RDA Fitzroy and Central West success in grant writing workshop

Published: 25th September 2012

RDA Fitzroy and Central West (Queensland) recently held a grant writing workshop in Rockhampton. The workshop was funded by the Better Futures, Local Solutions program that is managed by the Australian Government Department of Human Services.

The Better Futures, Local Solutions program is a new initiative that has a placed-based approach to addressing disadvantaged people. The program supports economic and social participation at a local level.

The initiative supports local communities to identify barriers of employment, strengthen local labour markets and help people to find and keep jobs.

Local advisory groups have been appointed in ten priority locations to work with the Australian, State, Territory and local Governments, the business and community sector to implement the initiative.

RDA Fitzroy and Central West applied for funding through the Better Futures, Local Solutions program to conduct the grant writing workshop. After receiving the funding, Rees Banks, the Executive Officer of RDA Fitzroy and Central West and Karen Gerard from the Smith Family taught the workshop.

Over 40 community leaders from Rockhampton, Biloela, Gladstone and Blackwater attended the workshop. The participants were from not-for-profit organisations and were taught how to prepare and write funding submissions. Many of the workshop participants were from Indigenous organisations, local state schools and regional charity groups.

RDA Fitzroy and Central West designed and created a project summary expression of interest template for the workshop attendees to use. The template assisted the workshop participants in understanding the requirements community groups need in preparing a grant.

Attendees were able to download the template from the RDA Fitzroy and Central West website to aid their development in planning and organising future funding submissions. Participants at the grant writing workshop were also directed to the myregion.gov.au GrantsLINK website which has a list of all the grants available when searching for government funding opportunities.

Due to the success of the workshop, RDA Fitzroy and Central West plan to hold a future grant writing workshop later in 2012.

For more information about the Better Futures, Local Solutions program, visit the Department of Human Services website.

For more information about GrantsLINK visit the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government Arts and Sport myregion website.

For more information, visit the RDA Fitzroy and Central West website.

(Pictured above) Rees Banks Executive Officer RDA Fitzroy and Central West and Karen Gerrard Community Action Leader who were the tutors of the Better Futures, Local Solutions grant writing workshop held in Rockhampton.