As the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic continue, Hydro Tasmania is following its annual Community Grant Program with the launch of a new series of COVID-19 Community Grants.

Firstly, as part of its largest Community Grant Program funding round yet, Hydro Tasmania is providing up to $5000 to 11 recipients, all of them either small community or volunteer groups and not-for-profit organisations that are active throughout the state.

Secondly, applications are now invited for COVID-19 Community Grants of up to $10,000 for community groups who are dealing with the ongoing impacts of the current pandemic.

Hydro Tasmania CEO Steve Davy said the business is here to make life better for every Tasmanian.

“Our clean energy powers the economy and with projects like Battery of the Nation we’re building the state’s future prosperity, but we also want to make direct contributions to the community that will really make an immediate difference,” Mr Davy said.

“Whether it’s helping the most disadvantaged among us or just putting a smile on someone’s face, Hydro Tasmania is proud to support the people who support their fellow Tasmanians.

“When we launched the fourth year of our Community Grant Program obviously none of us could have predicted what 2020 would be like, so we’re announcing this new one-off round of COVID-19 Community Grants to provide additional support.”

“Our wish is that both our annual Community Grant Program and the new COVID-19 Community Grants will help to keep Tasmanians not only safe, but united with a sense of hope for their future,” Mr Davy said.

The 11 recipients and projects in the 2020 Hydro Tasmania Community Grants are as follows.

1. The Ulverstone Surf Life Saving Club has been a part of this coastal community for nearly 100 years, with volunteers providing beach patrols, youth development programs, emergency search and rescue, medical services, and much more. They will now be able to purchase a life-saving defibrillator and a first aid training mannequin.
2. The Sheffield School Association will establish a working garden for Prep – Year 6 classes at the Sheffield School, giving students a greater appreciation of farm-to-plate food production, along with the opportunity to learn about sustainability. Produce from the new garden will be sold at Sheffield School’s annual fair.
3. Teach for Australia is breaking the cycle of educational inequity, with training, mentoring and coaching for teachers and leaders in schools where students face a range of social challenges. Through this funding, 20 Tasmanians will join their Leadership Development Program, equipping them with the skills to enhance the engagement of students who need it the most.
4. There are few organisations more relied on by the community than the State Emergency Service (SES) and one grant will support the volunteers of the Derwent Valley SES. Updating their equipment and facilities will enable them to retain more members and to respond more effectively when they’re needed most.
5. Dress for Success is about empowering disadvantaged women to achieve economic independence, providing not only professional attire, but also training and confidence building for interviews, help with preparing CVs and skill development. These will be provided through a series of online workshops during 2020.
6. The sport of wood chopping will get a boost from the Southern Tasmanian Axemen’s Association, who will deliver a full-program wood chopping carnival at the Derwent Valley Autumn Festival in 2021, including at least one state championship title. The spectacle will be sure to draw competitors and spectators from across the state.
7. Funding for the Kentish Regional Clinic will provide free suicide prevention training in schools, using the Tasmanian-developed Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) program. Their focus is on students aged 15-17 years, for whom suicide is a leading cause of death, together with their teachers, parents and carers, and those who work with youth.
8. For 30 years, the North West Woodcraft Guild has been sharing a love of woodcraft with beginners and artisans alike, letting people learn and create in a friendly space, and even building toys for charity. The guild is moving to new premises in Ulverstone’s Cultural Precinct Building and will buy new tools, which will be used to build workbenches for their new workshop.
9. New equipment and training for the award-winning radio show, Now That’s What I Call Science which is syndicated nationally from Hobart’s Edge Radio. The show has a special focus on creating engaging youth and women in STEM subjects and the grant will enable them to continue their expansion to a national audience.
10. The Waverley School Association will build a new greenhouse for their community garden on the grounds of the Waverley Primary School. The garden already provides healthy, accessible and cost-effective food for the local community, and a shared community space for all age groups. A new greenhouse will produce seedlings and keep the garden active during the winter months.
11. Creative approaches to managing waste will be promoted by the Resource Work Cooperative, which operates the beloved South Hobart Tip Shop. Their education centre will develop materials on the benefits of recycling and minimising waste, along with workshops and tours that will explore practical ‘upcycling’, creative re-use and even turning trash into art.

Applications for Hydro Tasmania’s new COVID-19 Community Grants are open from 25 May and will close on 5 June. More information and application forms are available from: hydro.com.au/community-grants.