2025 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Tullah Progress Association Local group of community members who look at opportunities to develop Tullah. Install a rotating basketball/netball ring at the skate park for local and visiting children to use. This will encourage kids to get outside, socialise and make connections.
Central Highlands Community Garden Community garden connected to the Central Highlands Community Health Centre. Extend and upgrade the garden to provide fruit and vegetables to those in the community struggling to afford fresh food. Also provides social interaction and a healthy activity in a safe environment.
Bears of Hope Charity that provides immediate and ongoing support for parents suffering infant loss. Memorial service for infant loss. Giving bereaved parents access to a service and a community is essential to reducing their risk of long term and complex grief.
Tasmanian Transport Museum Society Inc The Museum preserves Tasmania's transport history through the preservation and active operation of a fleet of historic transport vehicles and exhibits. It's the only dedicated transport heritage organisation in Tasmania. Museum volunteers maintain a large site of over 5 hectares with adjacent garden area. They will purchase a dedicated trailer, shed and portable brushcutter to provide the volunteers with a much safer and more efficient working environment.
Pets in the Park Pets in the Park is a not-for-profit organisation that provides free veterinary care to the companion pets of people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Pop-up clinics are held monthly in Launceston and Hobart. Procurement of priority veterinary equipment.
Jordan River Community Theatre Amateur community theatre group. Renovations of the Pontville Hall for performances.
2024 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Tassie Mums Provides essential baby and children's items to social service and health organisations across Tasmanian that work with vulnerable and at-risk children. Funds will contribute to the Safe Travels project which provides vulnerable babies and children with safe, age appropriate car seats and prams. This gives families greater access to their community and services for improved health and wellbeing.
Salvation Army Launceston Provides assistance to those in need through different services including emergency food relief, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, family support services and homeless assistance. Will turn an unused grass area into a place where people in the community utilising the facilities can meet sit outside and have breakfast, lunch or just coffee. This would be done by laying a concrete slab and erecting sheltered seating.
Spring Bay Suicide Prevention Network A group of volunteers focused on building the A-B-C of community in their community (Buckland to Swansea). A=Awareness, B=Belonging and C= Connection. They predominantly run activities to foster social connection. The funding will provide LiveLife Alarms to at risk elderly community members who live alone. The alarm alerts a nominated contact if there is a medical event, for eg, a fall or if they’re concerned for their safety.
Miracle Babies National organisation that supports premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them. This project will provide 60 NICU Survival Packs to the Royal Hobart Hospital. NICU Survival Packs contain premature-sized baby products and resources to guide parents through aspects and concerns to give a better understanding of neonatal care and help them navigate the NICU.
Swimming Association of King Island Operates the fully enclosed heated swimming pool with changerooms and toilet facilities at Grassy on King Island. The project is to install a non-slip surface to the pool surrounds. The heated pool provides physio rehab facilities for post operative King Island community members, swimming lessons for children, dive instruction lessons, social swims, fitness swims and a community area where people can meet and talk.
Arthritis Foundation of Tasmania Delivers programs and services statewide for the benefit of all Tasmanians affected by arthritis and related musculoskeletal conditions. This project will offer two half-day events for young people aged 18 years and under affected by juvenile arthritis, and their families. The events will provide a vital opportunity for families to connect and seek support from one another, share information on the challenges of living with juvenile arthritis in a relaxing and supportive environment. There will be one event in the South and one in the North/North West.
2023 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
The Shepherd Centre The Shepherd Centre supports children with deafness and hearing loss, focusing on the development of listening and spoken language, social skills, literacy and emotional resilience. The grant will be used to purchase several tools to support the specialist early intervention services in Tasmania. Tools include audiology software and diagnostic equipment.
Lilydale District Progress Association Run by volunteers, the progress association was established in 1968 and promotes community initiatives for the Lilydale district. They will use the grant to place seating in the local community playground. The seating will complement a newly installed playground, particularly important to parents and the elderly when visiting.
