Grants of up to $10,000

In 2021, we released our ‘Community Wellbeing Grants of up to $10,000’ for organisations or community groups within bushfire affected communities in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Lithgow areas.

We had an overwhelming response, and were pleased with the diversity and creative approaches among the grant applications. Below is the total list of projects that have been funded. The grants are now closed and no new applications are being accepted. Please note some projects will be delivered in multiple Local Government Areas (LGAs) but are only listed under one LGA heading.

Blue Mountains

Able2 PTY LTD., 'Community Reengagement for those living with Disability and their Families': A weekly hangout group for those living with diability, and their families, who were directly and indirectly affected by the bushfires. This activity will break down social barriers related to the stress and uncertainty caused by living through bushfire. 

Belong Blue Mountains Inc., 'Connection, Culture and Creativity for Aboriginal Community Program':
The program will consist of two outings for Aboriginal Elders and two facilitated art groups run over a series of weeks at Lawson and Katoomba. Outings may include a trip to a Sydney Museum or visit to other cultural group venue dependent on the aspirations of the Aboriginal Elders. The art groups will be held weekly in Katoomba and Lawson, with target audiences to include the Walanmarra Aboriginal Women’s Group and the wider Aboriginal Community.

Belong Blue Mountains Inc., 'Create and Connect for Wellbeing': Four art and creative workshops over a period of six weeks across the Blue Mountains, aimed at engaging people with lived experience of mental health issues. The workshops will be facilitated by a qualified art professional and both a mental health professional and community worker will be in attendance to provide support where needed. 

Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre, 'Creativity for Wellbeing': Creativity for Wellbeing is a series of art-based workshops working in conjunction with local artists and art therapists to bring soft-entry, socially connection activities to the Upper Mountains area. 

Blue Mountains Artists Company, 'Wellness through Reimagining Waste': The local Aboriginal community would like to see a change in the way that general community understand responsibility to Country and how our interaction with the environment affects climate change. A series of events around the idea of ‘reimagining waste’ will be led by a local Aboriginal artist. These will include a film night, and four community waste art workshops.

Blue Mountains Women's Shed Inc., 'Blue Mountains Morning Tea events': Eight morning tea activities across the Blue Mountains. This activity will encourage all women of all backgrounds to come together in a safe, nurturing and friendly environment. Guest speakers for a range of community servcies will be invited to attend and share knowledge.

Katoomba High School P&C Association, ‘Recognising Resilience’: A one-day event will be held at Katoomba High School to acknowledge the resilience of the students and staff through the bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. A luncheon will also be provided, during which there will be a bushfire preparedness and community engagement opportunity with emergency services such as SES, RFS, Fire and Rescue and local Mental Health and Youth supports invited.  

Megalong Valley Community and Landowners Association, 'Megalong Valley Makers Day': The activity involves two Megalong Valley Makers Market Days and after-market community social evenings. The events will connect residents and bring the community together while showcasing homegrown resources and homemade art. Information and services will also be available. 

Mountain Lagoon Rural Fire Brigade, ‘Mountain Lagoon Community Wellbeing Events’: This activity consists of up to 12 various community wellbeing events for residents of Mountain Lagoon and surrounding communities. These events will be improve social connectedness, bushfire preparedness and enable access to wellbeing services.

Mount Victoria Community Association Inc., 'Mount Victoria Community Garden': The Mt Victoria Community Association will create a community garden space in collaboration with volunteers from the community, local horticulturalists and the local Landcare/Bushcare. The Indigenous community will also be consulted with about enhancing the natural environment. 

Mount Wilson Progress Association Inc., 'Move.Breathe.Recover': A physical and wellbeing program which includes Mindfulness, Tai Chi and Yoga classes. The classes will be accesible to all adults but will particularly benefit those who are geographically isolated and/or elderly. 

Mountains Youth Services Team Inc., ‘Mysty Music Night’: The MYSTY Music Night is a one-day community event aimed at bringing vulnerable young people within the Blue Mountains together in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment. The event will enable individuals to connect with their peers and seek support for ongoing mental health or life challenges, while supporting and enjoying young local emerging musicians and bands.

Toolo LTD, ‘Rebuilding Community Workshops’, The activity consists of 12 free workshops in the community with the theme of ‘rebuilding’ – both in a practical sense and in terms of rebuilding community and personal resilience. Workshops will be held across bushfire affected communities, with a particular focus on children, teens/youth, Aboriginal elders and the unemployed. (Also in Lithgow).

Western Sydney University Early Learning LTD (WSUELL)., 'Bushfire Recovery Project', WSUELL developed a creative approach to addressing bushfire trauma in young children (0-5 years) through paintings and a focus on regeneration. This project will disseminate these teaching methods more widely. There will be three phases to the activity, including an exhibition of the children’s artwork, a teaching webinar series and publication of the children’s work into a storybook and user-friendly report.

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, ‘Arts in Recovery’, An art exhibition that will acknowledge that people affected by disasters are active actors in rebuilding their life and livelihood. The artwork will be produced and submitted by local community members and artists. (Also in Lithgow).

