By Gillian Russell
Does your club meet in a council owned property?
For example: a hall or building attached to a library or community centre, owned by a Municipal Council
If your answer to this question is yes, your club may be eligible for a Community Grant.
Community Grants are given by the council to clubs to reduce the fee paid for hall or room hire, thereby enabling the club to continue to use the facility without the burden of astronomical fees.
What are the criteria?
The Club must be incorporated
The Club must be a not for profit organisation
The Club must be able to demonstrate that:
It operates to serve the community
It benefits members of the community in which it is located
The Club will benefit financially from the grant
Toastmasters International meets all of these criteria
What does my club need to do?
Contact the Community Grants officer or department at the council which owns and manages the property where your club meets.
Ask for application forms and criteria to be sent to you.
The forms can be quite lengthy, initially; ideally, your club should elect or nominate two members to manage the application process.
You will need to do some preparation. You will require copies of:
The Certificate of Incorporation of the Club
The Certificate of Currency for TM (current certificate) found on D73 website
There are many forms to be completed (City of Monash in our case).
Our council required testimonials, letters of support from members, “evidence” of how members are active in the community through membership of the organisation.
It all sounds daunting. However, it is worthwhile when you consider that it can save your club hundreds of dollars in hall or room hire each year.
So, if your club meets in a Council owned premises, contact the Council, apply for a Community Grant and reap the benefits of lower hall hire fees for your club.
This could be an excellent HPL project and may also qualify for inclusion in the CL award – Team Building : Chair a club special event (page 53 CL manual)
I am happy to answer questions about Community Grants, but will not complete the application for you. That task is for you and your club to do!
Gillian Russell DTM
Glen Waverley Toastmasters Club Inc
0418 348 308