Philanthropists and big business are being called on to fund projects supporting disadvantaged communities in Whittlesea.
The Whittlesea Community Future Partnerships, which brings together more than 55 organisations including Whittlesea council, recently launched a prospectus outlining 14 community projects.
The group launched the prospectus at a special event at Parliament late last month and is seeking more than $3.3 million in funding. to get the projects off the ground.
The prospectus is based on a similar initiative by the Australian Communities Foundation.
It provides philanthropists, businesses and all tiers of government with information about projects in need of support.
The 14 projects target early years intervention, family violence, young people’s mental health, youth disengagement, disability, refugee and asylum seekers and financial vulnerability.
Among the projects seeking funding is a Children’s Protection Society program aimed at supporting dads in their parenting; Kildonan UnitingCare’s Bringing Up Boys which tackles family violence; and a Brotherhood of St Laurence program to help asylum seekers find jobs.
Mayor Ricky Kirkham said the projects would address Whittlesea’s most pressing social challenges.
“Councils and the government cannot fund every worthwhile project, we just don’t have the budget,” he said.
“But through partnerships with community organisations, all levels of government, businesses and philanthropists, we can all make a difference.”
Cr Kirkham said he hoped the prospectus launch would act as a springboard for bringing different people, businesses and philanthropic foundations together.
“It takes enormous energy, drive and determination to engineer the kind of outcomes that the 14 projects detailed in the prospectus hope to achieve,” he said.
“The simple reality is that it requires money to provide our residents with the tools they need to improve their lives.”
