Successful multicultural grants
Council's Wellbeing and Resilience for Multicultural Communities grants provide financial support for community groups and organisations to plan and deliver celebrations of national cultures or national days of cultural significance to local communities across the Inner West. Formats vary but may include an official component, music, dancing and entertainment activities, recognition of community or individual achievements and culturally significant refreshments.
2024 Multicultural Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2024-25.
CASS Care
- Project: Lunar Festival for multicultural seniors
- Funding: $5,000
Older adults from multicultural Inner West Council local government area will be invited to the Lunar New Year Festival on Lunar New Year, 25 January 2025 at Ashfield Town Hall. Lunar New Year is a time of celebration and family for many Australians. This festival will provide the opportunity to mark the special day through various cultural performances.
Special Children Services Centre
- Project: Cultural Enrichment Program for special children
- Funding: $5,000
The project aims to provide culturally diverse activities, including lion dance workshops, to benefit special children from multicultural backgrounds. Through engaging workshops and cultural experiences, the group aims to promote social inclusion, physical activity, and mental wellbeing among participants.
Worship Queer Collective
- Project: Queer Indian/South Asian performance night and Queer Lunar New Year Festival
- Funding: $5,000
Queer Indian/South Asian performance night and Queer Lunar New Year Festival are inclusive multi-artform performance, music and food events based on significant cultural celebrations. The events will platform LGBTQI+ / Asian artists and curated to share culture and important values in an accessible format.
Ethnic Women's Craft Group
- Project: Building Connections, Sharing our Skills
- Funding: $3,530
The group will invite four multicultural social groups to our group at the School of Arts Building in Leichhardt to encourage connections between older multicultural women in the Inner West. The group's members have seen how important it is for people to make connections as it can often be socially isolating for those coming from a culturally diverse background.
2023 Multicultural Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2023-24.
Asylum Seekers Centre
- Project: Warm Food and Warm Welcome for people seeking asylum in our community.
- Funding: $5,000
This funding will provide healthy meals, cooked with love by volunteers or sourced from local businesses, offered to everyone visiting the Asylum Seekers Centre for appointments with caseworkers, nurses/GPs, employment team, social groups, English classes, and anyone seeking asylum who needs a meal and a safe place to be.
Ekushe Academy Australia Inc
- Project: International Mother Language Day Book Fair and Cultural Program
- Funding: $5,000
An event that will feature cultural performances, book fair, and food stalls showcasing the Australian-Bangladeshi culture and languages.
Worship Queer Collective auspiced by The Red Rattler Theatre
- Project: Two projects: 1. Diwali: Drag & Dine Cabaret and 2. Queer Lunar New Year: Year of the Dragon
- Funding: $5,000
Diwali: Drag & Dine Cabaret and Queer Lunar New Year: year of the Dragon are inclusive multi-artform cabaret, live music and food events based on significant cultural celebrations.
Edmund Rice Community Services Limited
- Project: Empowering Refugees through Legal Awareness
- Funding: $4,300
These workshops will provide essential information and tools to help refugees navigate the legal system and understand their rights and responsibilities.
2022 Resilience for Multicultural Communities Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2022-2023.
Asylum Seekers Centre
- Project: The Sewing Project for women seeking asylum in Australia
- Funding: $5,000
The weekly sewing group is a chance for women to come and learn basic sewing skills and in a fun, friendly and supportive environment. The sewing group is a warm and safe space to practice English, learn new skills, share knowledge with others and develop self confidence and resilience.
CASS Care Ltd
- Project: Intergenerational Parents' Day for multicultural communities
- Funding: $5,000
Parents and children from multicultural Inner West will be invited to "Intergenerational Parents Day" on Saturday, 6 May 2023. It will be held in Ashfield Town Hall with 'seniors got talent' competition, children's music, and dance performances, to celebrate Parents' Day and promote social inclusion
for interaction between generations.
Dyan Tai auspiced by The Red Rattler Theatre
- Project: Two projects: 1. Space Rabbit: Queer Lunar New Year Festival and 2. Hungry Queer Ghost Festival
- Funding: $5,000
Space Rabbit: Queer LNY Festival and Hungry Queer Ghost are inclusive multi-artform cabaret and food events with an LGBTQI+/Asian cast; and performances curated to share culture and important values in a light-hearted, accessible format.
