Grants

Positive impact through social projects
Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre
Lismore, NSW
About

Our Social Investment Grants Program are annual grants administered in conjunction with the Community Enterprise Foundation. Each year, we determine the area in which the grants will generate the most impact.

Last year, we received an overwhelming number of applications highlighting the immense need for more funding across the sector. That’s why in 2019 the theme will be building capacity for not-for-profit organisations with total grant pool of $350,000 available.

Our Social Investment Grants Program for 2019 have closed with 11 not-for-profit organisations recipients of a grant. Find our more about them and how they will use their grant below.

Stay updated on our 2020 program and key dates through our social media, In The Loop newsletter and by signing up to receive program updates.

How are the grants funded?

Our grants pool is funded by Community Sector Banking contributing 50% net profit earned on Social Investment Deposit Accounts. Social Investment Deposit Account holders can also choose to donate 50% or 100% of the interest earned on their account to the grants program.

How are the grants governed?

Community Sector Banking manages the Social Investment Grants Program, and an independent Grants Advisory Committee (made up of representatives from Community Sector Banking, our shareholders and the not-for-profit sector) selects that year’s successful applicants. The grants are administered and dispersed through Bendigo Bank’s Community Enterprise Foundation, in partnership with Community Sector Banking.

Questions?

For enquiries regarding our Social Investment Grants Program’s requirements or your application, contact the Community Enterprise Foundation on 1300 304 541 or email foundation@bendigobank.com.au

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Our grants
2019 grants - supporting not-for-profit capacity building

Grant recipients for our 2019 program were announced on Monday 19 August 2019.

Building capacity to deliver projects and improve existing capacity/capability of current projects is an important priority for not-for-profit organisations and the 2019 grants theme. This need was evident in the overwhelming number of applications received for our 2019 Social Investment Grants Program – the programs highest ever number of applications.

This year’s successful recipients will work to build capacity of their not-for-profit organisation to continue their great work and make a real difference in people’s lives.

2019 Grants
Not-for-profits could apply for grants of up to $25,000 or up to $50,000

Cool Australia Trust, VIC

A $50,000 grant will help Cool Australia Trust enhance their online platform, Education Resource Hub, to reach more teachers and students with engaging curriculum content and professional development courses.

Foodbank South Australia, SA

Providing food relief to hundreds of South Australians, Foodbank South Australia will use a $50,000 grant to upgrade their point of sale software across all Food Hubs to improve accessibility for volunteers, efficiency for clients and connectivity between hubs.

Weave Youth and Community Service, NSW

The $50,000 will assist Weave Youth and Community Service to develop software to improve service delivery, including a client database to help measure outcomes, support people and empower clients to change their lives.

Autism Behavioural Intervention Association, VIC

To build their ability to respond dynamically, fluidly and agilely to market and cohort demands for autism knowledge, skills, understanding and intervention, Autism Behavioural Intervention Association will use the $25,000 grant to bring their Instructional Design capability in house.

Don Dunstan Foundation, SA

Using a $25,000 grant, the Don Dunstan Foundation will employ a casual Project Officer to support their Volunteer and Interim Coordinator in the development of projects, communication, training and other materials for Co-Lab participants.

KYDS Youth Development Service Incorporated, NSW

A $25,000 grant will help KYDS Youth Development Service Incorporated rebuild and develop new systems that will support the increase in community need and the expansion of KYDS services and geographic reach.

NSW Council of Social Services, NSW

To aid NGOs through the journey of customer-centric system reform, the $25,000 grant will go toward development of a Standardised Customer Survey targeted to support small to medium NGOs in NSW.

Pets of the Homeless, VIC

Using a $25,000 grant, Pets of the Homeless will implement a warehouse and volunteer management system to expand their Pet Food Program that tackles the issue of food security for pets of the homeless.

Story Factory, NSW

Story Factory will use a grant of $25,000 to engage the services of a consultant to overhaul current data management and scheduling systems as well as internal processes to continue to support marginalised youth.

Two Good Foundation, NSW

A $25,000 grant will help Two Good Foundation implement an integrated CRM to manage and track donations to shelter and build functionality to allow purchasers of meals and products to know the other meal is being donated to women in domestic violence safe houses.

