Successful community wellbeing grants

The Community Wellbeing grants support small scale one-off projects which address local issues; promote social justice; enhance wellbeing; strengthen the sustainability and capacity of Inner West community and foster inclusion and social connection.

2024 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects are being implemented throughout 2024-2025.

Australia and New Zealand Tongzhi Rainbow Alliance

• Project: Tao Hua Yuan: Wellbeing for Gender Diverse Chinese in Inner West
• Funding: $5,000

Project Tao Hua Yuan is designed to enhance the well-being and social inclusion of sexually and gender-diverse Chinese people in the Inner West. This initiative employs art therapy to help participants explore their identities in a supportive environment aiming to mitigate the isolation and loneliness often experienced by LGBTQIA+ people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

B Miles Women's Foundation

• Project: Essential Dental and Medical Treatment for Inner West Women Recovering from Homelessness
• Funding: $5,000

This project will fund essential urgent medical treatment for women who are residing in public housing in the Inner West Council local government area and unable to access medical treatment due to unaffordability, extensive waitlists at government-funded clinics.

Lillian Howell Project

• Project: The Butterfly Effect by Enlighten Education
• Funding: $5,000

This project is a full-day program that caters to girls, particularly teenagers aged 13-17 and focuses on maintaining a positive mindset and wellbeing. The workshop has four highlighted modules Connection, Meaning and Purpose, Agency - the capacity to make own choices, teaching the girls how to think, not what to think, and Altruism.

Minus18 Foundation

• Project: September Social - Championing LGBTQIA+ Youth in the Inner West
• Funding: $5,000

This project is a free, accessible and safe LGBTQIA+ youth event filled with pride for 400 attendees aged 12-19. It is an inclusive celebration to access friendship facilitation activities with LGBTQIA+ youth workers and volunteers, LGBTQIA+ performers and creators and a chill out space with activities for those wanting a quiet and low sensory space to make social connections.

Stepping Stone House

• Project: Stepping Stone House additional mental health appointments
• Funding: $5,000

This project will provide additional psychologist, psychiatrist and counselling appointments for the children and young people (aged 12-25) in the service. Children and young people who join the Stepping Stone House service have often experienced significant trauma in their young lives and need targeted mental health support.

DADLan

• Project: DADLan Social Community Events
• Funding: $4,469

DADLan's mission is to fight loneliness, improve mental health outcomes and provide a local dependable social space tailored to the needs of dads from all walks of life. The project will foster community and build strong local connections between fathers, families and the wider community.

Top Blokes Foundation

• Project: Building Healthy, Resilient Young Males in the Inner West of Sydney
• Funding: $4,416

This mentoring program provides young males in the Inner West of Sydney with the skills, knowledge and confidence to improve their mental health, wellbeing and social connection. Through education and mentorship, Top Blokes enhances critical thinking and decision-making skills, helping reduce the rate of poor mental health and anti-social behaviour while building resilience.

The Shepherd Centre - For Deaf Children

• Project: Confident Kids: Developing social and communication skills of children with hearing loss
• Funding: $3,803

This project aims to develop the social skills and confidence of children preparing and supporting them during their primary school years. Parents learn techniques to support their child's development and children are empowered to form positive relationships and overcome the challenges of hearing loss.

Older Women's Network NSW

• Project: Great Day Choir: A choir for people with dementia and their families and carers
• Funding: $3,640

Great Day Choir is a pilot project to ascertain the demand for an ongoing choir for people with dementia and their carers and families. It is a collaboration between the Older Women's Network in Newtown and musician Christina Mimmocchi and local choir Mooncatchers Women's Choir.

Royal Life Saving Society of Australia (NSW Branch)

• Project: Seniors Lifesaving Skills Refresher
• Funding: $3,278

This group will conduct five Seniors Life Saving Skills workshops tailored specifically for people aged 60 or older in the Inner West. With a focus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and the proper utilisation of Automated External Defibrillators.

Marrickville West Primary School Parents and Citizens Association

• Project: Band Together Program
• Funding: $3,190

This project offers a transformative opportunity for students from marginalised backgrounds who otherwise would not be able to participate in music lessons or join the music ensembles.

2023 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects are being implemented throughout 2023-2024.

Autism Community Network

• Project: Family Days for Autistic Individuals and Families
• Funding: $5,000

Autism Community Network aims to host social gatherings for local families to help them build stronger connections within their community. These social activities will be held monthly to tackle the self-isolation that is too often observed in the wider autistic community. Activities will aim to support social skills, life skills and community participation.

B Miles Women's Foundation

• Project: Essential Dental and Medical Treatment for Inner Wet Women Recovering from Homelessness
• Funding: $5,000

Women in recovery from homelessness, trauma, and family violence, are unable to afford essential healthcare due to living in poverty. This project will fund essential, urgent medical and dental treatment for women who are (1) residing in public housing in Inner West Council LGA and (2) unable to access medical/dental treatment due to unaffordability, extensive waitlists at the government-funded medical/dental clinics, or treatment that is beyond the scope of the free medical/dental clinics.

