Get together with your neighbours, community group or other businesses in your area and brainstorm ideas for local projects, such as a community verge garden, community event or activity or even a street library. Once you have an idea, come along to our community workshops for more information, inspiration, to share ideas or for some technical assistance.

No. Each not for profit group can only submit one application to ensure that they can deliver the project in the required timeframe should the community voting select their project. However, there is nothing stopping you from approaching other not for profit groups with your ideas to submit an application with your alternative projects.

For example: If a community group (local residents in a street), has an idea to do a community garden, a playstreet and one for a portable library in the local parks. They would need to have three (3) separate community groups submit applications on their behalf for the community to vote on.

Easy, just start small! Break the project into steps and set your targets for half or a quarter of whatever your ideal might be. Then apply for funds accordingly. You’ll be amazed at what can happen once you get started. People show up out of nowhere to help. Someone will have exactly what you need lying unused in their garage and they’ll be delighted to give it to you. You may be surprised and generate so much momentum in the planning of the idea that you won’t even need community funding at all!

We sure can. Just visit the Our Place Our Wellbeing guidelines for ideas of projects that could be funded.

You can also contact us anytime to discuss any ideas you might have.

You will need to complete an application form through our Smarty Grants portal which will be available when submissions open. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated and is very easy. Basically we just ask for brief description of the project, a photo and a simple budget plus some info on your organisation. The description is your sales pitch and is what the people will see when they vote, so it is important to get it right.

All submissions will undergo an initial eligibility check against Council’s Community Investment Policy, Corporate Standard and the Funding Guideline, using the information provided in the application. If the project is determined to be safe, legal and in the spirit of the Our Place Our Wellbeing funding it will proceed to the public voting stage.

If we need to contact you for more information or clarity, we will do this prior to the project going up for the community vote.

Voting on successful project proposals is open to all residents of the Gladstone Regional Council local government area for a period as advertised on the Council website. It will be one vote per email address. We encourage young people to vote too! So get the whole family involved. Due to ‘Fundit’ being an online tool, we do not have any ‘paper voting slips’ but one of our friendly Libraries would be more than happy to help you access the site so you can still vote.

• You will be Notified in writing. This notification may take the form of a formal letter or, at the discretion of the Manager of Engagement and Partnerships, successful applicants may be requested to enter into a formal Sponsorship Agreement that detailing the entitlements and conditions.
• You have 3 months to start the project once the agreement is entered into.
• The voting results will also be published on ‘The Conversations Platform’.

The voting results will be published on ‘The Conversations Platform’.

Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified in writing. If your group is still keen to pursue the project, contact us and we can provide information about other funding sources and opportunities.

The real goal of Our Place Our Wellbeing is building stronger communities by bringing people together to build better neighbourhoods. The budget is set and Council cannot grant money into every projects that needs help. Council recommends having a good budget that allows for small variances and ensuring good financial management processes are followed. We can also offer advice.

It’s good to think about it this way - “What can we do to make the idea work? Are there some local businesses that can help? What about we hold our own small fundraising event? Are there ways we can obtain our supplies cheaper?” You’ll be amazed at how effective these simple questions are.

We can sometimes offer limited technical advice but it’s far better if you think of ways to use (or expand) your own networks to solve the problem.

Let’s say you’re having trouble with your community garden. Maybe there’s someone else nearby who’s worked in a community project like yours before? Could you approach the local Men’s Shed or a nearby carpenter for offcuts to use as stakes? Is there an internet forum you could join? Maybe you could ask someone at the local nursery about how to get rid of cabbage moths? Questions like that will win the day for your garden and they’ll build the long lasting, deep rooted connections that make a community strong.

We also strongly suggest you factor in a 5 year maintenance budget in your application. Say your street library needs re-varnishing every 6 months, or your community garden needs re-mulching and re-planting, allow for this over a 5 year period.

Easy, just give back what is left, and we will put it in the pool for the next round of the Community Led Investment Fund so more people in the community can benefit.

Groups have 3 months to finish their projects. We know you are all volunteers and have busy lives so if you are finding it challenging to make sure your project is finished in time just call the Community Investment Officer to talk about your options. We can always work it out.

What would happen if the garden or street library was in your yard? You’d make a decision about whether to replant the garden or repair the bookhouse. You’d find your own funds and you’d press on. If you decided not to go ahead you’d simply pull out the dead plants or pull down bookhouse so it was safe. You wouldn’t call the Council!

Maybe the setback is just the challenge you need to bring your community together? Ask yourselves questions like: “How can we turn this around? How can we use this incident?” You will be amazed at what can happen when people come together to face challenges. In these situations, a group can be just as proud of their resilience as they are of their finished project.