Whenever I’m out and about in the electorate it’s always so great to see the benefits that community groups bring to the lives of their members. Belonging to groups and taking part in something bigger than ourselves gives a sense of shared purpose that benefits us all.
That sense of social connectedness that we get from stronger communities is the focus of a program that I’m really pleased to announce this week. A special round of the Stronger Communities Program will provide $150,000 to help some of our fantastic community groups in our electorate. This program delivers social benefits by funding small capital projects, with amounts of between $2,500 and $20,000, to support our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following organisations are eligible to apply:
- incorporated associations
- non-distributing co-operatives
- companies limited by a guarantee
- Indigenous corporations
- religious organisations incorporated under legislation
The first step in the process is to send through an expression of interest (EOI) to my office, which needs to be received by Monday 22nd February 2021. Community consultation is an important part of this program, so once we have received all the EOIs, I’ll be forming an independent Forde community consultation committee. This committee will assess all the eligible projects that have been put forward, and then a shortlist of applicants will be invited to submit a formal application.
Successful applicants in the past have included:
Pimpama Men’s Shed for an extension of their storage shed; Beenleigh Australian Rules Football Club for a new scoreboard; Boronia Heights State School P&C and Pimpama State School P&C for a permanent shade structure; Brigalow Country Community Club for a storage shed, and Windaroo Valley State High School for an air conditioner.
If you would like more information, please contact my office to receive the program guidelines and a fact sheet. My office email is [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!
Leave a Reply