The Burdekin Association

• Project: Youth Therapist
• Funding: $5,000

The Burdekin Association is a Housing and Community Intervention Service that supports children and young people aged between 12 and 24. This project will offer local youths in need FREE access to Therapeutic Specialist sessions. These sessions will be facilitated by a qualified Psychotherapist and Drug Health Counsellor helping to address a broad range of concerns, such as Complex Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Drug Use. The idea beyond the program is to initiate the first positive steps in the long road ahead.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals NSW

• Project: Inner West People and Pets in Crisis
• Funding: $5,000

For Inner West community residents experiencing mental ill-health, domestic violence, homelessness or critical illness, this project allows individuals to access vital human welfare support as soon as possible, while their pet is cared for by RSPCA NSW. Most refuges and hospitals assisting residents experiencing crisis don’t accept pets. Pets are placed in emergency accommodation and provided with vital veterinary treatment so residents can expedite access to support.

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

• Project: Newtown Public Housing Collective Monthly Gatherings at Newtown Neighbourhood Centre
• Funding: $3,500

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre is the lead agency for the Newtown Public House Collective. Gatherings will be held at Darley Street and have a rotating theme of a particular service. This strategic move will encourage greater attendance across the Inner West catchment and increase awareness of Newtown Neighbourhood Centre's services and new location.

Sunnyfield

• Project: Accessible Music and Movement
• Funding: $3,000

Sunnyfield operates two Community Services Hubs in the Inner West LGA - Dulwich Hill and Lilyfield. The day program supports local clients with disabilities to participate in everyday life. Offering free weekly Music and Movement classes will help encourage clients to be more physically active and socially engage with their peers.

Inner West Neighbour Aid

• Project: Seniors and Students Shop and Chat Program
• Funding: $2,000

This is an intergenerational program matching a group of Year 9 and 10 students from Ashfield Boys High School with senior clients from Inner West Neighbour Aid. The seniors can shop independently but may require physical help with grocery items or assistance remembering the aisle layout or reading product labels. The students are required to contribute to a community service program. This connection allows both groups to explore how they can make a difference in each other's lives.

2022 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects are being implemented throughout 2022-2023.

Haberfield Community Singers

• Project: Choral workshops
• Funding: $4,000

To gain long term financial viability by increasing our membership of multi-cultural retirees by offering choral performance workshops to improve individual vocal and group skills, confidence and self-esteem when presenting programs indoor and (because of the pandemic) outdoor, for the enjoyment and stimulation of residents of local nursing/retirement homes.

Inner West Neighbourhood Aid

• Project: Presentation Ceremony for Ashfield Boy's High School shopping program
• Funding: $500

The Intergenerational Shopping Program matches a group of young students from Ashfield Boys High School with clients from Inner West Neighbour Aid, who require social support and physical assistance with their grocery shopping. The presentation will celebrate the student's and senior's relationships throughout the year.

Metro Assist

• Project: The Sky is the Limit: 2023 school holiday programs for at-risk girls' years 7-10
• Funding: $4,998

“The Sky is the Limit" is a unique empowerment and capacity building program for at-risk girls in years 7 - 10. Through school-holiday intensive workshops held at Marrickville Youth Resource Centre, The Sky is the Limit programs help girls to improve self-confidence and wellbeing and delivers capacity building toward future education and employment.

NSW Reconciliation Council

• Project: Connect to Country - Empowering First Nations Youth through Cultural Education
• Funding: $5,000

Reconciliation NSW will partner with Marrickville Police Citizens Youth Clubs (MPCYC) to deliver workshops facilitated by local First Nations cultural practitioners and leaders to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children between 10-16 to empower them to connect to their cultures to improve social and spiritual wellbeing.

Olivetree Women's Network

• Project: Linking Women to Learning 2
• Funding: $5,000

Linking Women to Learning 2 will work through a collaboration of agencies in the Inner West to deliver a range of foundational learning opportunities for women and girls from minority backgrounds to enhance their participation in the community as well as offer social and economic empowerment.

Rigpa Fellowship

• Project: An Evening Meditation on Love
• Funding: $1,200

An interfaith evening meditation on love, focussing on a Buddhist guided meditation on love, complemented by prayers and reflections from representatives from other religious traditions active in the Inner West. Approved by the Sydney WorldPride 2023 festival as part of their Pride Amplified program.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW

• Project: Mary Mackillop Outreach Client Celebrations
• Funding: $4,000

Four social gatherings during the year for People with Disability, to be held at the end of each term (including a Christmas party). Participants develop and improve social skills and confidence in a safe, secure, informal and social environment. Improved health and wellbeing for participants, and better quality of life.

