This week to support our latest grant round, community members as well as employees from a number of local businesses, participated in our Grant Review Panels.
More than 30 community members and employees from Deakin University, Coulter Legal, Rotary Club of East Geelong, and WorkSafe read, reviewed, and provided feedback on grant applications submitted to the Foundation for funding in our latest grant round.
Each community and business member read and provided feedback on 3-4 grant applications before participating in a group panel workshop to discuss and provide recommendations to the Foundation. These panels provide members who participate with valuable insights into the need in our community
Community feedback through allocation committees and community panels have always been a core part of our community grant allocation process throughout the Foundation’s long 70 history, forming part of our decision making when allocating funding.
An Allocations Committee was key across our time as Geelong & District Community Chest and United Way Geelong, with community volunteers coming from the business, financial and community sectors to help the grant decision making process.
Looking back over our history in 1960 the Allocations Committee as they were known then said,
“If the people are good enough to volunteer their time and money each year to make the Community Chest work, they are also good enough to decide how the funds are used. A lot of ordinary people with extraordinary dedication devote long hours to looking at budget and community needs to determine how the money you give can be used to the Geelong community’s best advantage. And this how the Community Chest works and why.”
The Foundation thanks each member of the community and business panel for participating in this process.
About our latest Grant Round
In line with our vision of creating a fairer community, we’ve reviewed how our grant funding can more closely align to the Foundation’s own change initiatives and bring about greater equity across our community.
In March, our latest Grant Funding round opened, focusing on two of the Foundation’s key areas: Food Security and Homelessness Assistance.
A number of community organisations were invited directly to apply for grants of up to $20,000, focusing on providing emergency relief or systems change across the region.
The Foundations 2024 Annual Grant Round will focus on our Food Security and Homelessness focus areas:
- Food security
The long-term outcome we seek through our work, including our own initiatives and our grant making is to ensure all people at all times have access to sufficient and healthy food. - Homelessness Assistance
The long-term outcome we seek through our work, including our own initiatives and our grant making is to ensure that when homelessness occurs it is rare, brief non-recurring.
The Foundation will prioritise grant funding for organisations and/or initiatives that are assisting our G21 community through food security and homelessness focused on:
- Social safety net services and supports; and/or
Social and economic change ideas, to drive increased fairness and equity.
The outcome of this grant round will be announced in June 2024.
Richard was one of 30 community grant panellists who participated in reviewing the latest grant round. He has participated as a panellist for over 5 years. Richard was asked why he participates in the Give Where You Live Foundation’s Community Grant Review panel – and we think his answer is the best!