The Kentish Arts, Commerce and Tourism Inc. Mural Fest is celebrating its 20th year in 2023. The annual festival is popular amongst the local community, volunteers, and visiting public. The grant will be used to install waterproof screens for artists and viewers of the outdoor Mural Fest.
Cygnet Community Children's Centre The Cygnet Community Children’s Centre is a registered charity located in Cygnet and plays an important role for families within the Huon Valley. They will use the grant to repair a section of their outdoor play area. The area is a vital space for ball games and sports to be played by the centre which provides day care, vacation programs and before and after-school care.
Citywide Baptist Church Citywide Baptist Church operates in five communities in Tasmania. After a successful installation of an automated external defibrillator (AED) in their Mornington location and an increased safety for their visitors, they have made a commitment to install one in Lenah Valley. The grant will cover the purchase of an AED for all users of their Lenah Valley Centre including neighbouring community buildings.
Longford Primary School Located in the Northern Midlands town of Longford, this state school services families in the local area. The grant will allow the school to launch an important community reading program for students. The Community Connection Reading program will link early years students with local residents from the Toosey Aged and Community Care to have dedicated reading time. This program not only benefits early learning outcomes, it also creates a sense of connection and social interactions with the residents at the centre.
2022 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Tasmanian Little Athletics Association The Tasmanian Little Athletics Association will use its community grant to purchase racing wheelchairs and throwing frames for children with a disability to allow them to have a fulfilling relationship with sport. The Association applied for the grant to increase the participation rate amongst people with a disability, and to make them feel included and fairly represented.
Cystic Fibrosis Tasmania Cystic Fibrosis Tasmania will use its funding to continue their Healthy You initiative, which supports individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) to access a venture, equipment, or registration that contributes positively to their mental and physical wellbeing. The financial, emotional, and symptom burdens of CF are significant. CF Healthy You will play a small part in helping individuals continue to participate in the activities that bring them joy, allow their finances to be directed to their medical care, and to encourage them to participate in healthy activities.
Fight Cancer Foundation's John Opie House Located close to the Royal Hobart Hospital, the Fight Cancer Foundation's John Opie House is a home away from home for seriously ill patients and their families and carers, relieving some of the emotional, financial, and physical stress serious illness brings with it. The Fight Cancer Foundation will use its Hydro Tasmania community grant to purchase the laptops and mobile phones it needs to ensure staff remain available to guests during the current health restrictions.
Wynyard Volunteer Marine Rescue Wynyard Volunteer Marine Rescue provides a vital safety service for water users on the North West, and supports many recreational activities in the region. In the past three years, the unit has provided 125 hours of patrol, search and rescue to the community, and was responsible for providing 15 vessel escorts to people who would have otherwise been stranded at sea. It will use the support from Hydro Tasmania to purchase a new VHF base-station and long-range antenna, as well as six hand-held digital VHF radios for closer-range work, to improve communication and safety.
Girl Guides Tasmania Girl Guides Tasmania delivers girl-led leadership and self-development through the Australian Guide Program, which is delivered through weekly unit meetings and led by trained volunteers. Girl Guides Tasmania will use its Hydro Tasmania innovation grant to partner with the Women's Legal Service Tasmania and Laurel House to develop an innovative program of work that is designed to promote the safety of girls and women.
Blueline Laundry The Blueline Laundry is a 128-year-old registered charity operation that is the linen and laundry supplier of choice for Tasmania’s healthcare industry. It provides meaningful employment for people experiencing disadvantage and other forms of barriers to employment, with 35% of its workforce having a disability, and migrants making up another 35%. Thanks to Hydro Tasmania's innovation grant, Blueline Laundry can improve its gender diversity by sponsoring women in its workforce to gain their forklift and medium rigid truck licenses.