Volunteering Sunshine Coast, QLD

A $25,000 grant will help Volunteering Sunshine Coast to engage with their internal and external professional trainers to up-skill their own staff and community organisations through their Up-skill and Training Program.

2018 grants - building resilience and capability in people experiencing homelessness or domestic abuse

Grant recipients for our 2018 grant round were announced on 9 August 2018.

While the human impacts are almost immeasurable, the cost of homelessness and domestic abuse is escalating. PwC estimates that violence against women costs $21.7 billion each year with victims bearing most of the burden. Governments bear the second largest cost of $7.8 billion per year. Meanwhile for homelessness, it is estimated that the cost is around $27,000 per person, per year, with costs increasing the longer someone experiences homelessness. These statistics, combined with the overwhelming number of applications we received in 2017, show the immense need to address domestic abuse. That’s why in 2018, our Social Investment Grants Program again focussed on domestic abuse and homelessness.

Programs and projects that focus on prevention and intervention were also eligible.

2018 grants
Not-for-profits could apply for grants of up to $25,000 or up to $50,000

3Bridges Community, NSW

A $50,000 grant will help the Care and Share project support older women at risk of homelessness with training so they can provide in-home care in exchange for reduced rent as well as wages.

Crepes for Change, VIC

The Society Melbourne Training program pilot will use a $50,000 grant to evaluate a scalable hospitality training program in partnership with Launch Housing, addressing gaps in other programs.

Hobart City Mission, TAS

The $50,000 DIY Dads project will provide eight self-contained units for single fathers for up to two years, as well as supports to assist them in living independently, such as budgeting.

Hunter Homeless Connect, NSW

Connecting the Hunter will use a grant of $46,600 to provide an opportunity for local businesses to address homelessness and help those experiencing homelessness find places that accept them.

UnitingCare West, WA

The Care for a Cup project will use a grant of $36,600 to establish a sustainable social enterprise mobile coffee cart to support training homeless unemployed people to obtain employment.

CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes, NSW

The 'Nadoo Gathering' Women’s Group will use a grant of $25,000 to provide a safe environment for women experiencing domestic abuse to share stories and provide input in improving services.

Anglicare WA, WA

The Young Hearts Reconnect camp has been given a grant of $24,500 to help strengthen relationships between domestic abuse victims and their children, building communication and conflict resolution skills.

Broken to Brilliant Ltd, QLD

Broken to Brilliant’s narrative therapy project will use a grant of $16,700 to publish a book to help people experiencing domestic abuse rebuild their lives with stories of strength and success.

2017 grants – building resilience and capability in people experiencing homelessness or domestic and family violence

Announced on 16 October 2017, this year’s successful recipients will focus on building resilience and capability in people experiencing homelessness or domestic and family violence.

Domestic and family violence is the largest driver of homelessness for women, a common factor in child protection notifications and results in a police call-out on average once every two minutes across Australia. The combined health, administration and social welfare costs of violence against women have been estimated to be $21.7 billion a year, with projections suggesting that if no further action is taken to prevent violence against women, costs will accumulate to $323.4 billion over a thirty-year period from 2014-15 to 2044-45.

2017 - Category 1
Category one grants of up to $25,000 each have been awarded to four recipients:

Tara Costigan Foundation
Forrest, ACT

The Tara Costigan Foundation provides post-crisis support to survivors of domestic violence who wish to move on with their lives positively and proactively. They assign qualified, experienced social workers /caseworkers (Tara’s Angels), free of charge who provide up to 2 years of support to help navigate a complex web of services and overcome personal barriers.

St John's Youth Services Inc.
Adelaide, SA

The project will trial and evaluate an early intervention and personal support program for ten young people who are living in private rental, but at risk of losing their home due to financial or personal crisis. The funds will provide opportunities to stabilise young lives through addressing the factors behind their impending crisis, backed with personal support to maintain their existing housing, avert the risk of homelessness and thereby reduce demand for crisis services.

Youth Off The Streets
Sydney, NSW

This project contributes to breaking intergenerational cycles of domestic and family violence for youth approaching adulthood. It aims to teach young people, with limited exposure to healthy family and intimate relationships, how to identify and stop the cycle of domestic and family violence, and build their resilience. The program has two key components: 1 – domestic and family violence education and myth busting workshops, and 2 - equine assisted therapy.

