$10M in Grants to Support Volunteers
8 November 2016 at 11:33 am
The federal government is providing $10 million in grants to community organisations to support the efforts of their volunteers.
Announcing the opening of the Volunteer Grants 2016 funding round, Minister for Social Services Christian Porter said the funding would help build stronger, more cohesive communities.
He said the grants could be between $1,000 and $5,000 and used by community organisations to buy equipment that supports their work, train volunteers or improve fundraising efforts.
“We will be giving particular priority to organisations working in disadvantaged communities and those affected by natural disasters,” Porter said.
“I particularly encourage regional and Indigenous organisations to apply.
“Volunteering is particularly strong in our regional and rural areas, from those protecting our bush heritage in Cape York to the many volunteers who provided assistance after the recent South Australian storms. This reflects the great Australian tradition of stepping up and helping others when disaster strikes.
“Volunteers are often unsung heroes and they form the backbone to so many aspects of our way of life – from surf lifesaving to keep us safe when we swim, supporting our elderly to remain in their homes with Meals on Wheels and helping the newest arrivals to Australia learn English.”
Porter said the volunteer grants funding was part of the Australian Government’s $28 million Strengthening Communities program that supports the capacity of communities to address local issues.
Applications for volunteer grants close 20 December 2016. For further information call the Volunteer Grants 2016 Hotline on freecall 1800 020 283 or email grants@dss.gov.au.
So far I have been a volunteer most of my life – theatres, animal shelters, art galleries were most of what I did – but for the last 2.5 years, since I had a stroke, I have only had a couple of small voluntary positions. What annoys me is that being a “volunteer” is unpaid for people who are unemployed. My income (DSP) is so much less than people who work. Here’s a suggestion – every person who earns more than, say, $100k would give one unemployed person, whether DSP or Newstart, $100 every week. There are near 2 million people close to poverty. Those who earn very good incomes could help us to get out of/away from ridiculous low income to live again.