2021 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Jordan River Service Supporting children to learn and have access to adequate nutrition are key outcomes of the School Breakfast Program, delivering yummy goodies to up to 1000 children in southern Tasmanian schools. The funding will allow the Jordon River Service to provide weekly fresh fruit boxes to five schools and support the current breakfast program, ensuring kids have the best start to their day.
CareFlight CareFlight delivers free community training and education across the state and has 5500 SES and 300 Ambulance Tasmania volunteer first responders. The funding will help CareFlight to deliver a Trauma Care workshop for volunteer first responders, giving them the skills, knowledge, critical thinking and confidence to fulfil their vital community role.
Lions Club of Flinders Island Funding will support the Lions Club to create positive health and waste outcomes on Flinders Island. Purchase of a ‘touch free’ portable water bottle refill station and branded food grade water bottles for use at Island events will help reduce plastic waste and ensure a COVID safe environment for community events. Free water also encourages good health habits in the community and branding the bottles means the Club gets more awareness.
Launceston Elderly Citizens Club With 150 community members using the Launceston Hall on a weekly basis, the Elderly Citizens Club was keen to ensure it is a welcoming space especially in the cold months. The Club will use the funding to replace and upgrade wall heaters to keep regular hall users comfortable and remove previous potential trip hazards caused by electrical cords.
Oatlands Community Association Oatlands Community Association offers many vital services to the community, including the Southern Midlands Meal Initiative – a weekly drop-in for residents to collect frozen meals and have a cuppa and a chat. A growing number (especially the most vulnerable in the community) are coming to the space to socialise and connect with others. A small kitchen and COVID spacing restrictions are making things harder for staff in food preparation and clean up so they plan to use the funding to improve kitchen facilities by installing a new dishwasher.
Lower Barrington Community Hall As one of the few halls solely owned and run by the community, the Lower Barrington facility is much loved and used by the community. Ongoing maintenance is needed to ensure it can continue to perform its vital community function. The funding will support an external make-over of decaying weatherboards, weathered window trims and wall edging plus a fresh coat of paint. This work will support the latest project of a series of mural panels for the hall’s exterior.
Cancer Council Tasmania COVID-19 forced the Tasmanian branch to close its Cancer Support Centres and adapt its counselling to be run virtually. While things are slowly returning to normal, the branch sees value in continuing to run programs online for those who are isolated for health or geographical reasons. The funding will allow specifically trained facilitators to run a suite of health programs, directly benefiting a large number of patients undergoing (or recently completed) cancer treatment. Positive benefits of the courses include reduced depression and anxiety, better ability to tolerate treatment and a reduction in side effects.
Great Lake Community Centre Great Lake is in the centre of Tasmania and its community centre is the thriving hub of this isolated town. The centre’s committee has ambitious plans for future sustainability of the centre including solar power, a community green house and men’s shed. The grant will support installing upgraded heating to reduce the committee’s electricity bills and improve ongoing financial viability, which was severely impacted during COVID-19.
Smithton High School The Life Lab program run in the far North West of Tasmania was born out of the need to re-connect with disengaged students during COVID lockdown period and recovery. Life Lab aims to allow students to develop work-ready skills alongside basic maths and numeracy outcomes. They can also access the VET programs and Trade Training Centre. The funding will allow the school to create a new outdoor area (including a large garden area), making the space more practical and useable in all weather and allowing them to take on even more students and more projects.
2020 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Resource Work Cooperative Creative approaches to managing waste will be promoted by the Resource Work Cooperative, which operates the beloved South Hobart Tip Shop. Their education centre will develop materials on the benefits of recycling and minimising waste, along with workshops and tours that will explore practical 'upcycling', creative re-use and even turning trash into art.
Kentish Regional Clinic Funding for the Kentish Regional Clinic will provide free suicide prevention training in schools, using the Tasmanian-developed Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) program. The focus of the suicide prevention training is on students aged 15-17 years, for who suicide is a leading cause of death, together with their teachers, parents and carers, and those who work with youth.