Sydney Stingers

• Project: AQuA (Australian Queer Aquatics) Festival
• Funding: $4,000

AQuA Festival will minimise barriers for participation in aquatics for the LGBTIQA+ community and allies by providing a competitive yet approachable atmosphere, working with swimwear partners in providing non-binary/gender non-confirming options and the opportunity to mingle with individuals local to Sydney, along with visitors from across Australia and the world.

Sunnyfield

• Project: Accessible Music and Movement classes
• Funding: $3,000

Sunnyfield operates two Community Services Hubs in the Inner West LGA - Dulwich Hill and Lilyfield. Our day program supports local clients with disabilities participate in everyday life. Offering free weekly Music and Movement classes will help encourage clients to be more physically active and socially engage with their peers.

The NSW Gender Centre

• Project: Transwomen Beauty and Wellbeing Workshops
• Funding: $4,563

By teaching young women about how to apply make-up, this project will improve women’s self-esteem and confidence, and increase their connection with their community. It is also a fantastic opportunity to share stories and build resilience.

2021 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects were implemented throughout 2021-2022.

Australian Parents for Climate Action

• Project: Podcast - Climate playgroup: building community and overcoming climate anxiety
• Funding: $5,000

This "climate playgroup: building community and overcoming climate anxiety" (working title) is a documentary podcast that shares stories of Inner West families who attend a climate playgroup in Summer Hill, interspersed with research about supporting wellbeing around climate.

B Miles Women's Foundation

• Project: Setting Up Homes for Inner West Women In Financial Hardship After Homelessness
• Funding: $5,000

This project will deliver essential household furnishings to women experiencing financial hardship in the Inner West area who are transitioning out of homelessness and into community housing tenancies. The project will fund service item fees and deliveries to women's new homes.

CASS Care

• Project: Let's fight COVID blues
• Funding: $5,000

This project aims to support the mental health of CALD background seniors who reside in Inner West suburbs predominantly Korean, Vietnamese and Indonesian. Multicultural seniors will be supported by professionals and calling the helpline with their community language. Information session to promote the importance of mental and physical wellbeing.

Chinese Parents Association - Children with Disabilities

• Project: Healthy Exercise Recreational Movement and Sports for PWDs
• Funding: $4,000

This is a community-based project promoting physical, emotional and relational health for CALD carers and families of people with special needs, offering them an opportunity to keep fit, to learn about stress management/relaxation strategies, to increase their endurance and to enjoy team work through interactive sports.

Connect Marrickville auspiced by Community and Cultural Connections

• Project: Reconnecting Beyond Covid - Inner West Vietnamese Families
• Funding: $5,000

No matter what course Covid19 takes in the community, it’s vital families who face extra barriers such as language, culture and parenting in a new country, have access to information, links to community and stay connected.  A series of workshops for Vietnamese families will help with recovery and build resilience.

Community and Cultural Connections

• Project: Filling Connection-Gaps towards Wellness
• Funding: $5,000

This project aims to promote social connection, community participation and wellbeing among local Chinese and Vietnamese-speaking community members during/post-COVID-19 by building hybrid capacity in two areas: social and emotional wellbeing and digital skills.

Dance for Parkinson's Australia

• Project: Happy Feet and Hearts at Hannaford and Beyond
• Funding: $5,000

This project aims to increase reach within the Inner West community, for "Happy Feet" to continue providing regular weekly classes in Rozelle and additionally provide introductory community classes to people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and others with limited mobility in an aged care facility, retirement village and community town hall.

Deadly Connections Community and Justice Services

• Project: Deadly Moves
• Funding: $5,000

Deadly Moves is an initiative to support Aboriginal people in furnishing their houses and creating safer homes for themselves and their families, through obtaining and delivering household essentials to the houses of clients. This project operates through the established partnership with the Generous and Grateful.

Ekushe Boi Mela Parishad Australia

• Project: International Mother Language Day Book Fair and Cultural Program 2022
• Funding: $4,000

Ekushe Academy organises a cultural program, book fair, and food stalls to celebrate 'International Mother Language day since 1998. In 2022 the group will observe the day on Sunday 20 February at Ashfield Park. The program will primarily showcase the culture of Bangladesh and linguistic and literarily successes of Australian-Bangladeshis.

The Infants' Home Ashfield

• Project: Baby Time Playgroup
• Funding: $5,000

The delivery of a free playgroup for children from birth to 12 months and their parents for two school terms (20 weeks). It will particularly target parents who are socially isolated, are struggling with the transition to parenthood or are experiencing challenges in caring for and understanding their baby.

Katrina Ross Consultancy auspiced by CatholicCare Sydney

• Project: Inner West Aboriginal Workers Circle Online Wellbeing Program
• Funding: $5,000

Online Wellbeing Activities for Inner West Aboriginal Workers Circle Members.

