2022 Community Grants

The grant will support a collaboration between the Centre and artist Karla Hayes, whereby two Great Southern Reef inspired urban murals – one in Wollongong and another in Port Kembla – will be created to raise awareness about sustainability and local coastal environments. 

The grant will be used to deliver social and health benefits by converting a shipping container into a fit-for-purpose bicycle storage area to encourage students, parents and community members to ride or scooter to school.

The grant will be used to upgrade areas of the Centre and purchase new furnishings to ultimately support the team’s important work helping domestic violence victim-survivors recover from the trauma of abuse. 

The grant will be used to run ‘Back on Your Feet’ workshops that help women enter the workforce. The workshops include support with resume writing, interview training, styling services, and the provision of free clothing and other resources. 

The grant will be used to build a sensory playground and yarning circle for the school and local community to enjoy.

The grant will support local wildlife through the construction of a vegetated floating island in Sir Joseph Banks Park to support black swans, turtles, and other water birds. The project is a collaboration between the Shed, Bayside Council, the University of Western Sydney and WIRES.

The grant will allow the organisation to purchase more frame runners in order to provide a unique community sporting service for children with a disability in Wollongong and the Illawarra. 

The grant will support a careers’ week and expo initiative for local students to help them create future career plans with the assistance of a Careers Adviser. 

The grant will be used to install ‘vege pods’ to expand the school’s thriving outdoor garden program. The pods, an Australian invention, are netted self-watering raised wicker garden beds that students and community user groups can use to grow produce.

The grant will be used for new goal post pads to ensure safe community sport at Snape Park.

The grant will be used to create a youth support space for culturally and linguistically diverse children in the Illawarra, in which they will also have access to the organisation’s counsellors, support workers and youth support leaders.

The grant will be used to purchase a barbecue and marquee to support community events and school fundraising activities.

The grant will help fund an upgrade of the cricket facilities at Booralee Park in Port Botany to help the Club provide a fun, encouraging and social cricketing experience for girls and boys aged 6-16, and offer the local community a focal point for cricket loving children and their families to enjoy the game and build social connections. 

The grant will support The Ngala Nanga Mai pARenT Group program, which involves weekly art workshops at the La Perouse Aboriginal Community Health Centre. Through art making, the arts and health program empowers young Aboriginal mothers to grow their sense of engagement and community, with a focus on improving maternal emotional and mental wellbeing.

The grant will be used to create a yarning circle, garden and Indigenous murals for the whole community. There will be interpretive signage to help identify plants and their usage, as well as QR codes linking to educational audio and video materials created by the students and the local community.