Applications for the We Join Grant are now closed. To be notified of the next round, sign up to our newsletter.
Variety NSW/ACT promotes inclusivity for all Australian children. Schools and NFP organisations are invited to apply for a grant up to $10,000 to purchase equipment that will promote access and inclusivity in the community for children aged 0-18 years, living with financial disadvantage, geographic isolation and/or a disability or chronic illness.
Your grant request can include one or more items but it must directly benefit the children in your community. Some examples to get you thinking are technology like smart boards; supplies like school bubblers, library resources or musical instruments; play or canteen equipment; or perhaps funding for a school camp or group outing. If you have an idea but you’re not sure if it would come under the grant guidelines, please reach out to the kids support team – [email protected].
To stay in touch, sign up to our newsletter or join our Facebook group. You can also email the team directly with any questions you may have to [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
- Be a school or NFP organisation
- Be based and operating in NSW or ACT
- Support children aged 0 – 18
- Directly support kids or young people living with a disability, chronic illness, financial hardship or geographic isolation
You will be required to address the following points:
- Name and contact details of applicant and representative
- Description of applicant and service objectives
- Information about requested item(s) including supplier information, quote, why it is needed and the impact it will have
- Desired outcomes and measurements
- Funding and financial information
Examples include:
- Supplies, e.g. bubblers, garden supplies, library supplies, musical instruments etc
- Equipment, e.g. play equipment, adaptive toys, sporting equipment, beach wheelchairs, canteen equipment etc
- Technology: g. Coding supplies, 3D printers, smart boards, hearing loops etc
- Experiences, e.g. transport to school camp or group activity that would otherwise be unavailable
We Join Case Study
Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club
In 2016, Variety granted Cooks Hill Surf Lifesaving Club (SLSC) two floating wheelchairs to give kids living with a disability the chance to swim in the surf safely. Cooks Hill SLSC is a volunteer led and progressive community organisation which offers kids living with a disability the opportunity to enjoy time at the beach and in the water just like many others. Some six years later, the floating wheelchairs are still used regularly and have seen people of all shapes, sizes and abilities enjoy a day at the beach.
“People and families from all over the country have travelled to have a beach and surf experience in our floating chairs. We have several regulars, both individuals and groups. They have really changed lives. We have even had adults and children in them that have never experienced or tasted salt water,” says John Mayo, a lifetime member of Cooks Hill SLSC and regularly involved in the club’s beach inclusion programs.
The donation of the floating wheelchair is another way Variety helps local kids get the most out of life. The chairs make sure children like Amelia (pictured right) don’t miss out. Amelia is nonverbal, quadriplegic and blind. She loves to surf and she is one of many who love the freedom the chairs provide.
“With Amelia, we take her out in the chair and she gets out of the chair and floats around. The chairs provide safety and security. Some users stay in the chair, others will leave the chairs just using it as a means of entering the water,” said John. The club also have beach matting for mobility, electric wheelchair bases and a transfer hoist.
“They have been used and used putting huge smiles not only on the faces of kids and adults who use them, but also their families.” Cooks Hill SLSC is committed to providing opportunities for kids and adults with disabilities to enjoy the beach and water.
“We are very passionate about everyone having access to a day at the beach and to further this every Australian should be able to be a surf lifesaver as we all have a lot to contribute no matter who we are. We have been incredibly grateful to receive these chairs as they have changed lives.”