Greater Shepparton Foundation’s annual ‘Margaret Attwood Grant Round’ opens Monday, March 3 at 9am, offering grants of up to $10,000 to local community organisations for place-based projects.
The Margaret Attwood Grant Round is community strengthening, it seeks to support small grass roots projects that deliver big impact for our community! The key focus areas where support will be considered include: Parenting and Early Education, Social Inclusion, Housing, Safe Families, Employment, Economic Engagement, Aging well and the Cost of Living Crisis.
Over the past nine years Greater Shepparton Foundation, and its predecessor organisation Goulburn Valley Community Fund, has opened grant rounds annually to fund community projects that align with its vision for inclusive, interconnected communities where everybody has equal opportunity to participate.
Greater Shepparton Foundation Executive Officer Amanda McCulloch said, “During this time, with the incredible support of community, we have been able to distribute more than $1 million in funds to community organisations across the Greater Shepparton. Supporting projects in the sectors of arts and culture, education, training and employment, equipment and infrastructure and social and community wellbeing.”
Last year the grant round supported five projects. One of the successful applicants was Horses For Hope, who utilised the funds to undertake upgrades required to create a welcoming and warm accessible therapy space for its Equine-Assisted therapy that brings humans and horses together in a healing environment. Horses for Hope representative said “This additional counselling/meeting space has allowed us to expand our services and offer more sessions. It’s a huge milestone, and we couldn’t have done it without the incredible support.”
Another successful applicant, the Crazy Ideas College, used the funds to conduct the Shepparton Social Innovators program. This program saw young people supported to voice their ideas, uncover great ideas for our community and to feel confident about making their mark on the world. 40 students were involved, 4 workshops delivered, 9 ideas developed, 12+ community partners provided support and 2+ ideas were brought to life.
In the spirit of Margaret Attwood’s generous contributions to the Shepparton community, Greater Shepparton Foundation is honoured to provide this annual grant round in her name.
The Margaret Attwood Grant Round is a tribute to Margaret May Attwood – a legacy that may have been lost to time, but now her name will forever sit alongside the great philanthropists that have supported the Shepparton community.
Margaret May Attwood was a generous, humble, community-minded lady, a pioneer of philanthropic giving in the Greater Shepparton community. She understood the value of collective giving to build local capacity and support those in greatest need. You can read more about Margaret Attwood on the GSF website.
Online applications will close at 5pm on Monday, March 31, 2025.
If you are a local organisation, looking to provide a place-based solution to meet community need, you are encouraged to read the grant guidelines to determine if you are eligible to apply.
Grant guidelines can be found here. Alternatively, should you wish to discuss your project please email info@greatershepparton.foundation
Successful applicants will be announced in May, and funds available to successful applicants prior to the end of the financial year. Funds received must be expended and acquitted by June 30, 2026.
Applications will be reviewed by an independent grant assessment committee who will put forward their recommendations for funding to the Greater Shepparton Foundation board.
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