Derwent Valley SES There are few organisations more relied on by the community than the State Emergency Service (SES). This grant will allow the Derwent Valley SES to update equipment and facilities, enabling them to retain more members and to respond more effectively when they're needed the most.
Southern Tasmanian Axemen's Association The sport of wood chopping will get a boost from the Southern Tasmanian Axemen's Association at the Derwent Valley Autumn Festival Wood Chopping Carnival 2021. The grant will support a full-program wood chopping carnival at the Derwent Valley Autumn Festival in 2021, including at least one state championship title.
Teach for Australia Teach for Australia is breaking the cycle of educational inequality, with training, mentoring and coaching for teachers and leaders in schools where students face a range of social challenges. Through this funding, 20 Tasmanians will join their Leadership Development Program, equipping them with the skills to enhance the engagement of students who need it the most.
Dress for Success Dress for Success is about empowering disadvantaged women to achieve economic independence, providing not only professional attire but also training and confidence building for interviews, help with preparing CVs and skill development. A series of online workshops during 2020 will be developed and provided to Tasmanian women in need to improve their employment opportunities.
North West Woodcraft Guild For 30 years, the North West Woodcraft Guild has been sharing a love of woodcraft with beginners and artisans alike, letting people learn and create in a friendly space, and even building toys for charity. The guild is moving to a new premises in Ulverstone's Cultural Precinct Building and will buy new tools, which will be used to build workbenches for their new workshop.
Ulverstone Surf Life Saving Club The club has been part of this coastal community for nearly 100 years, with volunteers providing beach patrols, youth development programs, emergency search and rescue, medical services, and much more. With this grant, the club will be able to purchase a life-saving defibrillator and a first-aid training mannequin.
Waverley School Association The Waverley School Association has a community garden that provides healthy, accessible and cost-effective food for the local community and a shared community space for all age groups. The grant support a new greenhouse for the community garden, which will produce seedlings and keep the garden active during the winter months.
Sheffield School Association Sheffield School will establish a working garden for Prep to Year 6 classes. A garden gives students a greater appreciation of farm-to-plate food production, along with the opportunity to learn about sustainability. Produce will be sold at Sheffield School's annual fair.
2019 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Rural Alive and Well (RAW), Oatlands Currently, the highest age-specific suicide rate is men 85 years and older. This training will help older people who are experiencing mental health issues and their carers and will be rolled out to rural Tasmanians state-wide.
Moonah Arts Centre Through a series of workshops, Brothers of Country will use Aboriginal practices and connection to country to bring together diverse cultural groups. From these workshops a performance will be created and presented at the Moonah Arts Centre, Moonah Taste of the World Festival and produced into short online films. The project aims to promote diversity and inclusion through sharing different cultures in a creative way.
Latrobe Federal Band The Latrobe Federal Band is a much loved institution and contributes significantly to the Latrobe, Railton, Sheffield and Port Sorell areas. It provides music for the community at events such as ANZAC Day services, Christmas carols, parades and numerous public concerts. This grant supports replacement of old marching percussion equipment for the oldest continuous brass band in Australia (established in 1872).
Mates4Mates Mates4Mates provides rehabilitation services for current and ex-serving Defence Force personnel and their families. The Hobart Family Recovery Centre has seen a 600% increase in people accessing its services. This grant will be used to install new kitchen appliances at the Family Recovery Centre. Good nutrition and sharing meals are an integral part of social connection and well-being and restoring a sense of belonging.
Men's Resources Tasmania Based in Lewisham. The organisation applied in recognition that fatherhood is often missing from the conversation about new parenthood and is essential for effective sole or co-parenting. The Dad's Book will focus on the needs of new dads and provide information and contacts for support.
Derwent Valley Railway A section of the New Norfolk Railway Station will be converted to an interpretation/history centre. Development of a community rail history centre to share the story of how the Derwent Valley's railway was built and its role in developing the region.
