Council's grants and partnership funding for community groups will be increased to $4.5 million, to include an additional $1.5 million to support community groups impacted by COVID-19.
These funds, announced today (June 25) as part of council's 2020-2021 budget, will assist Sunshine Coast community organisations to be better placed to meet changing community needs while moving through pandemic and into strong recovery.
The additional funding will enable targeted support for clubs responsible for maintaining sports fields, organisations providing essential community facilities and groups which give our community buckets of benefit.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said supporting community groups was a key component of the council's COVID-19 recovery plan.
"Our expanded community grants budget builds on the recent $360,000 in emergency response grants we announced in May for our community groups and will provide a further boost for these groups to undertake additional projects as they seek to get back on their feet during the recovery phase," Mayor Jamieson said.
"This significant funding will enable council to partner and support not-for-profit groups to help our community come through the challenges of COVID-19 and thrive once more.
"Our community organisations are critical to keeping our community safe, healthy and resilient and many of these organisations are struggling with the disruption to daily life which the COVID-19 pandemic and associated national public health directions have caused.
"We know our community organisations are doing it tough and we want to assure all the volunteers and officials who make these organisations work, that our council stands by them."
