Green thumb grants

FOR the ninth year in a row, Australia’s Open Garden Scheme is offering its Community Garden Grants program.
This year four grants will be awarded in Victoria with a total of $10,000 available.
Applications close on Friday, 28 July and are welcomed from individuals, community groups and other organisations for the creation or improvement of public and community gardens or outdoor spaces.
Last year more than 90 applications were received in Victoria and funding was provided to worthwhile projects around the state, including a community garden in Footscray, a weed-eradication and re-vegetation project in Gippsland and an indigenous garden in a school at Camperdown.
The scheme recognises that there are countless community groups that work tirelessly to improve and develop gardens and open-space areas.
Any surplus funds raised through opening gardens to the public are returned to the community via the Community Garden Grants.
Since its inception Australia’s Open Garden Scheme has provided funding of $800,000 to community projects ranging from botanic gardens and horticultural colleges to therapeutic gardens for hospitals and retirement villages. Grants have contributed to the restoration of historic landscapes and the development of new community gardens.
The Open Garden Scheme’s commitment to the gardeners of the future is demonstrated by the substantial number of school gardens that have received funding.
In addition to this community support via grants, many garden owners around the country use their open days as a means of raising money for local causes and charities.
Donations from activities on open days are currently around $330,000 per annum and the total since the scheme’s inception is in excess of $3.5 million.
Application forms for the Community Garden Grants program are available on-line at www.opengarden.org.au and at all ABC Shops, centres and radio stations.