Yarra Ranges Council’s 2026 Annual Grants were approved at the Tuesday 28 October council meeting, set to fund arts, heritage, festivals, events and community development projects next year.
A total of $574,535.15 will be distributed to not-for-profit community groups from the pool of $150,000 allocated for festivals and events, $150,000 for arts and heritage and $275,000 for community development.
Lyster Ward councillor Peter McIlwain said in previous years, prior to becoming a councillor, he had been the recipient of several arts grants and is a strong believer in them.
“I made a sound installation down in Selby, it ended up now having been presented five times in different locations, one of which was the Yering Station, which won that year the Yering Sculpture Award, which at the time was a major art prize,” he said.
“We see this again and again and again throughout these kinds of projects, where the value coming back to Council is far exceeding what we spend…we’re getting return on investment, that’s easily four times what we’re putting in here, and probably greater in many respects.
“Particularly if you look at the kind of community outcomes that we get, some of which money can’t buy.”
A total of 100 grant applications were received, totalling over $935,000, and 75 of those were approved. The 75 approved applications requested just over $704,000 in total, so funding for some projects may be short of what was requested.
Walling Ward councillor Len Cox said the grants program enables people or groups who may not be able to afford to do something really useful in the community.
“It enables them, with some funding from Council, to achieve something which is a benefit to the rest of the community and if you ever look through this list we’ve got, there’s some great programs there that are going to be funded through this,” he said.
“The people and the groups that are doing these are doing something which they believe in, which they know something about, and which the Council wouldn’t do as well if it were left to the Council to do and in fact, they may not do it at all.
“I think this is one of the best programs Council runs, and I’m very, very proud to be able to support it.”
Here is a list of grants that will support projects for the Valley or the broader Yarra Ranges community:
Roderick Price has received $10,000 for his Yarra Ranges Sound Ecology Project, a live electroacoustic project which will capture the soundscapes of 55 Yarra Ranges townships through hands-on audio workshops.
$10,000 for gama-dji / emerge from sleeping, led by Dalys Mithen, Mandy Nicholson and Gulsen Ozer, a collaborative music project will create a series of short part songs (rounds) in Woi Wurrung and English and teach them to community choirs around the Yarra Ranges.
$6000 has been provided to Each to support its Rural Rainbows social group for Yarra Ranges LGBTQIA+ young people and allies.
$10,000 for phase one of Wandoon Estate Aboriginal Corporation’s Coranderrk Archival Preservation Project, seeking a professional archivist to help preserve the records in the former Superintendent’s Cottage.
$10,000 for artist Clare James and the Healesville Living and Learning Centre to present a free 4-day ephemeral public art event called ‘THE PLACE FOR LOST FEELINGS’.
$10,000 for BodyPlaceProject and Gretel Yalor to curate a three-day artist residency at Coranderrk, inviting 10 local artists (selected via open expression of interest) to camp at the confluence of the Birrarung and Coranderrk Creek.
$5000 for Cloud Time by Healesville artists Mandy Pickett and Amanda Ruck, featuring paintings, projections, performance art and multimedia installations.
$10,000 for Fleur Dean’s ‘BENEATH NOW’, a project in Healesville focused on framing the local stories that our lives are built on, told by our older generation who lived them.
$5150 for the Melbourne Gun Club to put on an Opening Ceremony for the 2026 World Championships Fosse Universelle, the World Championships for Clay Target Shooting.
$14,863 for the second edition of Healesville Zine and Comic Festival.
$15,000 for another two-day Healesville Festival, featuring a variety of events and activities.
$15,000 for the two-day Connecting Community Festival in Healesville, which will include the Writers & Rhythm concert, a Community Ball, an Outdoor Youth Concert and more.
$6957 for Healesville Connect’s Twilight Picnic Encore with entertainment for all ages.
$15,000 for the 2026 edition of Yarra Valley Open Studios, featuring artists from the Yarra Valley and Upper Yarra.
$4197.15 for the Yarra Ranges Film Society’s 2026 Healesville Mini-Film Festival.
$7400 to help HICCI in updating service brochures, reprinting the Emergency Contacts guide, continuing free weekly meals, delivering mandatory first aid training for volunteer drivers, and hosting a Volunteer Recognition Celebration.
$5100 for the Healesville Community Emergency group to run year-round events to educate residents on preparing for natural disasters.
$5000 for the Healesville Arthritis Self Help Peer Support Group (HASH) ‘Ageing like a Fine Wine’ seniors wellbeing program.
$9975 for Eco Warriors Australia to invite five local primary schools to help make Binak Habitat Pods, temporary homes for wildlife, at Spadonis Reserve in Yering.
