Grants and Sponsorships: Council's Community Investment Funding

Sponsorship funds are aimed at public promotion of Mornington Peninsula Shire, its agencies or programs as opposed to material contribution towards the staging of an event.  This funding program is highly competitive and applicants must ensure the Sponsorships Guidelines are understood before applying.

The scope of the program does not include the receiving of Sponsorship requests for infrastructure or naming rights on infrastructure.

Sponsorship applications close on the 4 June 2025 unless funds have been exhausted prior to this date.

Apply Now

The Senior’s Festival is a major state-wide festival for and involving seniors, with an emphasis on fun and good times. 

This year’s State-wide theme is ‘Explore. Engage. Evolve.’ This theme promotes:

• A need to stay curious and open to exploring new activities.
• Opportunities to meet new people and extend ourselves through new interests.
• Discovering all the ways we can enhance our life, develop our resilience and remain happy, healthy, and productive, as we age. 

We are here to help

Through our Community Investment Funding Subsidies Program the Shire will support local clubs and groups by offering a Subsidy up to $300 to be used for your Seniors Festival 2024 event or activity. 

Is there something your club/group/organisation is planning to run in October specifically for older residents during Seniors Festival?

Ideas can include:

• Come and try days.
• An Open day
• Guest speakers
• Intergenerational program
• Activities for older people who may not normally access your club/activity (i.e., men/women, LGBTIQA + communities, culturally diverse, older people with disabilities).
• Free or low-cost activities

Closing date: 30 September 2024

Further Program Enquiries: Laurencia.Grant@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Apply here

Council’s Community Investment Funding is available to community groups/organisations, businesses, sole traders, schools and not-for-profit organisations that seek to build our community’s resilience.  This is achieved through a collaborative partnership with the Shire where our many grants provide the opportunity for empowering our community to lead their own projects/initiatives, that address a local need and/or priority with a recognised community benefit. 

The Shire’s grants focus on strengthening performing arts development, taking climate action, enhancing biodiversity, restoring our heritage buildings, making our townships vibrant through arts, culture and history as well as festivals and events.   The Shire is also committed to building the capacity of our volunteers, increasing social connections and creating a sense of belonging through placemaking as well as improving the built and natural environments through our community capital.  Council adopted the current Community Investment Funding Policy on 12 July 2022.  The Policy identifies the principles for our grants program and the 4-year cycle of investment and renewal aligned to our Council and Wellbeing Plan.

You can watch the video Applying for a Grant

Watch the video on Alternative Funding Sources

Watch our Grant Writing Tips.

As we have limited funding, the Shire also provides a funding finder search engine, free for our community.  This is a one stop shop for community groups/organisations, businesses and schools to search for other funding that is currently open to support their projects/initiatives.  You just need to register to get grant opportunities sent to you with your preferences.  

Learn how Funding Finder works for you(PDF, 300KB)

Register on Funding Finder to stay up to date on the latest opportunities.

Further information and documents

Community Investment Funding - Frequently Asked Questions(PDF, 302KB) - answers to most queries and questions we receive.

Auspicing Agreement Form(PDF, 309KB) - organisations who will apply under an auspice arrangement need to complete and submit this form with the online application.

SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants(PDF, 1MB) - All applications must be submitted online via SmartyGrants. This guide will assist applicants with the process.

Sample budget(PDF, 124KB) - an example of how to complete a budget

Awarded-Grants-2023-2024-V2.pdf(PDF, 456KB)

View 2023 - 2024 successful Sponsorship recipients, their projects and funding in link below.

Sponsorships-Awarded-2023-2024.pdf(PDF, 510KB)

The Shire subsidises a number of community groups and organisations to support the delivery of essential services, community programs, life-saving, community transport, legal services and other initiatives.

Recipients of subsidies were invited to apply when subsidies opened on 13 July 2023 and closed on 7 September 2023.

Council's Community Investment Funding supports the following community groups and organisations to deliver these services.

Subsidies-Awarded-2023-2024.pdf(PDF, 446KB)

CIF-funding-awarded-2019-30-June-2024.pdf(PDF, 1MB)