A Community Grants Strategy Explained

Sydney Water explains the giving strategy behind its current offering of 65 $1,000 to $2,000 grants to grassroots community organisations.

There were 50 grants of $1,000 for arts and heritage, safety, health and wellbeing, and education initiatives.

And there were 15 grants of $2,000 for groups participating in Sydney Water’s Beat the Bottle clean-up initiative which last year removed more than one million plastic bottles from waterways.

The money is for projects in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains areas.

This is only the second year Sydney Water has offered these grants, and Pro Bono News asked Sydney Water spokesperson Jennifer Whittle why the utility became involved.

“We have seen that receiving a grant like this can do more than just help to fund a project, it opens up a dialogue between the project leaders and the community, and kick-starts the conversation around important issues within their neighbourhoods,” Whittle said.

She said the specific grant category verticals were chosen to encourage a diverse group of grassroots community organisations to apply.

Education, sports, health and wellbeing, safety, art and heritage all played an important role in building communities, she said.

“We want to ensure each of these areas of interest were equally represented and had the opportunity to boost the programs they are passionate about,” Whittle said.

Registered associations, incorporated bodies or not-for-profit organisations, and K-12 schools are encouraged to apply for a grant.

Groups with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and those supporting lower socio-economic communities were particularly encouraged to apply.

Applications close 27 July, 2018. You can find out more about the grants here.