Giuseppina Romeo auspiced by Italian Catholic Federation
- Project: Keeping Older Ethnic Women Connected
- Funding: $4,094
The project is to re-connect senior women together after the past three years of not meeting up, involving a senior's week day trip to Canberra to visit the art gallery, Mint, Parliament House and museum. And also hold a Christmas celebration for the group in December.
Lidia Luna auspiced by NSW Spanish & Latin American Association for Social Assistance
- Project: Rhythms, Colours, Flavours of Latin America
- Funding: $5,000
Rhythms, Colours, Flavours of Latin America is a one-day event set to showcase the rich heritage and culture of Latin America in a celebration of music, dance, food and activities for children.
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of New South Wales Incorporated
- Project: Be a Diverse First Aider
- Funding: $5,000
Modified delivery of Red Cross Streetwise first aid course for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people with disability living in the Inner West LGA. The aim of the initiative is to reduce barriers to engagement by ensuring the course delivery is accessible and inclusive.
2021 Community-Led Celebration Day (Multicultural) Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2021-2022.
Dyan Tai auspiced under The Red Rattler Theatre
- Project : Two projects: 1. Tiger Queen 2. Hungry Ghost Cabaret
- Funding: $5,000
Tiger Queen and Hungry Ghost Cabaret are inclusive drag and dine style cabaret events featuring an LGBTQI+ Asian cast; with performances curated to share traditional customs in a light-hearted way. The events will celebrate the 2021 Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) and Hungry Ghost Festival (August 2022).
Ethnic Community Services Cooperative
- Project: Everybody Belongs - Harmony Week 2022
- Funding: $5,000
The Harmony Week 2022 event would be a free, inclusive event for the whole community. Currently, people are isolated, or confined to small social bubbles. This is an opportunity for all segments of community to come together and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the Inner West.
Greek Atlas League Incorporated
- Project: Celebrations for the OXI day (28/10/1940) and tribute to Mikis Theodorakis life
- Funding: $5,000
This project will pay tribute to the life and music of Mikis Thedorakis and the celebration of the Greek OXI day 28 October 1940.
Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales Ltd
- Project: Greek Fest Inner West
- Funding: $5,000
The long-running Greek Festival of Sydney at Darling Harbour comes back to its Inner West roots for one day. A fair day with live music, dance performances and Greek food delivered at the Addi Road park, celebrating the area's rich Greek roots.
Indonesian Welfare Association Incorporation
- Project: 2022 Autumn Fun & Celebration Day; 2022 Spring Fun & Batik Day
- Funding: $5,000
The Indonesian Welfare Association is hosting Autumn & Spring Celebrations in the Ashfield Town Hall. There will be Line Dancing, Singing/Karaoke and delicious (cultural) food for older people over 55 years of age and from multicultural communities to enhance enjoyment, social connections and physical activities.
Portuguese Welfare Council
- Project: National Portugal Day 2022
- Funding: $5,000
This project is to celebrate Portugal Day, which is celebrated annually on the 10 June, and will showcase the Portuguese community of the Inner West including dance, food, music and art.
2020 Community-Led Celebration Day (Multicultural) Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2020-2021.
Gladys Namokoyi, auspiced by The Red Rattler Theatre
- Project: Inner West Africa: Connecting Community
- Funding Received: $5,000
A cultural and musical celebration shared by the African Australian Community of the Inner West. It is an opportunity to build community bonds and connections via the universal bonds of music, dance, storytelling and creative expression.
Indonesian Community Council Inc NSW
- Project: IndoKids Festival 2021
- Funding Received: $5,000
IndoKids Fest 2021 is a day festival live streaming the talents and traditions of the next generation of diverse Indonesian community. The festival day will include dance performances, poetry and music from children who identify as Indonesian or have Indonesian heritage as a celebration of culture.
Liz Deep-Jones auspiced by Addison Rd Centre for the Arts, Culture, Community & Environment
- Project: Inner West Anti-Racism Campaign - Racism NOT Welcome-Walk In My Shoes exhibition
- Funding Received: $5,000
This multi-media art exhibition aims to stamp out racism. It’ll share the stories of residents from the Inner West from varied cultural backgrounds, religion and vocations. The show will reflect our multicultural society, portraying the heart and soul of communities, brought together in pursuit of the Australian dream.
