Community Initiatives Grant

The projects, to be delivered by June 2026 include: 

• Wildlife Transport Network ($4,500): This project aims to recruit, train, and support community volunteers to safely transport injured and orphaned wildlife from veterinary clinics across the Byron Shire to Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for specialist care.
• Disabled Surfers Association of Australia ($4,000): A new smaller, efficient trailer to hold necessary equipment to support volunteer drivers, who do not have a heavy vehicle license.  The trailer will be used to facilitate events in the Northern Rivers.
• Federal Landcare Group ($1,500): The Camphor Conversion to Rainforest project will undertake more camphor removal/injection and replanting on Crown land in Federal. This area is used by pedestrians exercising, walking their dogs and enjoying the safety of walking in an area that is away from the roads.
• Broken Head hall Safety Lighting Project ($1,030):  This project will address the safety and security of hall users by installing sensor activated lighting to illuminate the onsite carpark and entry to the hall.
• Sprung Dance Theatre ($4,000): Ensemble Theatre Training is a disability-led dance program for deaf and disabled artists in the Northern Rivers.  The program will build skills, confidence, creative expression and network led by local disabled artists.
• The Australian Pro Adaptive Surfing Championships ($4,000): This annual professional tour event is hosted in Byron Bay.  The funds requested will support the purchase of necessary beach matting, with athletes competing across several disciplines including spinal cord injury, neurological impairment, blind and vision impairment, and amputees.
• Byron Bay Community Centre ($4,000): This project will improve safety, accessibility, and functionality in the Byron Community Centre, by installing a handrail along the upper level and stairways, to support seniors, patrons with disability, and the broader public.
• Mullumbimby Community Food Box ($1,000):  Provision of cheap and/or free groceries, fruit and vegetables to vulnerable community members.  Funding is sought to cover the freight costs associated with transporting products from Foodbank (Brisbane).
• Federal Halls New Chairs ($2,500): Purchasing of 120 plastic chairs in need of replacing, to support the Hall operations.  Additional fund raising will also enable the purchase of additional chairs required.
• Broken Head Society Inc ($3,148): A portable defibrillator will be purchased to support the operations of the Broken Head Community Resilience Team, with the only other defibrillator located 10 minutes’ drive away and only accessible during office hours.
• Byron Bay Bridge Club ($1,500): BRIDGE2U, is a community outreach project offering low-cost bridge lessons and games in local rest homes and schools. This project will fosters lifelong learning and intergenerational connection, using bridge to bring people together across all ages and backgrounds.
• Raise the heART ($4,300): STRONG MOB is a four-day Indigenous-led arts and healing gathering, featuring a multi-artist Bundjalung pop-up art exhibition, and the professional theatre show STRONG MOB exploring trauma and recovery, followed by a fire yarnin’ circle.
• Coolamon Community Inc ($2,798): A Byron-based co-designed volunteer program that supports First Nations mums and babies in Coolamon, deepening connection, purpose and pride.
• Coorabell Hall Association ($3,500): A new generator to support Hall and Community Resilience Hub operations during disasters.  Power outages regularly affect core amenities such as the water pump (toilets) and refrigerator(s) that store resident medicines.
• Bangalow Resilience Network ($3,699): The Connecting in Disasters project aims to strengthen emergency communication capacity, by purchasing three high-powered CB radio kits, which will be strategically positioned to extend coverage, enabling messages to be relayed effectively across the network and to emergency responders.
• Federal Community Children’s Centre ($3,500): A biennial Family Fun Day providing an opportunity for children and families to gather together to play, connect and celebrate Federal's vibrant and inclusive community
• Shara Community Gardens ($4,500):  Mullum SEED will auspice this project and upgrade a number of Shara Community Gardens’ aging garden beds, improving the safety, accessibility and usability of the site.
• Ethos Global Foundation ($3,650): The restoring dunes, building community project aims to re-establish the New Brighton Dunecare Group to provide care and education for the new Brighton and South Golden Beach foredune and build on local coastal resilience.
• Mullumbimby Sustainable Education and Enterprise Development ($375): Northern Rivers Communities of Care project will assist in developing greater personal and community resilience in response to past natural disasters, by developing a 'community of care' network across the region, that supports those managing anxiety, stress, depression and mental health.

• Incorporated organisations with an ABN or proof that you are not required to be registered for GST.
• Not-for-profits.
• Indigenous corporations.
• Auspiced groups.

1. What is an incorporated organisation?

An incorporated organisation is a community group that has registered as a legal entity, that is separate from the individual members. You cannot register as an incorporated organisation if you are planning to operate as a business or to provide monetary gains to members.

2. What is an auspice arrangement?

An auspice arrangement is when a larger organisation supports a smaller organisation to apply for a grant if they don’t meet the criteria to apply themselves. For the Community Initiatives grant, the organisation applying needs to be incorporated, if they aren’t, they will need to be auspiced by an organisation that is.

3. Can I apply for the same project several years in a row?

Council has a preference that funding will not continue beyond three years for the same event or project. This allows us to support other emerging and start-up projects.

4. Will late applications be accepted?

Any applications received after the advertised closing date may be deemed ineligible. The online system will not accept applications submitted after the advertised closing date of 16 May 2025. If you have problems submitting your application, you should contact the Community Development team on 02 6626 7000 at least two business days before the deadline to seek assistance.

5. Do I need to finish the application in one go?

No. Applications may be saved, revisited and edited before being submitted.

6. How can I confirm that my application has been submitted?

Once you click submit, you’ll receive a confirmation email. The confirmation email will contain a copy of your application and will be sent to the email you nominated in the application. Please check that you receive the confirmation email and retain it as a record of your application. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your application may not have been successfully submitted or the confirmation email may have ended up in your email junk folder.

7. We don’t have an ABN - what should we do?

If your organisation does not have an ABN, you will need to complete a Statement by a Supplier form and upload it with your application.

8. What should I include in my budget?

Your budget should:

Be GST exclusive
Include a breakdown of expected income, including any in-kind contributions or other funding sources. Include a breakdown of expected expenditure, including specifying which items you intend to purchase with Byron Shire Council grant funds.
Balance. Please note, total income must equal total expenditure.

9. What documents should I include with my application? 

You must provide:

• Evidence of not-for-profit status
• Project budget using Council’s template.  

10. Can I include other documents?

Yes. You may also attach other relevant documents if you wish, for example letters of support from the community, your organisation's annual reports or evidence of public liability insurance. 

11. What happens after applications close?

Applications are reviewed for general eligibility and then are assessed by a panel.

Applicants will be formally notified of the outcome of their application after the 28 August 2025 Council Meeting. It is an applicant’s responsibility to ensure all contact details are up to date.

12. What Council acknowledgement is required for my project?

All recipients of funding are required to acknowledge Byron Shire Council’s contribution of financial support. As part of your funding agreement organisations agree to acknowledge the Council’s support in material published in connection with your project. A copy of Council’s logo will be provided to successful applicants.

Please contact the Community Development team on 02 6626 7000 or email communityservices@byron.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions.

• Bringing people and community organisations together.
• Celebrating a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community.
• Improving community health and social wellbeing.
• Helping people to develop the skills and confidence to contribute to community life.
• Enhancing places where communities gather.
• Increasing access and inclusion for people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.