Lillian Howell Project

• Project: Yoga 4 Youths (Y4Y)
• Funding: $5,000

Yoga for youths is an 8-week yoga program delivered in a fun and relaxing manner that provides a unique pathway for girls to develop social-emotional skills.  It is designed to improve health, performance, and mental alertness of the young girls through poses that target balance, strength, and flexibility.

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

• Project: Paint Newtown REad - Egg Hatching Party
• Funding: $5,000

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre will host a Paint Newtown REad egg hatching party. Newtown Neighbourhood Centre has been reading to the egg, watching it grow for the past 6 months and this celebration will see the highly anticipated egg hatching and birth of the reading Mascot.

NSW Reconciliation Council

• Project: Pathways to Reconciliation Program
• Funding: $5,000

In-school art and storytelling-based workshops, facilitated by Aboriginal cultural practitioners/artists to increase cultural competence, and connections between schools and local Aboriginal communities. Schools express these learnings by creating and ‘dressing’ their fences with artworks and messages of reconciliation that highlight their understanding and connection to Country.

Older Women's Network New South Wales

• Project: Gentle Yoga for Older Women
• Funding: $3,700

Newtown Wellness Centre would like to establish a Gentle Yoga group for older women because it has physical, mental, and emotional benefits. This group would be an open class, where participants will be led by an experienced and qualified yoga therapist who understands the mature female body.

Plumtree Children's Services

• Project: Plumtree Play and Explore Packages
• Funding: $5,000

This project will provide individualised resource packages to families in the Inner West Council area who are currently clients of Plumtree Children's Services. These packages would contain low cost and recyclable craft or sensory materials and associated handouts and links to video about playing, creating and having fun at home.

St Anthony's Family Care

• Project: Project S.O.U.L.S. (Special Opportunities Uniting Learning & Life Skills)
• Funding: $5,000

The project will facilitate a free all abilities workshop for the Inner West Council community to provide support through expression of art and movement. Children and young adults with special needs will be the primary group addressed. Participants will be encouraged to express their feelings through the art, dance and creativity that they innovate or perform in their session.

St George Community Housing

• Project: Marrickville Neighbour Day
• Funding: $2,233

Marrickville Neighbour Day will be a family fun day bringing together St George Community Housing residents and the local community. The day will aim to reconnect after another Covid lockdown. The day will coincide with Relationships Australia’s Official Neighbour Day and aims to encourage the celebration of community, connecting people and services.

Sunnyfield

• Project: Be Happy, Be Healthy
• Funding: $2,400

Sunnyfield operates two Community Services Hubs in Dulwich Hill and Lilyfield supporting locals clients with intellectual and physical disabilities participate in everyday life. Sunnyfield’s ‘Be Happy, Be Healthy’ project will encourage clients from both Hubs to become more physically active and engage with their peers and the greater community.

The Burdekin Association

• Project: Child & Youth Education Support Program
• Funding: $5,000

The Child & Youth Education Support Program is a new program that delivers trauma-informed, personalised one on one support to disenfranchised, neglected or abused children and young people (aged 12 to 18) placed in The Burdekin’s Out-of-Home Care in Sydney’s Inner West LGA.

The Village Project Summer Hill Co-operative

• Project: The Village Project - Community Digital Platform
• Funding: $5,000

An online platform that is a safe space where community can connect with each other, help one another, attend events and share knowledge, skills, items and resources as a part of a digital circular economy. The platform will also act as an avenue to promote and support local businesses.

2020 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects were implemented throughout 2020-2021.

3Bridges Community

• Project: Inclusion Support for Summer Hill OSHC
• Funding: $2,004

This project will deliver "7 Secrets to Inclusion & Engagement" Support Program at Summer Hill Out of School Hours Care for 100 primary school children to discuss and explore their cultural diversity. Its goal is to foster social cohesion and further develop cultural identity, understanding and respect for other people's cultural practices.

Australian Federation Of Chinese Organisations

• Project: A Big Happy Family
• Funding: $3,500

"A Big Happy Family" project will support local people being happy and healthy. It provides regular training and rehearsal for fitness, dancing and singing in venues. If the restriction of COVID-19 is still on going, we will move the activities online to make all participants being safe.

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect)

• Project: Autism advisory workshops for families/carers affected by autism in the Inner West Council community
• Funding: $5,000

The project will facilitate a free autism workshop for the Inner West Council community to provide support through expert advice, referrals, resources, and a platform to form life-long community connections.

Balmainia

• Project: Playing Up workshops for Elders
• Funding: $4,890

Four free workshops will provide pleasurable drama activities in a local park/venue. Designed for older community members with the aim of creating a physical and emotional safe place of acknowledgement, openness, and playfulness while enhancing communication skills and self expression. 

Chinese Parents Association - Children with Disabilities

• Project: Social Art Independent for Disabilities SAID Program for CALD Youth with Intellectual Disabilities
• Funding: $4,800

This project involves connecting youth with disabilities to the community, including 4 architectural discovery-tours in Inner-West LGA. Participants reproduce their impression in art-forms in 6 art-workshops. Their artworks will be hand-made into greeting cards with loving messages to the elderly in the community.

