Toowoomba Regional Council is accepting applications for its Youth Grants Program to support young people’s participation, aspirations and capacity to take active roles in the development of their region.

This program is to provide funding and/or in-kind assistance to support youth/community organizations in their efforts to provide services, activities and events that are of benefit to the young people of their region.

The Youth Grants Program will foster a community-wide partnership approach to addressing social, cultural, environmental and economic objectives impacting the region’s young people, and support youth-led creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, active citizenship and social cohesion. The Youth Grant program aims to increase young people’s engagement with their communities and targets young people 12–25 years of age.

Priorities

The Youth Grants Program seeks to respond to Council’s vision, values and goals, as outlined in the Corporate Plan 2019-2024, principally:

• Provide equitable access, and advocate for, a range of services, programs and facilities to address the marginalised and foster inclusion.

The program also seeks to support the following strategic actions of Council’s Youth Strategy 2019-2024:

• Empower young people to take a lead role, as active citizens, in the planning, implementation and evaluation of activities, events and programs.
• Provide mentorship and support to young people to enhance their participation in civic life, local government and the development of their communities.

By providing support for youth-led and youth-driven projects, the Youth Grants Programs aims to:

• Recognize the contributions young people and youth/community organization’s make to the enrichment of a socially and economically vibrant region.
• Empower young people to take active roles in the development of their communities, create platforms for youth mentoring and community connection, and foster young people’s knowledge, confidence and skills, including project planning, teamwork, communication, and decision-making and leadership skills.
• Create opportunities for young people to connect, belong, contribute and participate in their local communities and support their access to an increased range of arts, cultural, sporting and active recreation opportunities.
• Foster collaboration and partnerships between youth/community organizations’ to deliver positive outcomes directly connected to young people’s health, resilience, social and economic wellbeing.
• Support equity, diversity and inclusion in partnership with young people from marginalized backgrounds, including young people living with disabilities and young people from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, and LGBT+ communities.

Preference will be given to applications that:

• Facilitate deliverable outcomes for the community – that is, provide programs/facilities/capital.
• Demonstrate self-help, commitment and future sustainability.
• Are identified within a strategic planning framework.
• Are not duplicating existing projects, activities or events.
• Evidence partnerships with other agencies or groups.
• Are in line with Queensland Youth Week initiatives or other relevant days of celebration for young people.

Funding Information

Grant funds are limited in the individual amounts available and the total funds available. Grants of up to $1,000 are available for any one project or organization, but requests for smaller grants are encouraged.

Who can apply?

Organizations can apply for a Youth Grant if:

• The organization is an eligible community organization or is under the auspices of an eligible community organization as defined in the Community Grants Policy.
• The organization operates or provides services within the Toowoomba Regional Council area.
• The organization has an Australian Business Number (ABN).
• The application is for a project that does not form part of the core business of public and private educational institutions (primary, secondary and tertiary including Parents & Citizens and Parents & Friends Associations) and demonstrates broader community benefit.

For more information, visit Toowoomba Regional Council.