2018 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Rowing Tasmania The Lake Barrington International Rowing Course has 50,000 plus visitors every year. Rowing Tasmania wants to improve the facilities for the water sport community and visitors. This grant will be used to replace the seating that is now over 35 years old.
Pegarah Country Women’s Association Like most small communities, the CWA Hall is an essential community gathering point. It is used for get-togethers, exercise classes, markets, flower and art shows. The grant will go towards the long overdue rewiring of the hall and bring the building up to current safety standards.
Magnolia Place (Launceston Women's Shelter) The Launceston Women’s Shelter will provide art therapy workshops for residents and their children who have suffered trauma. The grant will fund art therapy workshops, which research shows can reduce isolation, improve physical and mental health and aid recovery.
Mole Creek Opportunity Shop The Mole Creek Op Shop has been a focal point in the community for over 30 years but needs some maintenance. It’s a volunteer-run shop and all profits go back into the community. This grant means that for the first time the volunteers, whose average is 80, will have heating.
Campbell Town and Districts Men Shed This Mens Shed is seeing an influx of new members. The members host a ‘Special Day’ each week for ladies and provide instruction in woodwork for the disabled. This grant will enable them to purchase a defibrillator and upgrade some of the machinery and tools.
Esther’s House Pregnancy and Parenting Support Esther’s House assists women across Tasmania with emotional and practical support during and after a difficult pregnancy. The grant will support a meal support program, providing at least one home-cooked healthy meal for the whole family. Eating well is essential for well-being at this time and the consistent social contact means extra support can be provided if needed.
Deloraine Community House The Harvest Helpers pick fruit that people are no longer able to pick themselves. The fruit is preserved and shared with the community. The grant will support the Harvest Helpers program to preserve excess fruit, reduce waste, and support the community and those in need.
2017 Community Grants Program recipients
Recipients Purpose Project
Geeveston Community Centre The young people in the work-ready program for unemployed young people have literacy and numeracy barriers to getting a job. The program provides training and support to help them enter the workforce, break the cycle of inter-generational unemployment and gain the confidence to be role models.
Coast FM in Wynyard Coast FM is a community radio station that connects diverse communities and is a ‘friend’ to many elderly, housebound or marginalised people. The grant supports upgrading outdated broadcast equipment, which is not only sub-standard but unlikely to engage younger volunteers who are essential for this service to continue.
Rosebery Community House Rosebery and Zeehan swimming pools are popular for both fun and fitness. The lifeguards have all been trained in spinal injury management but cost has prohibited them from having essential equipment. The funds will be used to purchase spinal injury equipment for the Rosebery and Zeehan swimming pools.
Tasmanian Women in Agriculture (TWiA) The women in TWiA are mothers, wives and partners in farms, fishing and agribusinesses. Many also work in towns and volunteer for rural community services. The grant supports registration software for the biennial gathering event in Latrobe, upskilling of volunteers and loan to other volunteer-based community groups in farming communities.
Melythina Tiakana Warrana Aboriginal Corporation Mannalargenna Day is an annual event that celebrates Aboriginal culture and history on Ancestral Country. Hundreds of people converge on the North-East to commemorate the life of an important Aboriginal ancestor and learn about the deep and historical connection Aboriginal people have with the area. The grant supports equipment needed for the annual Mannalargenna Day celebrations held at Musselroe Bay.
Phoenix Community House on King Island 30% of King Islanders suffer from a chronic illness. This gardening program will teach people how to grow their own fresh produce to improve their health, with added benefit of a social, outdoor activity. The grant funds equipment to run a healthy gardening program.
Longford Men's Shed The Longford Men’s Shed is housed in a hall used by many community groups. Parking is limited and dangerous for older or less able people. An upgrade of the existing car park will make the car park safer and more useable for this valued community centre.