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, 'BEEing One With Your Community': The BEEing One With Your Community Program will deliver workshops in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Lithgow areas. Two workshops in each area will be held where the community will learn holistic approaches to rebuilding their fire affected gardens. (Also in Hawkesbury and Lithgow).

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, ‘Rising from the Ashes’, Bell and the surrounding areas will be invited to participate in eight facilitated art-based workshops. The workshops will assist the local community to adapt to a new climate world via creative and artistic means, including a mural design and art installation. (Also in Lithgow).

Hawkesbury

Colo Heights Public School P&C Association., 'Supreme Incursions Holiday Program': Organise and deliver five different school holiday programs targeting locally isolated, fire affected school children in the Hawkesbury that have limited or no extracurricular activities available to them due to distance and lack of transport options. 

Hawkesbury Harvest, 'Hawkesbury Harvest Farm Gate Tours': Two full day coach farm tours, focusing on businesses in and around Bilpin who were impacted by the bushfires. This activity will encourage other farmers to get out and about and learn from those within the area while supporting local business. 

Hawkesbury Remakery, 'Open Studio - Creative Experiences': Creative skills sharing workshops across the Hawkesbury, including aged care facilities, particularly targeting bushfire affected communities. The workshops will enable fire affected communities to connect with each other in a creative environment to increase connection and reduce stress.  

Kurrajong Heights Bowling Club, ‘Out of the Ashes’: This activity has three parts including an ‘Out of the Ashes’ video on the recovery and resilience of the Bilpin Community, a ‘Road to Remembrance’ visual arts exhibition along the Bells Line of Road remembering the firefighters who helped the region and beyond, and a ‘Fireman’s Ball’ to mark the commencement of the bushfire season. The activity as a whole will focus on remembrance, recovery and resilience. 

Merana Aboriginal Community Association for the Hawkesbury Inc., 'Aboriginal Men's Healing': The Aboriginal Men's (Mula) Healing project will bring together men and boys from the Merana Aboriginal Community Association for the Hawkesbury Inc. (Merana) catchment and surrounding areas to participate in group activities aimed at healing and wellbeing post traumatic events. 

Peppercorn Services Inc., 'St Albans Community Connection': Peppercorn Services Inc will establish a coffee group that will target the St Albans and wider 'Forgotten Valley' community, specifically men who expressed the need for support to reconnect the community after dealing with natural disasters. 

SPIN Hawkesbury Pty Ltd., 'Jam and Jam Music Wellbeing Project': The music wellbeing project will deliver four one-day community music festivals on a weekend across the areas of Bilpin, Bowen Mountain, Colo, East Kurrajong and surrounds. 

SPIN Hawkesbury Pty Ltd., 'Hawkesbury Business Alliance Networking and Workshops': Hawkesbury Business Alliance will deliver 11 networking events and workshops in bushfire affected areas from Bilpin to St Albans. This will be an opportunity for locals to discuss personal and professional issues following the fires and other recent disasters. 

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, ‘Reintroducing Indigenous Fire Burning Practices', A series of three community events to introduce Indigenous fire management practices to the Macdonald Valley. Events will include a launch, followed by demonstrations of Indigenous techniques on different types of Valley terrain and an end of project event.

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, 'Connecting and Cultivating Culinary Communities', A series of community development cooking classes to bring people together and enhance overall wellbeing of community members through learning and sharing ideas. 

Lithgow

Arts Out West, 'Regeneration with Fire': Regeneration with Fire is a creative workshop program held at the Portland Foundry. The program will consist of four parts, including sculpture workshops, a bronzer pour, the production of bronze sculptures for participants and a final exhibition. 

Barrinang Inc., 'Wayu Murungidyal (String Healing)': The project will involve two field trips, cultural art workshops, and an exhibition showcasing the finished works of workshop participants and other local artists.

Gateway Family Services, 'Art in Me': Providing children and young people with a safe channel to process and express their personal experiences of the bushfires through facilitated art workshops. The project will also include a catalogue of the children's work and a final exhibition of the artwork at local primary schools.

Lithgow Information and Neighbourhood Centre, 'Trauma Informed Yoga': A yoga based program for wellbeing and resilience, running for a total of 30 weeks, combining trauma informed yoga, psychosocial education and creative community development for people in the Lithgow LGA. 

Ted Noffs Foundation Ltd., 'Lithgow Community Connection': A one-day Aboriginal cultural event open to the public to promote local pride and social connection in Lithgow. The event will encourage social cohesion and supportive relationships within Lithgow, with an emphasis on enhancing connectedness between young people and their community. 

Trybal Productions, ‘Salvage’,This project is an installation and art performance based on the recovery experience following the recent 2019/20 bushfires. The installation will be created by bushfire affected participants in the Lithgow community over a series of in person and zoom workshops with a final live performance to be exhibited at Lithgow Union Theatre. The project will enable the audience to listen, interact and engage with the stories shared. 

Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, 'Connected', Connected is a one-day event targeting the populations of Newnes Junction, Bell, Dargan and Clarence. The event will showcase and celebrate community connectivity and resiliences, and contribute to the ongoing recovery of these communties. Activities will include stalls, workshops, an art and photography exhibition and an outdoor cinema. (Also in Blue Mountains).