Annual Community Strengthening Grants

Your application requires you to select the stream your project or activity best fits into. If you feel your project or activity falls under 2 or more streams, choose the most relevant one.

1. Active Community (sports and recreation)

The Active Community stream aims to develop opportunities for physical recreation and sport in our community by:

• providing new and innovative opportunities for people to participate in local sport and physical activities
• enhancing participation in both structured (such as team sports) and non-structured (such as walking and cycling) sport and recreation for a wide range of residents
• encouraging clubs to be self-sustainable. This could include providing specialist coaching clinics, sustainable sport club ideas, club governance or administration skills.

Watch a short video of Keenagers – a previous Active Community grant recipient

2. Life-long Community (opportunities for over-55s)

The Life-long Community stream aims to maximise quality of life for people in Boroondara aged 55 and over by: 

• enhancing older peoples' health and wellbeing and participation in the community
• improving older peoples' access and mobility around the community
• promoting social cohesion and strong community support networks
• reducing social isolation.

Watch a short video of Sing for Recovery – a previous Life-long Community grant recipient

3. Creative Community (arts and culture)

The Creative Community stream encourages diverse arts and cultural programs, festivals, events and activities in Boroondara that:

• promote health, wellbeing, safety or a sense of community
• offer life-long learning opportunities
• develop community/stakeholder relationships, including with arts and cultural organisations
• empower the local community to contribute to meaningful cultural experiences and occasions 
• make use of facilities and public spaces across Boroondara to engage the community
• introduce new or emerging art forms or cultural practices to the local community.

Watch a short video of Kew Historical Society – a previous Creative Community grant recipient

4. Healthy Community (health, safety and wellbeing)

The Healthy Community stream is for projects and activities that promote safety, good health and wellbeing across all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds by:

• promoting health, wellbeing, community safety and prevention of violence
• building connected and inclusive communities
• offering learning opportunities for Boroondara’s diverse community.

Watch a short video about the YMCA CROP project – a previous Healthy Community grant recipient

5. Sustainable Community (environmental sustainability)

The Sustainable Community stream is for projects and programs that help people to live sustainably and preserve the natural environment by: 

• increasing community awareness about environmental sustainability
• showcasing the health of our natural environment and ensuring it's viable for future generations
• supporting initiatives and projects that demonstrate environmental sustainability benefits, such as:
  • sustainable resource use (for example, efficient use of energy and water, resource recovery and renewable energy generation)
  • reducing landfill waste
  • mitigating and adapting to climate change 
  • protecting and enhancing biodiversity
  • looking after our waterways
  • sustainable transport, including walking and cycling
  • local and sustainable food production and distribution.

Watch a short video about the Growing Alamein project – a previous Sustainable Community grant recipient

6. Vibrant Retail Precincts

The Vibrant Retail Precincts stream aims to increase the vibrancy and functionality of Boroondara's retail precincts by: 

• increasing visitation and local spending by promoting a retail precinct's unique attributes 
• strengthening the connection between people, community groups and retail precincts 
• promoting a sense of pride in the retail precinct
• encouraging people to participate in community life
• re-imagining and 'activating' spaces to create memorable and social experiences where people feel a sense of belonging
• showcasing the skills and talents of the local community
• promoting and expanding the local night-time economy.

Applications in the Vibrant Retail Precincts stream must be developed in consultation with, and supported by, relevant trader associations.

Have you decided which stream your project fits in? 

• If yes, go to the next step.
• If no, seek guidance from our Community Development Officer (Grants and Partnerships) on 9278 4753 or email [email protected].

To qualify for an Annual Community Strengthening Grant, you must:

• provide direct benefits to residents of the City of Boroondara (local organisations are prioritised)
• be not-for-profit, as classified by the Australian Tax Office in the Income Tax Assessment Act (1936)
• be a legally constituted entity (for example, a co-operative, incorporated association, company or company limited by guarantee). For Annual Grants only you may have another organisation auspice your application (unless requesting less than $1,000).
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN), or complete a Statement by Supplier form, or hold an exemption from registration
• have a committee of management that accepts responsibility for the administration of the grant
• hold an adequate public liability insurance policy to cover the staff, members and the general public, as appropriate
• not have your own grant giving program or fundraising program that provides money to finance another organisation's community initiatives
• have satisfactorily accounted to Council for the expenditure of any previous Council grants (if relevant)
• comply with all other relevant Australian and Victorian legislation, including: accounting and auditing requirements; equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws; human rights laws; privacy, confidentiality and freedom of information laws; registration or accreditation of professional employees; and preparation and dissemination of annual reports
• have an adequate risk management plan in place (as required).

