People's Choice Award voting!

First Nations Grants:

• ICAN Learn: ICAN Learn builds workforce capacity in financial counselling with a focus on First Nations empowerment. This grant delivers accredited small business training to 16 members of the FCAN Yarning Circle, enhancing support for Indigenous clients in NSW.

Other grant winners:

• The Fix it Sisters Shed: The Fix it Sisters Shed empowers women in southern Sydney through with practical and creative skills, through educational workshops, mentoring facilitated DIY sessions. The grant will help upgrade lighting and power in their woodwork shop, installing 16 LED downlights, relocating power outlets, and disconnecting outdated kitchen equipment.
• Sydney Writers’ Festival: Sydney Writers’ Festival is Australia’s largest festival of literature and has been running for over 28 years. It hosts over 300 writers in 200+ events across Greater Sydney, with this grant supporting Russ the Story Bus, a mobile library that visits disadvantaged schools in Western Sydney, giving over 10,000 children their first book.
• Lighthouse Community Services Inc.: Lighthouse Community Services supports vulnerable youth and families through culturally responsive programs focused on resilience, inclusion, and digital literacy. The Wise Up initiative is focussed on engaging youth in road safety and financial inclusion through partnerships with Youth Command, Highway Patrol, and local councils.
• Rock 'N' Wool (Wrap With Love Inc.): Rock 'N' Wool is a community knitting group that creates warm blankets for disadvantaged people locally and globally. The grant will help sustain bi-weekly gatherings at Rockdale Library, offering members a safe, social space to support others through handmade warmth.
• Sunnyfield: Sunnyfield provides person-centred support for people with disabilities, promoting independence and inclusion. The grant will fund a new mobility hoist at the St Marys Hub, ensuring safe and dignified participation for clients with high support needs.
• Sydney Wildlife Rescue: Sydney Wildlife Rescue operates a 24/7 volunteer-led service to care for sick, injured, and orphaned native animals across Greater Sydney. The grant funds purpose-built stainless-steel cages for their mobile triage unit, improving emergency care and survival rates.
• City North Men's Shed: City North Men's Shed offers woodworking, restoration, and social activities for Sydney CBD residents, fostering connection and skill-building. The grant supports air quality improvements by upgrading dust extraction systems for a safer workshop environment.
• Ashfield Public School P&C Association: Ashfield P&C enhances learning for a diverse student body at Ashfield Public School. The grant will establish a Robotics Lab, equipping students with hands-on STEM experiences in robotics, coding and engineering and teacher-led showcase events.
• Dandelion Support Network: Dandelion Support Network provides essential nursery items to vulnerable families across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra. The grant will help supply new and preloved car seats, improving child safety and reducing financial stress for families in need.
• Little Wings: Little Wings offers free air and ground transport for seriously ill children in regional NSW, ACT, and QLD, ensuring access to lifesaving treatment. The grant will help fuel missions by air and road, helping hundreds of families keep out of the drivers seat during their most vulnerable moments.
• Windgap Foundation: Windgap Foundation supports people with intellectual disabilities through inclusive education and life skills programs. Their grant enhances LLND and Transition programs with Smart Boards and digital tools, empowering participants toward greater independence.
• Ladies Like To Lunch: Ladies Like To Lunch supports women affected by cancer in South Western Sydney through wellness programs, personalised care, and community connection. Their WarriorHER project delivers tailored oncology Pilates and ongoing support to help women manage treatment side effects and improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.
• Revolve ReCYCLING Foundation: Revolve ReCYCLING Foundation restores and redistributes bikes and scooters to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promoting joy and mobility. The grant enables newly arrived refugee and non-English speaking students in South Western Sydney to access safe bicycles, along with bike maintenance and safety education.
• AASHA Australia Foundation: AASHA Australia Foundation empowers seniors, carers, and migrants through culturally inclusive programs that promote safety, wellbeing, and social connection. Their project “From Isolation to Inclusion” delivers road safety education and public transport support in Blacktown, helping residents move confidently and independently in their community.
• Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia): Aspect provides autism-specific education and support services across Australia, grounded in person-centred and evidence-informed practice. The grant will enhance the STEM program at Aspect Western Sydney School by funding autism-specific resources that support immersive, hands-on learning for Autistic students.
• Rotary Club of The Ponds: The Rotary Club of The Ponds brings together local community members to create positive change across Western Sydney. The grant supports a community garden project where locals learn about growing food and sustainability, fostering connection and environmental awareness.

