Regional Development Minister Mary-Anne Thomas recently announced local councils, community groups and small-scale event organisers could apply for grants under the $1 million Regional Community Events Fund.
“Rural and regional Victoria plays host to some of our state’s most vibrant community events and this funding will help organisers get back on their feet to plan more events for local communities as the state opens up,” Ms Thomas said.
Applications for the fund opened on November 1 with grants of up to $25,000 available for small-scale events and festivals held across the state.
Eligible events could include community festivals, sporting carnivals and arts and cultural events.
Benalla is well-known for its diverse calendar of events, including Wall to Wall and the Benalla Festival, as well as regular markets and other events.
Support will go towards a range of costs associated with hosting events in a COVIDSafe environment including for density limit management, record keeping, good hygiene practices and marketing.
The new fund is part of the state government’s targeted support for local communities to come together safely to help Victoria recover from the pandemic.
The fund will be administered by Visit Victoria, which is well connected to regional event organisers and positioned to respond swiftly to event proposals.
Visit Victoria will work with Regional Development Victoria to ensure that regional councils and event organisers have more support and confidence to plan and stage events with COVIDSafe settings.
The Regional Community Events Fund complements the $20 million Regional Events Fund, a commitment to bring blockbuster events to Victoria’s regions as part of the $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan.
The Fund will close on November 30. For eligibility details and information on how to apply, visit rdv.vic.gov.au/rcef
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