• Successful applicants and organisations auspicing applications need to become a signatory to a standard funding agreement that lists all grant conditions and agreed performance outcomes and measures. This must be signed before grant funds are issued.
• Professional fees (for example, labour, salary, wages) and administration costs (for example, phone calls, printing, stationery) can only represent 50 per cent of the total grant funding.
• Auspice fees are not accepted and must not be included in the budget.
• The project must be completed within 12 months or by ****31 December 2025.

At the completion of the project, successful applicants must also:

• provide a written evaluation completed online (via SmartyGrants)
• have an expenditure budget or an audited statement
• return any funds over $150 not spent to Council
• acknowledge the City of Boroondara and the Rotary Club of Balwyn in any promotional material or publicity features.

We don't accept applications for:

• individuals and private profit-making organisations
• funding that Council considers the responsibility of other levels of government
• primary or secondary schools (Council encourages partnerships between schools and community organisations, but the community organisation must be the applicant)
• repeat applications in consecutive years for the same projects, activities and equipment
• registered political parties
• religious projects or activities run by (or involvement with) religious groups seeking to promote their spiritual beliefs
• projects that seek to lobby the local, state or federal governments about particular laws, policies, practices or decisions of governments
• competitions, prizes, sponsorships, donations or gifts
• projects that have been, or are being, funded by other parts of Council
• interstate or overseas travel
• projects or activities that have already started or have been completed
• new building works, capital improvements, facility maintenance or fixed assets (for example, air-conditioners, shade sails, cubby houses and sheds)
• operational expenses such as insurance and rental subsidies.

The Active Community stream aims to develop opportunities for physical recreation and sport in our community by:

• providing new and innovative opportunities for people to participate in local sport and physical activities
• enhancing participation in both structured (such as team sports) and non-structured (such as walking and cycling) sport and recreation for a wide range of residents
• encouraging clubs to be self-sustainable. This could include providing specialist coaching clinics, sustainable sport club ideas, club governance or administration skills.

Watch a short video of Keenagers – a previous Active Community grant recipient

The Life-long Community stream aims to maximise quality of life for people in Boroondara aged 55 and over by: 

• enhancing older peoples' health and wellbeing and participation in the community
• improving older peoples' access and mobility around the community
• promoting social cohesion and strong community support networks
• reducing social isolation.

Watch a short video of Sing for Recovery – a previous Life-long Community grant recipient

The Creative Community stream encourages diverse arts and cultural programs, festivals, events and activities in Boroondara that:

• promote health, wellbeing, safety or a sense of community
• offer life-long learning opportunities
• develop community/stakeholder relationships, including with arts and cultural organisations
• empower the local community to contribute to meaningful cultural experiences and occasions 
• make use of facilities and public spaces across Boroondara to engage the community
• introduce new or emerging art forms or cultural practices to the local community.

Watch a short video of Kew Historical Society – a previous Creative Community grant recipient

The Healthy Community stream is for projects and activities that promote safety, good health and wellbeing across all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds by:

• promoting health, wellbeing, community safety and prevention of violence
• building connected and inclusive communities
• offering learning opportunities for Boroondara’s diverse community.

Watch a short video about the YMCA CROP project – a previous Healthy Community grant recipient

The Sustainable Community stream is for projects and programs that help people to live sustainably and preserve the natural environment by: 

• increasing community awareness about environmental sustainability
• showcasing the health of our natural environment and ensuring it's viable for future generations
• supporting initiatives and projects that demonstrate environmental sustainability benefits, such as:
  • sustainable resource use (for example, efficient use of energy and water, resource recovery and renewable energy generation)
  • reducing landfill waste
  • mitigating and adapting to climate change 
  • protecting and enhancing biodiversity
  • looking after our waterways
  • sustainable transport, including walking and cycling
  • local and sustainable food production and distribution.

Watch a short video about the Growing Alamein project – a previous Sustainable Community grant recipient

The Vibrant Retail Precincts stream aims to increase the vibrancy and functionality of Boroondara's retail precincts by: 

• increasing visitation and local spending by promoting a retail precinct's unique attributes 
• strengthening the connection between people, community groups and retail precincts 
• promoting a sense of pride in the retail precinct
• encouraging people to participate in community life
• re-imagining and 'activating' spaces to create memorable and social experiences where people feel a sense of belonging
• showcasing the skills and talents of the local community
• promoting and expanding the local night-time economy.

Applications in the Vibrant Retail Precincts stream must be developed in consultation with, and supported by, relevant trader associations.