• Approximately $65,000 in funding has been awarded under the 2023 Charles Sturt Community University Partnership Grants program
• Grants of up to $1,000 have been awarded to community and sporting groups and schools across each Charles Sturt University regional campus footprint
• A total of 66 grants were distributed to support community-based initiatives across a range of categories

Community groups and schools were the major beneficiaries when it came to close to $65,000 in funding awarded under the 2023 Community University Partnership (CUP) Grants Program.

The keenly anticipated program runs each year offering communities across the Charles Sturt footprint the chance to benefit from up to $1,000 in funding for projects that deliver benefits to the community.

Projects are awarded in the categories: arts and culture, education, health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and sports development.

Charles Sturt Head of Government Relations and Regional Engagement Ms Samantha Beresford is proud the program continues to be well received in the University’s regional communities.

“The grant program reinforces our strong commitment to our communities across our extensive footprint,” Ms Beresford said.  

“This year, total funding was more than $64,000 which covered 66 grants for community groups and schools.

“It’s a tremendous program that gives motivated community members the chance to secure funding on a project that generally benefits many people, and which may not have been able to happen without it.”

Ms Beresford said there’s always a great variety of projects that community members submit applications for.

“This year, the program has funded many projects spanning from school garden composting and biodiversity educational programs, to science equipment for new chemistry labs, to Islamic story-telling and craft workshops for kids,” she said.

“All it takes is an idea and initiative to apply for the funding, and before you know it, that project the community may have needed for a while is underway.”

A recipient of this year’s program, the Captain of the Cycling without Age Australia Wagga Wagga Chapter (CWAAWW) Ms Helen Sturman was very grateful for the funding.

“The grant has helped our service deliver more than 200 rides in the three months since launching,” Ms Sturman said.

CWAAWW is a not-for-profit volunteer organisation that takes older people and people with a disability who are no longer able to take themselves on a bike ride from the city’s aged, home and disability care facilities on free rides in specialised electric-powered trishaw bikes.

“Since January we have taken 900 passengers out for a trishaw ride and built our team of volunteers to 30, which has been due to the generosity of the community.” 

Ms Beresford said the application process was very simple and interested parties could apply online through the Charles Sturt website for the 2024 program.

Grants are open to all schools, community organisations and not-for-profit organisations who contribute to the Charles Sturt University campus locations (or their surrounding areas) of Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga, and Wangaratta.

Applications for the 2024 program open in February. More information can be found on the Charles Sturt website here or contact a Charles Sturt community relations officer via community@csu.edu.au

ENDS