Community and Cultural Connections

• Project: Creative and Resilience for Social and Health Wellbeing for Inner West Multicultural women and men
• Funding: $5,000

This project aims to promote connections, creativity and resilience for social, mental and physical wellbeing for Arabic, Turkish and Vietnamese women and men and foster community connections and empowerment via a safe environment and through a series of art, craft, musical, and physical workshops and activities and learning opportunities.

Connect Marrickville auspiced by Community and Cultural Connections

• Project: Weaving Wellbeing into Families - with a focus of Vietnamese and other Inner West communities
• Funding: $5,000

Weaving Wellbeing into Families project will begin with Aboriginal weaving workshops and continue with a series of activities connected to the physical, mental, social and community wellbeing for women and children.  It will focus on the Vietnamese community as well as other communities in the Inner West.

Ethnic Craft Group

• Project: The Old Meets the New: Cross-generational Understanding
• Funding: $4,650

This project will teach the elderly of the group more about digital technology through tutorials and purchase of equipment to record and film work and social meetings to share the craft with the wider community. 

House to Grow

• Project: Colouring Dreams. Social and Emotional Learning program for kids
• Funding: $5,000

An educational project aimed to promote and protect the positive mental health and wellbeing of children facing emotionally or physically challenging circumstances (5-12 years old). It will empower kids to cope with challenges, boost emotional intelligence, strengthen relationships, increase resilience and motivation.

Infants Home Ashfield

• Project: Baby Time Playgroup: A Playgroup for Parents and their Children aged up to 12 months
• Funding: $4,962

The Infants Home will deliver free playgroup program for children from birth to 12 months and their parents for two school terms (20 weeks). It will particularly target parents who are socially isolated, are struggling with the transition to parenthood or are experiencing challenges in caring for and understanding their baby.

Karitane

• Project: Karitane Balmain - Integrated Care Hub for Parenting & Family Support Services
• Funding: $5,000

Karitane, in collaboration with Balmain Village Health (BVH), is seeking funding to support the continuation of its highly successful Integrated Care Hub (ICH) in the Practice. It provides a range effective, evidence-based parenting and family support services to the Inner West community.

Learning Links

• Project: Take Action- supporting children with anxiety in the Inner West
• Funding: $4,955

Learning Links psychologists will deliver 'Take Action' an evidence-based program to help up to 24 children at Tempe Public School cope with and manage their anxiety. By practising the skills they learn, children will develop their own action plan to reduce and overcome anxiety.

Marrickville Golf Sporting and Community Club

• Project: An opportunity for Community Reconciliation through respect and enjoyment of golfmutual
• Fundng: $5,000

The project is to host to a reconciliation Golf Day to celebrate diversity in the community. It includes an Acknowledgement of Country and a Smoking Ceremony, followed by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous players playing together and then sitting down together to share a meal.

Minus18 Foundation

• Project: Connecting LGBTQIA+ young people in a COVID-safe environment
• Funding: $5,000

Minus18 will deliver a COVID-safe celebration of, and in partnership with, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. The delivery will be a digital event, free for LGBTQIA+ young people aged 12-19 and their friends, from Inner West and the surrounding community, spotlighting diverse, local, queer performers and speakers.

Mood Active Association

• Project: 4 Week Wellbeing Workout
• Funding: $5,000

The 4 week wellbeing workout combines both education and exercise and are targeted at those suffering from mood disorders including anxiety and depression and gives them the skills and knowledge to build exercise into their recovery and daily routine.

NSW Reconciliation Council

• Project: Pathways to Reconciliation Program
• Funding: $5,000

Phase 2 entails: In-school art and storytelling-based workshops, facilitated by Aboriginal cultural practitioners/artists to increase cultural competence, and connections between schools and local Aboriginal communities and Schools express these learnings by creating and ‘dressing’ their fences with artworks and messages of reconciliation that highlight their understanding and connection to Country.

Nurses On Wheels Australia (t/a Clever Care NOW)

• Project: Inner West community health checks
• Funding: $5,000

Clever Care NOW (CCN) will deliver community health checks (free to residents) at various Council venues over a 12 month period. Each two hour session with a qualified nurse would be available to the public free of charge. The health check is for blood pressure and blood sugar.

Older Women's Network NSW

• Project: Inner West Drumming Circle
• Funding: $4,883

OWN NSW seeks funding to initiate a beginner drumming circle, for older women, at its Newtown Wellness Centre to be available for performance. The many social, physical and mental benefits of drumming have long been recognised.

Participate Australia

• Project: Activities for Teenagers with a Disability
• Funding: $4,653

Activities for Teenagers with a Disability is a project to enhance the wellbeing of teenagers with a disability living in the Inner West. The project aims to provide teenagers with opportunities to attend social activities throughout the Inner West, helping to develop valuable life skills and supporting their mental health.

