Grants and Funding
MidCoast Council operates three main Community Funding streams aimed at helping not-for-profit community groups support activities that provide social, environmental or economic benefits to our community:
1) Community Donations
2) Event Sponsorship
3) Local Heritage Fund
Community Donations
Community groups play a vital role in strengthening our local communities. Whether it’s by bringing people together, improving local facilities, providing training and skill development, or something else altogether, you may be eligible to apply for funding through our Community Donations program.
There are 4 types of Community Funding for eligible organisations for the purposes of delivering community development and capacity-building projects and activities.
1) Annual Donations Program
The purpose of the Annual Donations Program is to provide eligible organisations with a one-off donation to deliver community development and capacity-building projects and activities or to purchase small items of equipment required to deliver community development and capacity-building projects and activities.
Eligible organisations may apply for a donation of up to $2,000 and may only be granted one donation under this program per funding round.
The funding round for Annual Donations and Seed Funding closed on 9 April 2021.
2) Seed Funding Program
The purpose of the Seed Funding Program is to provide eligible organisations with fixed-term seed funding to establish self-sustaining activities, or to build provider capacity to be self-sustaining.
Eligible organisations may apply for up to $10,000 in funding over a term of up to two years, and may only be granted one allocation of funding under this program in any two-year period.
The funding round for Annual Donations and Seed Funding closed on 9 April 2021.
3) Small Donations Funding
The purpose of the Small Donations Funding is to provide eligible organisations with a small donation to assist in the delivery of minor community capacity-building and development projects and activities, or to purchase minor items of equipment required to deliver community development and capacity-building projects and activities.
Eligible organisations may apply for a donation of up to $150, and may only be granted one donation under this program per financial year.
Applications under this program will be accepted at any time – there is no fixed application period for this funding.
Applications must be submitted online using the application form.
Apply for Small Donations funding here.
4) Recurrent Donations Program (Rates and Fixed)
The purpose of the Recurrent Donations Program is to provide eligible organisations with rates subsidies and/or recurrent donations to deliver core business that primarily aligns with and furthers delivery of the service functions of Council, and/or to provide essential community services.
Applications under this program will be accepted at any time – there is no fixed application period for this funding.
Applications must be submitted online using the application form.
Apply for the Recurrent Donations Program here.
Event Sponsorship
Not only do local events connect our vibrant communities, they help put us on the map, attracting visitors and building our economy!
From art shows and music festivals, to sporting events, food, fashion and everything in between, our events are a celebration of what the MidCoast is all about.
Depending on the scale of your event, four categories of funding are offered in the sponsorship program:
- Community event: Up to $2,000
- Medium event: $2,000 - $5,000
- Large event: $5,000 - $10,000
- Iconic event: $10,000+
Please note that all applicants are required to submit an event budget using our event budget template(DOCX, 66KB). This should be downloaded, completed and attached to your application form.
We have prepared Event Sponsorship Guidelines(PDF, 308KB) to assist you in completing the application form by providing some examples of the type of information you could include in order to address the selection criteria relevant to your event.
Applications must be submitted online using the appropriate application form. Organisers of 'Iconic Events' should contact our events team prior to application.
Round 1 Applications are now closed.
Local Heritage Fund
Preserving our region’s heritage and breathing new life into buildings and places from our past is a great way to enhance the character and charm our local communities are known for.
Your heritage place may need a coat of paint, restoration of its decorative features, stone or brick facade work, roof restorations, window repair or replacement, or fencing reflective of its era.
As custodians of an important part of our region’s history, you may be eligible to apply for up to $2,000 to help restore your heritage place back to its former glory.
Funding must be at least 50% of the total project cost. In some exceptional cases applicants may apply for up to $5,000.
Eligibility criteria extended
As well as applicants who own heritage-listed properties, this year the Local Heritage Fund is available to owners of properties within the 14 heritage conservations areas across the MidCoast.
See the Local Heritage Fund page for further information.
The 2021 annual funding round runs from 1 March to 19 April.