Community Organisations Look to Philanthropists to Negate Harm from Funding Decline

A group of 59 community leaders and organisations in the northern city of Whittlesea in Victoria is taking the task of bettering its community into its own hands.

The Whittlesea Community Futures (WCF) Partnership is preparing to present 14 grassroots project ideas to the philanthropic sector, government departments, local businesses and community groups at the end of the month in a bid to secure funding for its ideas.

Each project aims to address social disadvantage and will target areas such as family violence, mental health, people living with disabilities, migrant and refugee communities, Indigenous education and low-income households.

City of Whittlesea partnerships and projects officer Thiyagerajah Abarajitha said the WCF prospectus launch on 30 May was about innovation and being proactive.

“We know that government funding is declining and we need to look to other avenues to find funding for community projects,” Abarajitha said.

“Instead of waiting for funding grants to be announced we are presenting projects we know our community needs”.

Abarajitha said key to the WCF Partnership was collaboration and advocacy on behalf of the community.

The target audience for the coming expo is the philanthropic sector and local businesses with a mind for creating mutually beneficial working relationships.

“We are looking to make it a win-win for both,” Abarajitha said.

“We are inviting philanthropists to come and see for themselves if they think it is a worthwhile project,” he said.

WCF draws its inspiration from the 2006 Macro Melbourne Initiative where the WCF successfully pitched and completed six projects.

They are working with Philanthropy Australia and Australian Communities Foundation to launch the prospectus on 30 May at Parliament House in Melbourne.