Grants & Funding

Grant writing and project planning/design workshops

Start planning now for community projects and grant applications in 2025.

Register below for workshops to support your preparation for community projects, and the submission of Council and other grant applications.

Project Planning and Design Workshop

When: Monday 25 November, 6pm-8pm

Location: Altona Civic Centre, 115 Civic Parade, Altona

Light refreshments provided. 

Are you still forming an idea or developing a project and need some extra support? Come along to this interactive workshop full of simple tools and principles to help you define a project, including its scope and desired outcomes in preparation for approaching funding bodies and partners.  

Bring your initial idea or area of interest to the session.

Topics

• Shifting from an idea to a project.
• Understanding the project life cycle.
• Working through the ‘project planning tool’. 
• Introduction to the one page project snap shot - what, why, when, where, who and how.
• Understanding what resources you have and need.
• Working with partners.
• Tips and tricks for managing your project.

Please click here to register for the Project Planning and Design Workshop before 1pm, Thursday 21 November.

Any questions about the workshop - please contact grants@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Hobsons Bay Grant Writing Workshop

When: Thursday 28 November, 6pm-8.30pm

Location: Online via Zoom 

Are you thinking about applying for a grant? Join expert grant writer Debby Maziarz online via Zoom to learn how to get the most out of your grant application and have a greater chance of success. This fun and hands-on workshop will focus on transforming your ideas into fundable concepts, and walk you step by step through the grant writing process.

Topics

• Where to find grants.
• Writing the 50-word grab.
• Understanding the grant making cycle.
• Answering the grant application questions.
• Building a budget (for a grant application).
• Strengthening the application with support material.

Please click here to register for the grant writing workshop before 1pm on Tuesday 26 November

Any questions about the workshop - please contact grants@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Click here for more information about the Make it Happen Grants. 

You can subscribe to emails regarding future Council community grant programs.

The Hobsons Bay Community Fund is a perpetual philanthropic fund established to benefit and strengthen the community of Hobsons Bay for now and future generations.

The fund provides grant opportunities, for more information visit Hobsons Bay Community Fund (hbcommunityfund.org.au)

Council supports opportunities for young people to reach their potential.  For information about scholarships for young people contact Western Chances through www.westernchances.org.au.

This is a $10 million government fund to support communities in Melbourne’s inner west during the construction of the West Gate Tunnel.

This provides funding for larger projects seeking over $100,000 that:

• deliver lasting benefits
• assist organisations to implement community infrastructure and capital equipment programs the improve community connections

More details can be found at our West Gate Tunnel Project webpage: click on West Gate Neighbourhood Funds (tab 3) 

The Hobsons Bay Grant Finder is a grant finding service for businesses, community groups and not for profits. This comprehensive and up-to-date funding database, makes finding and applying for grants easy. 

Hobsons Bay Grant Finder portal

There are lots of resources available to support you to prepare to write a grant application. There are also lots of websites to locate potential grants or funding sources.

Resources to assist when writing a grant application:

Funding Centre Grant Help sheets – 
Tools, checklists and helpsheets to help you get grants ready, write sparkling applications, and help fund your next project.
https://www.fundingcentre.com.au/grant/help

The Funding Centre – grant writing tips: 
www.fundingcentre.com.au/help/writing-grant

The Funding Centre – sample answers for grant applications: 
https://explore.fundingcentre.com.au/help-sheets/answersbank

The Grants hub – grant application tips
Grant Resources — The Grants Hub

Philanthropy How to guide - Effective Grant-Seeking: 
www.philanthropy.org.au/seek-funding/how-to-seek-funding

Hobsons Bay Libraries – several publications are available that may assist with grant seeking and writing, e.g. Winning Grants Funding in Australia: 
http://libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Australian Sports Foundation
Fundraising Toolkit

Our Community - Australia's Centre for Excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits & schools, providing advice, tools and resources: 
http://ourcommunity.com.au

Other funding sources

Hobsons Bay Grant Finder - grant finding service for businesses, community groups and not for profits: 
hobsonsbay.grantguru.com.au

The Funding Centre – grants and fundraising hub (membership fee applies):
http://www.fundingcentre.com.au/

Bendigo Bank
https://www.bendigobank.com.au/branch/vic/altona-community-bank-branch/

Hobsons Bay Community Fund: 
https://www.hbcommunityfund.org.au

Grant connect - Australian government grants
Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded
GrantConnect

Victorian government grants and programs
Search grants and programs provided by Victorian government
Grants and programs

Online grants and funding courses available to local groups and clubs

Council is linking community groups with some handy online grant application courses to maximise chances of being successful when applying for grants. There is no charge for the first 40 Hobsons Bay community groups to complete the following courses (a saving of $55 per online course). So be quick!

The course should take about 45 minutes to complete. Once started the group/club has a 30 day window to finish it.

Course 1 - Where’s the funding?

This course will help you identify the many sources of income available to your organisation and help you build confidence to start drawing from each of them.

The result? Fewer burnt out volunteers, more successful events, a bigger donor database, and ultimately a stronger, healthier, more sustainable community group.

Course 2 - Win more grants

Around $80 billion is given out in grants across Australia each year. Is your organisation getting its share?

This course is designed for grassroots community groups that want to find out where to find grants and how to get them. With just a bit of know-how, and some newfound confidence, you’ll go from a grants novice to a grants go-getter!

Register here - https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/hobsons-bay

This link will take you to the Our Community website for registration and access to the courses.