Meeting papers

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                       20 JANUARY 2025


8.3     COMMUNITY GRANTS POLICY - REVISED


Author            Community Connections Manager, Alison Hamblin
                  Community Services Department
Index             ECM/26.17 Community Funding/Grants
Attachments       1.   Attachment 1 - Community Grants Policy for Endorsement


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Community Grants Program was created so Council can support local not-for-profit
organisations to deliver important projects and events, build organisational capacity, and develop
and maintain local community infrastructure. Funded projects help deliver on Council’s strategic
goals and key initiatives identified in the Noosa Council Corporate Plan, Noosa Council Social
Strategy 2015 and other subordinate strategies and plans.

The Community Grants program has been running in its current form since 2014 with minor changes.
The Community Grants Policy was revised and adopted in May 2020. Since inception, interest in the
program has been high and is always fully subscribed in each financial year.

A review was commissioned in 2023 to understand whether the community grants program is
responding to the needs of the community and delivering on Council's strategies and policies and
their desired outcomes whilst also providing best practice community grants management. The
Community Grants Policy was reviewed as part of this process.

The review included consultation with a range of stakeholders including community organisations,
external grants makers, staff and Councillors. The review identified key issues and made a series of
recommendations which have informed the policy revisions and relevant guidelines. The resultant
revised Community Grants Policy is now reflective of contemporary grants management practices.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Community Connection Manager to the General Committee on
the 20 January 2025 and approve the revised Community Grants Policy provided at Attachment 1 to
the report.


REPORT
This report seeks Council’s approval to amend the Community Grants Policy following a
comprehensive review of the program's governance, practices, purpose and impact.

1. Background
 Noosa Council provides a range of services to support not-for-profit organisations to meet
community needs in the Noosa Shire. These services include assisting organisations to obtain
additional funds through the Community Grants Program (including RADF) which are funded through
the annual budget process, promoting external grant opportunities and providing advice and help for
organisations to apply for non-Council grant opportunities.

The Community Grants Program has been operating largely in its current form since de-
amalgamation in 2014 with some minor changes. It provides funding for non-for-profit organisations
to conduct a variety of initiatives that benefit Noosa residents, including facility upgrades, new
equipment, community event and projects that enhance social inclusion and wellbeing. From 2015
to 2024 there has been over 800 applications received by Noosa Council and over $10 million




                                                                                              Page 18 of 93