental health system.
- Prevention/early interventions/resilience and coping skills building activities with young people.

2. Family violence and its impact on women and children, with a focus on:
- Emergency support and other immediate needs for victims of violence.
- Capacity building training.

3. Building and enabling digital literacy for older people, with a focus on:
- Projects that empower and expand people’s access and understanding of digital literacy.

4. Helping generate employment for the unemployed, especially women and youth, with a focus on:
- Innovative approaches to ‘job ready’ programs that have a demonstrated pathway to employment.
- Projects that generate employment, and/or internship opportunities.

The main assessment criteria include the adequate dispersion and diversity of proposals both geographically and across cohorts within Hobsons Bay.

The following are ineligible for funding:
- Individuals.
- Organisations or groups that deliver projects or programs outside of Hobsons Bay.
- Applications from sporting clubs that do not have a charitable purpose.
- Proposals that would require operating or recurring costs (i.e. wages, utilities, rent, administrative costs, funds for investment or debt servicing etc).
- Capital projects.
- General fundraising campaigns or annual appeals.
- Proposals with more appropriate alternative funding sources (i.e. fees, sponsorship, service agreements etc), Council or government.
- Organisations that have previously received a grant from the HBCF and have not provided a satisfactory Acquittal Report.