Portugal Madiera Sydney Social & Cultural Sports Club

• Project: PMSCC Men's Mental Health Project
• Funding: $4,800

The project is to establish social support groups that aim to improve the health and quality of life of older members of the Club by focusing on reducing their social isolation and loneliness. The project's target group will be people 65 years of age and older. 

Stepping Out Housing Program

• Project: Addressing Social Insolation for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
• Funding: $5,000

The Stepping Out Housing Program provides support and addresses the issues surrounding women from Inner West LGA who have experienced childhood sexual abuse by providing an inclusive weekly program that will build capacity, confidence and self empowerment.

Sunnyfield

• Project: Music and Movement
• Funding: $3,600

Sunnyfield's Music and Movement program positively encourage people with disability to participate in physical exercise, learning new skills, developing current abilities and understanding the importance of keeping active whilst engaging socially with their peers.

Sydney Alliance for Community Building

• Project: Inner West: Welcome, Support & Justice for International Students
• Funding: $5,000

Peer to peer training of international students and temporary migrants living and working in the Inner West to support each other and work for justice on emergency welfare and food support, accommodation options and tenancy rights, workplace exploitation, and social isolation.

The Pollys Club

• Project: Migration of Pollys Dance to Online Virtual Events
• Funding: $2,000

The Pollys Club has been unable to hold any physical dances since March 2020 due to the current COVID environment. This project move dances online to allow participants to maintain contact and involvement with the 2300 subscribers in the Inner West.

The Shepherd Centre - For Deaf Children

• Project: Talk Together
• Funding: $5,000

‘Talk Together' is a group program designed to educate and support parents of children who have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss in the Inner West. It seeks to provide parents with the fundamental skills and knowledge they need to support their child in developing listening, speech and language skills.

The Third Space. Relieving Poverty & Disadvantage Through Participation

• Project: The Heartland Project. Stage #2.  Community Education, Promotion & LGBTIQ+ Host Recruitment
• Funding: $5,000

From 2020, The Heartland Project (THP) connects LGBTIQ+ people-seeking-asylum in search of a home with Inner West LGBTIQ+ hosts and flatmates via a purpose-built web platform.  In 2021, the project will start intensive community promotion and education to recruit and train Inner West LGBTIQ+ community hosts.

Village Church Annandale [Anglican Church]

• Project: Heart of Annandale Community Art Exhibition
• Funding: $3,000

Heart of Annandale is a community art exhibition for the Inner West. It celebrates artistic conversations about the Inner West, providing a platform for all community members to participate. The exhibition includes musical performances, creative workshops, and social activities designed to enhance community interaction, inclusivity and promote local talent.

Yacou Mbaye auspiced by Marrickville Youth Resource Centre

• Project: African Vibes Presents: Rhythms for Life
• Funding: $5,000

The project involves workshops for young people sharing traditional African drumming  rhythms, movement, stories and song to build community connection, reduce anxiety and depression and increase social inclusion.

2019 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects were implemented throughout 2019-2020.

3Bridges Community

• Project: Inclusive Communities - Supporting People with Younger Onset Dementia and their Carers
• Funding: $7,500

Supporting 100 people, in particular Younger Onset Dementia (under 65) clients and their family carers (including CALD members) by providing psychosocial interventions including health and wellbeing information, emotional, recreational and social support, tailored to the individual needs in partnership with local community, health and dementia services.

Dr Erica Rose Jeffrey - auspiced by Ausdance NSW

• Project: West Side (Dance) Story
• Funding: $7,500

Dance for Parkinson’s Australia offers specialised dance classes for people with Parkinson's, their caregivers, family and friends. Classes are taught by professionally-trained dancers who are movement experts with knowledge about strengthening and stretching muscles, balance, coordination. We provide a creative, inclusive and understanding space to strengthen bodies and build community.

Vivienne Martin - auspiced by Community and Cultural Connections

• Project: Strengthening Connections for Vietnamese Mothers in the Inner West
• Funding: $7,500

From a safe place (Vietnamese Mothers Group) strengthen the capacity of Vietnamese mothers raising young children to connect with each other, the school and community to promote positive health, educational and cultural outcomes including opportunities for leadership.

Reconciliation NSW

• Project: Art and Storytelling as a Pathway to Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning Services
• Funding: $7,500

In-school art and storytelling-based workshops, facilitated by Aboriginal cultural practitioners/artists to increase cultural competence and connections between schools/early learning services and local Aboriginal communities. Schools and early learning services express these learnings by creating and ‘dressing’ their fences with artworks and messages of reconciliation that highlight their understanding and connection to Country.

NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors

• Project: Youth Capoeira Angola Encounter
• Funding: $7,500

The 'Youth Capoeira Angola Encounter' is an annual event that brings together youth from refugee backgrounds participating in Project Bantu’s Program for five days from 12 schools around Inner West and Western Sydney to celebrate cultural diversity, social cohesion and empowerment as a bridge toward community development.