Pat Thomas House
Mandura, WA

The Kids Against Violence program offers children a safe environment to understand domestic/family violence, acknowledge abuse and to express their thoughts and feelings through talk, play and art during school terms. The program will also provide age appropriate safety planning for participants.

2017 - Category 2
Category two grants of up to $50,000 each have been awarded to two recipients:

Melbourne Homeless Collective
Melbourne, VIC

In partnership with Launch Housing, the Plate Up Project aims to support women who are homeless or are fleeing family violence to regain financial independence through hospitality training and links to ongoing employment.

Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre
Lismore, NSW

The Walking Together Project has three objectives: to hire an experienced advocate to assist victims of family violence towards economic independence and empowerment when escaping violence; to develop a resource for the National Community Legal Centre Network to use when liaising with providers, such as banks, energy, telecommunication providers and other creditors on behalf of family violence victims; and to provide feedback to those providers about how their services can better assist family violence victims. The potential reach of the project is 20,000 clients across the CLC sector.

2016 homelessness grant

Grant recipients were announced on 5 August 2016 and the focus was reducing homelessness. While the economic cost of sleeping rough can be up to $27,000 for an individual each year, the personal impact can be harder to quantify. Homelessness makes accessing training and educational opportunities difficult, leaving people exposed to long-term unemployment and severe health issues. It also excludes people from participating in social and economic opportunities in their communities. The cycle of homelessness can be impossible to break without support and intervention.

2016 - Category 1
Category one grants of up to $20,000 each have been awarded to five recipients:

Byron Community Centre,
Byron Bay, NSW

The grant will be used to develop a six week barista and hospitality training program to support women out of homelessness. The project, Connect Coffee, will operate from their social enterprise coffee shop. Graduates will be supported to find paid employment in the Byron/Ballina shires.

Meals @ the Bridge Lifeline,
Northeast Victoria

The grant will help establish the Eagles Farm project located in Northeast Victoria. The project will allow 40 participants experiencing homelessness from both metropolitan and rural areas, an opportunity to address the root cause of their homelessness whilst developing practical farming and trade skills.

Hutt Street Centre,
Adelaide, SA

Hutt St Centre are using their grant to transform a dilapidated shed into an education and employment hub for the city’s homeless population. The Shed Your Feathers initiative will give many of the 1,300 people experiencing homelessness in Adelaide the opportunity to learn skills in sewing and clothing design.

Suited to Success
Brisbane, QLD

The grant will support a program for 30 unemployed people in Brisbane who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Steps to Work program will address stress management, develop self-esteem, communication skills and build employability skills. Participants will also take part in two styling sessions and receive interview suitable outfits to keep.

The Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia,
Victoria

In collaboration with Transgender Victoria, Launch Housing, and Drummond Street Services, this project will develop a model of care to support trans and gender diverse people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. The model will focus on specific improvements in knowledge, attitudes and skills that would be more inclusive.

2016 - Category 2
The category two grant of $50,000 was awarded to:

Youth Projects, Melbourne,
Victoria

Youth Projects in Melbourne received a $50,000 grant to fund the Dining Room Project, which tackles the issues of food insecurity and poor health that people experiencing homelessness often face. The funds will provide fresh produce, a nutritionist and training in grocery budgeting skills in the newly renovated dining room space in Hosier Lane. The program will see food prepared by participants be shared together, eating at a table, with cutlery, based on choice and dignity rather than dependence and helplessness. New pathways into housing and employment will also be explored over dinner with peer mentors.

2016 - Category 3
The category three grant of $50,000 was awarded to:

HoMie, Melbourne,
Victoria

HoMie successfully crowdfunded on letsact.com.au to match fund the $50,000 grant from Community Sector Banking providing a total of $101,955.37 for their Pathway Project. HoMie, The Ladder Foundation and Cotton On have teamed up to provide a structured pathway out of homelessness for young people. The retail training and employment program will run for 12 months, and will see six young people experiencing homelessness housed by Ladder, trained as retail workers by HoMie and employed by Cotton On upon successful graduation. The participants will be provided with education & vocational training, financial assistance, employment and social support throughout the program.