Big boost for volunteer groups

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

Projects encouraging volunteers from diverse communities across the state will receive a boost thanks to $500,000 in grants announced by the NSW Government today.

Minister responsible for Volunteering Jodie Harrison said 23 projects will each receive up to $25,000 through the inaugural Volunteering Diversity and Inclusion Grants program.

“Whether they are on the sports field, in the foodbank, patrolling the beach or deploying to an emergency, volunteers are the heartbeat of every community,” Ms Harrison said.

“NSW is the best place to live and work in the world, and this is thanks to the selfless efforts of almost five million volunteers who contribute more than 1.5 billion hours of their time each year. Volunteers come from all walks of life and bring a range of skills and experience and this grants program aims to tap into that.”

Among the successful projects are programs to empower young women, activities supporting refugees and an initiative to engage multicultural communities with assistance dog training.

Assistance Dogs Australia CEO Dr Matthew Miles said volunteering provides individuals of all ages valuable opportunities to give back.

“Service to the community is a vital part of many cultures and our Paws for Diversity project aims to break down barriers faced by people from different backgrounds and help get more volunteers involved with supporting the journey of an assistance dog,” Dr Miles said.

The Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate said volunteering has so many benefits for communities and individuals, helping people connect and boosting health and wellbeing.

“These sorts of targeted grants programs will help build the skills and capabilities of volunteer managers and Volunteer Involving Organisations to recruit, retain, recognise and better support volunteers from multicultural and diverse communities,” Ms Rygate said.

“Volunteering is for everyone and that is why building awareness of the importance of inclusion and diversity is so vital. The Centre for Volunteering welcomes the Government's support for volunteering offered through this grants program.”

The Volunteering Diversity and Inclusion Grants program is a pilot initiative under the NSW Volunteering Strategy 2020-30.

For more information on the Program and details about each funded project, visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/volunteering-diversity-and-inclusion-grants-program.