Flight Path Theatre

• Project: Woven – Workshops: Connecting Younger and Older Members of the Inner West through Stories
• Funding: $7,500

'Woven' connects younger and older members of the Inner West community. Through a series of workshops, artists draw out personal stories from both groups which are then documented, workshopped and woven together into a piece of verbatim theatre.

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

• Project: Corporate Homeless Training Package Development
• Funding: $7,500

Following the success of a recent community homeless outreach program in Newtown - the ‘Newtopian Outreachers Project’ - we aim to repurpose and develop the extensive training materials used to train community volunteers with the skills to engage with rough sleepers into a structured program to Businesses.

The Third Space. Relieving Poverty & Disadvantage Through Participation

• Project: The Heartland Project
• Funding: $7,500

A grass-roots, community-led pilot project addressing high levels of homelessness among LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum. It will deliver an online platform connecting LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum with local Inner West LGBTIQA+ hosts and flatmates, fostering connection and inclusion in the Inner-West.

Minus18

• Project: Minus18 Queer Formal
• Funding: $7,500

The 'Queer Formal' is a positive response to media attention surrounding secondary students not being allowed to take their same sex or gender diverse partner to their school formal. The formal has run in the Inner West for the past 2 years, attracting more than 300 young people each time.

Assisted Community Living

• Project: Gig Buddies Inner West
• Funding: $7,425

The 'Gig Buddies Inner West' project will connect more participants with volunteers in the Inner West. Utilising a strong existing volunteer base, Gig Buddies Sydney will engage more participants (adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities) by promoting the project to, and through, disability and community organisations.

Settlement Services International

• Project: Mothers' Day Celebration - Fathers' Day Celebration
• Funding: $7,000

To celebrate the valuable contribution of Mothers in the society and appreciate their important and impactful role they have in the world on 08/05/2020.

Stepping Out Housing Programme

• Project: Addressing Issues for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse as a Community
• Funding: $6,700

Stepping Out Program are proposing the development of a marketing campaign, targeting women in the Inner West who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, to attend a series of trauma informed forums addressing the unique issues surrounding childhood sexual abuse and the ongoing support offered by the Program.

On My Feet

• Project: Establishment of On My Feet in Sydney’s Inner West
• Funding: $5,970

The aim of this project is to setup a walking and exercise group in the Inner West for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and long-term unemployment to change their outlook so they can make decisions that result in better life outcomes.

Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre

• Project: Pop-up Pantry Grocery Program
• Funding: $5,400

'Pop-up Pantry Grocery Program' will source groceries from Addison Road Food Pantry to distribute for free at Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre's monthly Pop-up Pantry. The availability of the groceries will be promoted through RNC's networks, including the War On Waste Food Alliance.

Danny Ford - auspiced by The Presbyterian Church (New South Wales) Property Trust

• Project: Carers Support Group
• Funding: $5,000

A weekly carers morning tea. Specifically aimed at supporting those in the community caring for those living the dementia, frail/aged or those living with terminal illness. The morning tea is a space to complement a number of services that are beginning in the building for those living with dementia.

Ethnic Community Services Cooperative

• Project: Linking Carers from Vietnamese Backgrounds to Learning and Caring for their Mental Health
• Funding: $3,200

This project aims to build capacity, empower and promote mental health and wellbeing for the carers who care for family members with a disability by linking them to learn new skills and learn how to look after their mental health while caring for family members with a disability.

2018 Community Wellbeing Grants

These projects were implemented throughout 2018-2019.

New South Wales Federation of Community Language Schools

• Project: Nepalese Community Project
• Funding: $7,500

The Nepalese Community Project will employ a Nepalese community worker one day a week to deliver translated health information sessions to the Inner West Nepalese community.

Innari Housing

• Project: Innari Brokerage and Household Establishment Fund
• Funding: $7,500

The Innari Brokerage and Household Establishment Fund will provide Housing clients with household items tailored to their needs. The project supports people to be housed in the Inner West close to networks of friends, family and support services.

Older Women's Network New South Wales

• Project: New Moves Stage 2
• Funding: $7,488

New Moves Stage 2 is a creative health and wellbeing program offering night dance and movement activities to reach diverse groups of women in the Inner West, including older women, refugee women, carers, lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual women.

Olivetree Women's Network

• Project: Linking Women to Learning
• Funding: $6,375

Linking Women to Learning will offer four courses designed to empower marginalised or isolated women, including mothers. Courses include first aid, learner driver knowledge test, power tools and financial literacy.

Stepping Out Housing Programme

• Project: Life Skills for Trauma Survivors
• Funding: $6,375

Life Skills for Trauma Survivors is a group program to address various social and life skills that impede trauma recovery and community connection. Case managers will work to increase positive physical and mental health, wellbeing and connection.

