August 2024 Community Grants announced

The Sisters of Charity Foundation provides grants to small community organisations that help break down social isolation and alleviate the impact of poverty on individuals and families.

Applications for the August grant round opened on 5 August and closed 30 August 2024. In total 159 applications were submitted. Of these, 83 organisations were selected to receive grant funding.

A snapshot of the projects

The Social Outfit is a fashion label that helps kick-start the Australian careers of refugee women. It offers free community sewing classes, paid retail traineeships, and sewing employment. Additional support includes on-the-job training, mentoring and help with career goal-setting. The social enterprise will use its grant to help run its Community Sewing Program.

“The key focus is for the women to build connections in Sydney and eradicate isolation and loneliness,” says Beverley from The Social Outfit. “We hear from many of our trainees that attending our sewing classes was the first time they ventured outside their neighbourhood, the first time they had spoken to someone outside of their ethnic group. For some it was the first time they had actually left the house.”

Transport support services for those suffering with kidney disease are limited throughout Queensland. Kidney Support Network provides safe, affordable, door-to-door transport for renal patients, via a fleet of eight vehicles that each travel an average 4,000km per month. Without this service, approximately 90 patients in regional areas would have to take taxis or rely on family for transport to and from dialysis, three times a week. The grant will help the organisation replace its oldest vehicle, ensuring the safety of both patients and volunteer drivers.

One in 20 children in Australia aged five to 18 experience the death of a parent. Wombat’s Wish will use its grant to offer one-on-one bereavement counselling to help children work through their understanding of the death and regain family strength and connection. Registered psychologists and mental health social workers will provide the counselling.

Eyes of Hope provides free eye care and glasses to homeless and vulnerable populations in New South Wales. The charity will use its grant to help operate mobile clinics that visit community centres and shelters, ensuring that financial or geographic barriers do not prevent access to vision care. By providing timely care, Eyes of Hope aims to reduce preventable blindness and vision impairment in people experiencing disadvantage.  

After birth, mums and families need community support, nourishing food, emotional and cultural support and rest for healing. The Returning Indigenous Corporation will use its grant to deliver support services and meals to Indigenous families on Bundjalung Country (northern NSW) in the first six weeks after the birth of a new child.

“Research has shown that there are substantial improvements in health outcomes and wellbeing for Indigenous Australians who have access to their traditional foods, therefore our recipes have been developed by an Indigenous chef and incorporate bush food ingredients like macadamias, kangaroo and ooray (Davidson Plum),” says Postpartum Care Program Director Kirilly Dawn.

In Australia, more than 116,000 people are homeless on any given night. The Good Box provides essential resources with dignity to people experiencing homelessness, focusing on at-risk youth, First Nations people, and survivors of domestic violence. The grant will help the organisation deliver beautifully packaged boxes filled with high-quality essential items, such as food and hygiene products. Each box also includes a personalised note of encouragement, fostering a sense of care and connection.

List of successful Community Grant recipients

Below are the names of each organisation that received a grant in the August 2024 round and its project or program name.

