Community Support Grants provide funding to clubs, organisations and community groups for the provision of programs, projects, activities, and events that deliver outcomes for the benefit of Ararat Rural City.

What projects will be funded: 

• Sport and Recreation, Health and Wellbeing
  • Innovative or new projects that increase opportunities for participation in recreation and physical activity. Projects that increase access to sport and recreation for women, people with disabilities and/or juniors, or that address inequity through free or low-cost programs for those who do not have the capacity to pay are encouraged.
• Culture and Arts
  • Community arts projects that support the development of quality arts initiatives and/or increase involvement and access to arts and culture for the community. Heritage-focused projects that support participation, learning and recording of the cultural history of the Ararat Rural City municipality.
• Environment and Sustainability
  • Projects or activities that protect or enhance the local environment or work towards improving sustainability.
• Festivals and Events
  • Seed funding: supports the development of new events that demonstrate a strong community focus.
  • Growth funding: supports existing events that demonstrate sustainability (financially and socially), have operated for more than three years, that provide significant benefits to the municipality (economic, social and cultural growth), and are able to provide a post-event report from previous events to illustrate achieved outcomes and continuous improvement.
  • Events held on Council-owned or managed land will be required to submit an Event Application Form and any other relevant documentation, eg: traffic management plan or risk management plan.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, applicants must:

• Ensure the proposed project is specifically designed to benefit the community of Ararat Rural City Council and aligns with Council's strategic priorities as outlined in the Council Plan.
• Be non-government, not-for-profit and registered as an incorporated entity.
• Have an ABN or are willing to provide a 'statement by supplier' form.
• Submit an audited financial statement or financial report prepared for an annual general meeting from the last financial year with your application (if applicable).

• Email: jfrawley@ararat.vic.gov.au