State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the Living Local Fund could support a wide range of projects, from upgrading halls to art installations and community gardens.
Ms Symes said the Living Local Fund was part of the Victorian Government’s Our Regions and our Suburbs: Living Local initiative and was designed to ensure local towns would have the infrastructure and equipment they needed to continue to thrive.
“It’s great for our regional towns to have even more of a chance to support their local communities to build stronger connections for the future,” she said.
“The Living Local Fund is a great initiative to provide the infrastructure and equipment that our communities need, while supporting local jobs and the economy.”
Local councils and community organisations can apply for two types of grants.
Grants between $20,000 and $200,000 will be available for infrastructure projects, including new playgrounds and community gardens, splash pads, art installations and community halls upgrades.
Grants between $2000 and $20,000 will also be available for local councils and community organisations to undertake minor refurbishments or buy new equipment, such as kitchen appliances, laptops and audio-visual equipment.
Ms Symes said the fund was designed to support a wide range of locally-led projects and equipment purchases for community organisations to improve liveability.
Projects in areas most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and projects that align with the government’s 20-Minute Neighbourhood principles will be given priority.
The 20-Minute Neighbourhood principle aims to create local hubs where people can access services like health facilities, parks and shops within a 20-minute walk from home.
The Living Local Fund grant applications are now open and will close on Sunday, August 14.
For more information, visit djpr.vic.gov.au/living-local