• A Better Life For Foster Kids – ‘Others Do Care Project’
• Abbey Solo Foundation – ‘Helping families in times of need’
• Agape Outreach Inc – ‘Inclusion & Resilience: Optimising Community Mental Health’
• Alex Makes Meals Group Ltd – ‘Nutritious Meals for Vulnerable Communities in Melbourne’
• All Saints Catholic College Liverpool – ‘Love Impels Us’
• Australian Afghan Hassanian Youth Association – ‘Teaching Afghan Women Australian Roads’
• Autism MATES – ‘Model MATES: Expanding the Reach & Possibilities’
• Bakhtar Community Organisation – ‘Empower Her: Bakhtar Women’s Coaching and Focus Group’
• Bridge for Asylum Seekers Inc – ‘Asylum seeker support project’
• Busselton Hospice Care Inc – ‘Community Outreach Service Pilot Phase II’
• Cana Communities Inc – ‘Cabrini House: A Home for Women and Children’
• CareWorks SunRanges Inc – ‘Food Support Programs’
• Change For Sam Ltd – ‘24/7 security monitored safety devices save lives!’
• Compass Community Care Inc – ‘School Meals That Make a Difference and L2P’
• Compassion North Inc – ‘Foodbank Program’
• Dandelion Support Network Inc – ‘Building brighter futures for children and families’
• Defenders Soul Kitchen Ltd – ‘Hope is Delicious: Feeding our community’
• Eagles RAPS Inc – ‘Employment Passport’
• Enriching Lives Foundation Ltd – ‘Sponsor A Student’
• Eyes of Hope Ltd – ‘Eyes of Hope’
• Find A Penny Foundation Inc – ‘Bowl of LOVE: nutritious meals’
• FoodFilled Inc – ‘Partnerships (Capacity) Building’
• Foothills Community Care Inc – ‘Mum’s Connection Space: DV Support’
• Foster Care Angels Inc – ‘Empowered Youth’
• Francis Foundation Inc – ‘Weekend Support’
• Hands of Hope Foundation Inc – ‘Family and Domestic Violence: Recovery and Empowerment Program’
• Heal.ed Tribe – ‘Eating Disorder Support for our Young People’
• Heart2Heart Project – ‘Meals for Northern Rivers Communities’
• Hearts of Purple Ltd – ‘Operation Family Protect’
• Hunter Youth Mentor Collaborative Inc – ‘Mentor Support Network Educational Scholarship Program 2024/25’
• Imagine Re-Evolution Inc – ‘Safe Reconnect Pathways’
• In Home Hospice Care Inc – ‘Rural Community-driven Palliative and Aged Care Support’
• It’s the Little Things Community Ltd – ‘Oven replacement and related fit-out’
• Jesuit Refugee Services – ‘Foodbank Project’
• Kidney Support Network – ‘Renal Patient Transport Service’
• Knit One Give One Ltd – ‘Blanket assembly program’
• Leading Youth Forward – ‘Youth Development Program 2025’
• LIVEfree Project Inc – ‘Shine Bright Mentoring Program’
• Making Lives Matter Ltd – ‘Crisis Accommodation’
• Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School – ‘Family Assistance Project’
• Mingaletta Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Corporation – ‘Gwara Health and Cultural’
• Morris Children’s Fund Inc – ‘Music Therapy at Special Needs Schools’
• Older Women Co-Housing Association Qld Inc – ‘Gladstone Project: Workshop Series’
• One Meal It Makes a Difference – ‘Women and Children’s Weekly Lunch’
• Open Table Inc – ‘Open Pantry’
• Operation Stitches – ‘Inclusive Impact program’
• Oz Assist Inc – ‘Assisting the Socially Disadvantaged’
• Prison Network – ‘Stronger Together’
• ProjectKindness Inc – ‘Weekly Food Delivery Program’
• Racial Justice Centre – ‘Practical advice and assistance in a legal drop-in centre’
• Reason to Thrive Inc – ‘Equine Assisted Learning “Maverick” Life-Skills Program for At-Risk Youth’
• Rise & Thrive Co Ltd – ‘No Filters Needed’
• Rite Mentoring Inc – ‘Improving young lives through group mentoring’
• Rosies Oblate Youth Mission – ‘Update Rosies Coffee Van’
• Sanctuary Australia Foundation Inc – ‘Sanctuary Community Welcome Program’
• She Shines Memorial Association Australia Inc – ‘STEM Mentorship program for CALD students in regional Qld’
• Southern Highlands Christian Community Centre – ‘Keeping the pantry supplied’
• Space2b Social Design – ‘RISE HIGH: Pilot Support Program for our most vulnerable refugee women living in high-rise community housing’
• St Laurence House Inc – ‘Help More’
• Stable One Ltd – ‘Yarra Valley Winter Shelter’
• Stepping Out Programme Inc – ‘Circle of Security Parenting Program for Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse’
• Street Care Qld Inc – ‘Community Cupboard’
• Strong Mothers Inc – Australian Dreaming: Helping Aboriginal and refugee mothers and small children through pregnancy, birth and the first four years of life’
• Suited to Success – ‘Empowering Women in Regional, Rural and Remote Queensland’
• Sunshine Bendigo Inc – ‘Start of Life Safety Program’
• Survivors R Us Inc – ‘Harvest with Hope’
• The Bower Reuse & Repair Centre – ‘Repair Workshops and DIY Skills Training for Youth and Disadvantaged’
• The Carevan Foundation Ltd – ‘Community Outreach Program’
• The Good Box Pty Ltd – ‘Boxes of Hope: Dignity in Every Gift’
• The Kogarah Storehouse – ‘No One Should Go Hungry’
• The Returning Indigenous Corporation – ‘Support for Indigenous mothers on Bundjalung Country’
• The Social Outfit Inc – ‘Community Sewing Program’
• The Warrior Woman Foundation – ‘The Young Warrior Woman Program’
• Tradeswomen Australia Community Foundation – ‘Supporting Women to Succeed Scholarships 2025’
• UCA Hotham Mission – ‘WomEmpower’
• Walk With Us Gold Coast Inc – ‘EmpowerED Youth’
• We Care Connect: ‘Begin Bright Hunter: safety essentials for a child’s first 2,000 days’
• West Welcome Wagon – ‘Community Reach Out Days in the West’
• With You We Can Ltd – ‘Resource distribution’
• Wombat’s Wish – ‘One-to-One counselling’
• Women’s Justice Network – ‘Healing from Within’
• Yahweh House Ltd – ‘Maintaining the service we give and allowing us to continue free support to those in need in the community’
• Young Minds Thrive Inc – ‘Empowering Futures: School Ready In-Home Learning Program’

How to apply for a Community Grant

If your organisation provides compassion, hope and practical assistance to people experiencing disadvantage or marginalisation, then you may be eligible to receive a grant from the Sisters of Charity Foundation.

The next grant round will open on 1 July and close on 31 July 2025. Learn more about applying for a Community Grant.