First Nations Grant

• Hymba Yumba Foundation: Hymba Yumba Independent School is a First Nations owned and operated organisation, empowering First Nations students through culture-rich education and lifelong learning pathways. The grant will fund STEM equipment that embeds the 8 Ways pedagogical framework, expanding hands-on STEM learning for Prep to Year 12 jarjum.

   

Other Grants

• QATSIF (Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation): QATSIF is Australia’s largest First Nations secondary scholarship foundation supporting thousands of students across Queensland. The grant will continue STEM scholarships for 2025 recipients and fund additional STEM activities for students in regional areas.
• Logan Wildlife Association: Logan Wildlife Association rescues and rehabilitates native wildlife while building community awareness about conservation. The grant will equip Logan’s first wildlife hospital with an anaesthesia machine and treatment table to improve care and survival rates.
• United Community Services – Redland Community Centre: RCC provides emergency relief and long-term resilience programs for families in hardship. The grant will supply laptops to disadvantaged students, ensuring access to education and STEM learning.
• Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland: Wildlife Queensland drives community action to protect threatened species and habitats. The grant will deliver a pilot citizen science project in Brisbane, engaging locals in biodiversity monitoring and STEM skill-building.
• Koala Rescue Brisbane South Inc.: KRBS rescues and rehabilitates koalas in Brisbane South and raises awareness about road safety. The grant will support volunteer recruitment, training, and education programs to strengthen rescue operations.
• Foodbank Queensland: Foodbank Queensland works to end hunger by distributing food to families in need. The grant will fund the Food for Kids program, providing take-home hampers during school holidays for children facing food insecurity.
• Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C): B4C protects and restores Brisbane’s natural environments through community-led conservation. The grant will run mini-bioblitz surveys at Belmont Hills and Minnippi Parklands, inspiring youth toward science and conservation careers.
• Foundation for Independence Recreation & Social Training (FIRST): FIRST supports people with disability in Logan through skills development and social engagement. The grant will create an inclusive sensory garden offering therapeutic benefits and employment pathways.
• TransitCare Limited: TransitCare provides accessible transport and social support for seniors and people with disabilities. The grant will deliver 1,000 funded trips for jobseekers under 65, removing barriers to employment and training.
• The Sunlight Centre: The Sunlight Centre provides free crisis counselling and mental health workshops to support individuals experiencing emotional distress and promote wellbeing. The grant will fund the “Safe Minds, Safer Roads” program, building emotional resilience to reduce road rage and risky driving.
• BRAKE Driver Awareness: BRAKE educates young people to reduce road trauma through evidence-based programs. The grant will deliver a free E-Mobility Safety Program to Logan high schools, promoting safe riding behaviours for e-scooters and e-bikes.
• People For Nature: People For Nature reconnects communities with nature through education and citizen science. The grant will restore a 40-acre Nature Oasis in Brisbane, creating habitat for the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly and engaging locals in biodiversity action.

First Nations Grants:

• Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd (VACSAL): A state-wide Aboriginal community-controlled organisation delivering programs and advocacy to strengthen families and communities. The grant will fund their Ngarrga Kits, providing sub-zero sleeping bags, ration packs, and swags to Aboriginal people sleeping rough, restoring warmth, safety, and dignity during Melbourne’s harsh winter nights.
• DeadlyScience: Empowers First Nations students through culturally relevant STEM education and resources. Deadly Pathways will deliver hands-on STEM workshops in Box Hill and Yarra Valley schools, reinforcing festival learning and inspiring Aboriginal students to pursue science careers.
• The Torch: A First Peoples arts organisation reducing reincarceration through cultural and economic engagement. The grant will showcase their Confined 17 Exhibition, 400 artworks by artists with lived experience of incarceration, creating pathways for cultural healing and economic empowerment.

