Local Community Grants

Local Community Grant applications are now closed.

Applications will be reviewed and all applicants will receive notification on if their application was successful by June 14th 2024.

The SF Local Community Grant Program has been running since 2015 and is designed to give back to the Tocumwal community that hosts the festival each year. Funds from the grant pool are sourced from a portion of every Strawberry Fields ticket sold. There is a now a $40,000 grant pool available following our successful 2023 edition. Grants are awarded depending on the number of Berrigan Shire residents who will benefit from the initiative, the level of community support and the overall quality of the application.

Previous winners of the grants include Tocumwal Public School, Biralee Pre School, Berrigan Football Club, Cancer Patients' Assistance Society (Can Assist) and more. If you have a project/group that could use a bit of extra financial support, make sure to get your application in early. Please note due to the large volume of applications only successful applicants will be contacted. Please do not email us or contact us via social media or email to apply.

PREVIOUS STRAWBERRY FIELDS GRANT WINNER EXAMPLES

Tocumwal Angling Club - $5,000

Grant funds will be used to purchase fish - Murray cod and Golden Perch for release into the Murray River in the Berrigan Shire. NSW Fisheries will match each dollar invested via the grant. The follow on from this is a huge spike in the Berrigan shire business's income as a direct result of fishing.

CanASSIST Finley - $5,000

Cancer Patience Assistance Society's Finley branch has been operating in the Berrigan Shire since 2018 and is entirely operated by volunteers, who raise funds to support local cancer patients in the region. Grant funds enabled the branch to provide $500 in financial assistance for up to ten clients and their families. This $500 could support a growing list of branch clients with support such as petrol vouchers to enable patients to travel the 100 plus kilometre distance to the nearest treatment centre in Albury. The grant funding could also pay for accommodation during treatment periods, to pay a client’s pharmacy account, or to pay for special food substitutes for throat cancer clients.

MHA Foodshare - $3,000

The Moira Foodshare program supports farmers, single parent families, people who are out of work or individuals and families who are finding the going tough from time to time, within the local communities and surrounding rural areas. Grant funds were used to fund facilities and transport of food for needing relief from drought.

Berrigan Football Club - $2,650

The BFC is a community volunteer-run organisation which provides sporting opportunities for all ages. As the social hub of the Berrigan community for young and old alike, our aim is to engage people in physical fitness, socialisation, and opportunities for personal growth. Grant funds were used to purchase new goal post pads for the home football ground of BFC in time for the local league grand final on September 14th 2019.

Berrigan Public School - $2,000

Grant funds will be used to contribute to the Student Wellbeing Officer role at Berrigan Public School. The Student Wellbeing Officer is a critical part of ensuring our young people achieve improved life outcomes and grow into informed citizens who make positive contributions to their communities. The Student Wellbeing Officer initiates projects such as Amaroo and student partnerships, DrumBeat, Rock and Water, resilience programs, breakfast programs etc to build positive, trusting relationships in order to build more kind and caring people.

Berrigan Local Health Advisory Committee - $1,270

The Local Health Advisory Committee (LHAC) is a group of volunteers who advocating for medical services and issues within our town for the residents. Grant funds were used to to produce a permanent information document for all citizens in the Berrigan shire, printed with details of services available to residents and and how to access them. For example someone experiencing a mental health episode can call ACCESSLINE to get help.

Finley Tai Chi - $800

Grant funds have enabled the purchase of a hands free microphone and amplifier. Many of the people attending Tai Chi are seniors and some of them find it hard to hear the instructions. The 40 weekly class participants from the Berrigan Shire who are already attending and those who join in the future will benefit from this equipment.