NSW Spanish Association of Social Assistance
- Project: Rhythms, Colours, Flavours of Perus
- Funding Received: $5,000
Rhythms, Colours, Flavours of Peru is a one day event set to showcase the rich heritage and culture of Peru in a celebration of music, dance, food, photography and activities for children.
Plumtree Children's Services Inc
- Project: Family Celebration in the Park - Plumtree celebrates 20 years at Jarvie Park
- Funding Received: $3,530
In July 2001 Plumtree moved from Summer Hill to Jarvie Park, Marrickville. Every year (except 2020) Plumtree has held an end of year party, celebrating the diverse community, and would like to mark this 20-year achievement with a party, that allows social distancing, in Jarvie Park.
2019 Community-Led Celebration Day (Multicultural) Grants
These projects are being implemented throughout 2019-2020.
Gladys Namokoyi, auspiced by The Red Rattler Theatre
- Project: UHAMBO A journey to Africa
- Funding Received: $5,000
UHAMBO, A Journey to Africa presented by Thuba Ndibali. A collaboration with the Dancey Dance Time group for the screening of a short film directed by Thuba Ndibali followed by a talk and cultural exchange about the Ndebele Tribe of Zimbabwe and multicultural dance showcase.
Inner West Vietnamese Community Language School
- Project: Parents and Children Festival for all Community Language Schools in Inner West
- Funding Received: $5,000
We, Inner West Vietnamese Community Language School would like some help for funding to open the Moon Festival Event end of term 3/2019 (Saturday 21/09/2019). For others Community Language Schools involve to celebrate all in one living in Australia.
Ethnic Community Services Cooperative
- Project: Celebrating Portuguese Day
- Funding Received: $5,000
The Portuguese Day will showcase a sense of senior Portuguese community contributing to Inner West Council’s cultural and linguistic diversity. On the day, participants will attend in their traditional costumes and participate in music, dances and share lunch. Some of the participants will exhibit artefacts representing their stories and heritage.
Heart Dancers
- Project: Sounds of Latin America
- Funding Received: $5,000
The project consists in to develop a free live music show at the Addison Road Community Centre commemorating the indigenous cultures from Latin America before the arrival of the Spanish crown.
Addison Road Community Centre
- Project: Cultures, Community and Childcare - Celebrating the Addi Road Childcare Centre and its Multicultural History
- Funding Received: $5,000
Opened by Bob Hawke in 1988, the childcare centre at Addison Road Community Centre has provided the CALD community of Marrickville and beyond with support, recognition and social connection for more than 30 years! This special day brings together families, educators, community workers and neighbours to celebrate multiculturalism in action.
Metro Assist
- Project: Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese Moon Festival)
- Funding Received: $4,995
Mid-Autumn festival is a community-led festival with the aim of developing social capital through promoting social interaction, relationship building and social networks. The community friendly event will deliver variety of fun activities that will include lantern and kite making workshops with lion and dragon dancing promoting positive Chinese culture.
Stepping Out Housing Programme
- Project: Celebrating Child Sexual Assault (CSA) Survivors Cultural Food
- Funding Received: $4,500
Arrange a series of multicultural lunches celebrating the diverse group of CSA survivors who attend the Stepping Out social Inclusion Group every Friday. Each different culture representative will have an opportunity to represent their traditional foods and music. Stepping Out will provide all financial and organisational support to ensure success.
Chinese Australian Services Society
- Project: Inner West Chinese Culture Day 2019
- Funding Received: $4,300
A year end celebration and exhibition of Chinese paintings will be held in Ashfield to celebrate the end of 2019. Year end is traditionally a time for celebration. People will show their joy in singing and dancing. This project will provide an opportunity to celebrate and to showcase Chinese culture.
Ashfield Seniors Eden
- Project: Celebration Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
- Funding Received: $2,500
To share the history of the Chinese mid autumn festival which has been celebrated for over 2000 years in Asia yearly at harvest time on the night of the full moon. We'll eat moon cake, coffee and tea. We'll showcase the history with visuals, performances, singing, dancing, recitals and music.
Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Child Care Centre
- Project: Celebrating 40 years Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Child Care Centre 1979-2019
- Funding Received: $2,500
The 40-year celebration will be an opportunity to celebrate the low cost, culturally/linguistically relevant quality child care provided to low income families by the centre ensuring equity of access to children from disadvantaged backgrounds and part of a fundraiser for all families in the area on Sunday, 4 August 2019.