• Tradeswomen Australia Community Foundation: A national charity supporting women and gender diverse people to access and succeed in skilled trades. The grant will fund three $2,500 scholarships for women apprentices in Melbourne’s west, reducing financial stress and boosting retention in trades.
• Scouts Victoria: Australia’s largest youth organisation teaching life skills, leadership, and community participation. The grant will enable the installation of a pop-up sprinkler system, planting of native trees, and shaded seating at The Pines Scout Camp, creating a sustainable habitat and improving the experience for thousands of young people.
• Lions Club Carnegie: The grant will support their ‘From Concrete Village to Urban Green: The Glen Huntly Village Greening Project’, funding ten large planter boxes with indigenous climbing plants along Glen Huntly Road, reducing dust and pollution while creating a cooler, greener streetscape.
• Eco Warriors Australia: A First Nations-led environmental organisation focused on habitat restoration and cultural engagement. The grant will fund their Yedabila Habitat Pods project, supporting community workshops teaching traditional weaving techniques to create biodegradable pods that provide refuge for small birds, blending cultural knowledge with biodiversity action.
• Bakhtar Community Organisation: A multicultural NFP supporting CALD communities through practical services and inclusive programs. The Safe Steps Road Safety project will deliver multilingual workshops and resources to improve pedestrian and driver safety for newly arrived families in high-risk areas near major roads.
• Aboriginal Literacy Foundation: Provides literacy tutoring and mentoring to Indigenous children across Australia. The grant will fund weekly one-on-one tutoring in Collingwood to close literacy gaps and improve long-term educational outcomes for Aboriginal children.
• Carlton Fitzroy Financial Counselling Service: Provides free financial counselling to vulnerable clients, reducing hardship and systemic risk. The grant will fund their Financial Awareness Program, enabling tailored education sessions for CALD communities on managing fines, debts, and financial rights, with resources in community languages.
• Melbourne City Mission (MCM): One of Victoria’s oldest community service organisations, tackling disadvantage through holistic support. The grant will fund the L2P Learner Driver Program, pairing disadvantaged youth with volunteer mentors to complete 120 supervised driving hours, opening pathways to employment and independence.
• Carringbush Adult Education: A registered training organisation improving access and inclusion for CALD communities. The grant will fund their Women Behind the Wheel providing culturally sensitive driving lessons and road safety education for refugee and CALD women aged 24+, addressing barriers to mobility and employment.
• CERES: A leading environmental education centre and social enterprise hub promoting sustainability. The grant will fund their Merri Merri Way project, a catchment-wide safety survey along Merri Creek, gathering evidence to guide infrastructure upgrades and improve safety for women and vulnerable users.
• Big Group Hug: Provides essential items to disadvantaged babies and children across Melbourne and regional Victoria. The grant will purchase and professionally install 43 car seats for families in hardship, addressing critical child safety gaps on Victorian roads.
• Our Village: A circular economy NFP rehoming pre-loved children’s essentials to vulnerable families. The grant will fund their Safe Travel for Families program, providing 570 safety-checked car restraints and prams across 12 Melbourne LGAs, ensuring children travel safely and families stay connected to essential services.
• Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek (FOLKC): A volunteer-led group restoring biodiversity along Kororoit Creek. The grant will fund a National Tree Day Planting, providing plants, tools, and maintenance for a large-scale re-vegetation event, strengthening green corridors and community engagement.
• Little Dreamers Australia: Supports Young Carers aged 4–25 through programs that improve wellbeing and reduce disadvantage. The grant will deliver tailored financial education to 25 Young Carers, building money management skills and resilience for future independence.
• All Things Equal: A social enterprise providing inclusive employment and training for people with disability. Their Access Training Program will offer 12 months of hospitality training to 20 participants, equipping them with workplace skills and financial literacy for sustainable careers.
• ACE Education Foundation: Closes the equity gap in education for CALD and disadvantaged students through school partnerships. The grant will fund their STEM Headstart Lectures providing free academic support and mentoring to VCE students, helping them succeed in STEM and pursue long-term opportunities.