Haberfield Community Singers

• Project: To Polish, Expand and Promote Innovation Within our Musical Repertoire
• Funding: $5,848

The Haberfield Community Singers choral group unites its members through music to develop friendships, performance skills and lifelong learning opportunities.

Asylum Seekers Centre

• Project: Mental Health First Aid Training for People Seeking Asylum
• Funding: $5,739

The Mental Health First Aid Training for People Seeking Asylum is a pilot, two-day preventative health training program to build the capacity of people seeking asylum to identify and support others in the Inner West community who are experiencing mental health issues.

Resourceful Australian Indian Network

• Project: From the Archives of the Mind
• Funding: $4,811

From the Archives of the Mind engages seniors of the Indian Sub-Continent community as storytellers through memory basket workshops. Participants will develop and record stories for compilation into a booklet with photos. The project targets vulnerable, frail-aged seniors to improve social inclusion, connection and mental health outcomes.

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

• Project: South Marrickville Collective Playgroup
• Funding: $4,500

The South Marrickville Collective Playgroup seeks to introduce a 0-6 playgroup for families. This targeted early intervention outreach initiative will foster strong relationships in a culturally and linguistically diverse area, especially for the aboriginal community and young parents.

The Pollys Club

• Project: 55th Birthday - 2019 Mardi Gras Stall and Float
• Funding: $4,463

The Pollys club will host a stall at Fair Day and enter a float in the 2019 Mardi Gras parade to increase support for the Inner West lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual community.

Family Planning NSW

• Project: Sexuality and Intellectual Disability Training
• Funding: $3,828

Family Planning NSW will deliver a free two-day course and forum to build the capacity of disability sector workers, parents and carers to support people with intellectual disability in puberty, social skills, relationships and sexuality.

Participate Australia

• Project: Giving Back to the Community
• Funding: $3,825

Giving Back to the Community aims to empower people with intellectual disability to actively participate in the community through volunteering. They will recruit a group of people with intellectual disability and organise a range of volunteering activities, including visiting seniors' homes, assisting in food banks, dog walking, volunteering for a sports team and gardening.

Off the Wall Enterprise

• Project: Alternatives to Suicide
• Funding: $3,825

Alternatives to Suicide will establish a peer-to-peer support group for Inner West residents who experience suicidal thoughts and psycho-social or psychiatric disability. This is offered in partnership with the NSW Elderly Suicide Prevention Network.

Ethnic Community Services Co-operative

• Project: Fostering Inclusion Through Supporting Carers of People with a Disability
• Funding: $3,300

A carers support group that aims to better inform Vietnamese speaking carers and family members of people with disability about the disability system while increasing their capacity to exercise choice and control in planning and accessing supports.

B Miles Women's Foundation

• Project: Clinical Support Program for Women Recovering From Homelessness and Trauma
• Funding: $3,188

Specialist psychological treatment to women in the Inner West during their transitions from crisis and instability (homelessness) to wellbeing and stability (housing). The project aims to prevent the return to homelessness, unsafe accommodation and unsafe, chaotic lifestyles.

Australian Unemployed Workers' Union

• Project: Draw on Yourself
• Funding: $3,188

The Draw on Yourself project will create a unique opportunity for the stories of the Inner West's unemployed to be heard. Participants will enjoy a creative experience in a caring and supportive space that sees their stories written, illustrated (through a basic arts lesson in drawing) and published.

The Shepherd Centre - For Deaf Children

• Project: Ready-Set-Go: A School Readiness Program for Children who are Deaf
• Funding: $3,188

The Shepherd Centre will provide a school readiness program for children who are deaf or hearing-impaired in the Inner West through a children’s group and a parallel parents’ group. The aim of the program is to successfully transition children into mainstream schooling.

Parkinson's NSW

• Project: Dance for Parkinson's - Grooving and Moving
• Funding: $3,188

Grooving and Moving will provide free, specialised dance classes for the Parkinson’s community, developing new, unique artistic themes connected to the Inner West community while activating a new volunteer network. This project is a movement-based therapeutic intervention.

Plumtree Children's Services

• Project: Reframing Autism
• Funding: $3,188

A program led by Autistic adults to provide information and support to non-Autistic parents of Autistic children. The project blends support groups and practical workshops to help parents shift their focus from causes and cures to embrace their children’s unique gifts.

The Ashfield Probus Club

• Project: A Stimulating Social Environment for the Wellbeing of Senior Retirees
• Funding: $3,188

Ashfield Probus Club programs provide social and intellectual interaction and learning for seniors through the provision of morning teas, outdoor BBQ's, coach outings, luncheons, guest speakers, entertainers and CBD outings and exhibitions.

NSW Chinese Association

• Project: Connect People to Each Other and Live Healthy and Happily
• Funding: $3,188

The NSW Chinese Association are offering seniors dancing, health exercises, lectures and simple English conversational classes to build and strengthen community connection and wellbeing.