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 has been allocated to the Yarra Valley Singers for Collaborate Too!, a collaborative project for choirs and musicians piloted in 2025.
The Lilydale Township Action Group received $10,000 for the Lilydale Melba Festival and Street Fair, and the Kilsyth Community Action Group received $15,000 for the Kilsyth Festival. Celebrate Mooroolbark was also granted $5000 to support the running of The Yarra Valley Wool and Handicrafts Show.
$5810 will go to the Mooroolbark Community Garden for its inclusive food-growing activities and workshops.
The Parents Hub received $5550 for Rest and Reconnect, a year-long wellbeing initiative supporting solo parents, carers, and disconnected mothers.
Melba Support Services will pilot art therapy in Lilydale for people with disability with $5000 to support the 20-week program.
$10,000 was granted to Anchor Community Care for a Life and Living Skills Program, run year-round by Lilydale Youth Foyer, which empowers young people with practical knowledge and confidence.
$5000 went to Lilydale Community House’s Cook, Chat, Eat and Repeat, the bi-weekly program that runs Soup and Stories and Cooking for One.
Mooroolbark Soccer Club was granted $6000 to support the running of the second All Nations football tournament—a 16-team event promoting female participation and inclusion in sport across the Yarra Ranges.
Montrose Scout Group was allocated $10,000 to deliver the Montrose Shock Station, a safety initiative featuring a public defibrillator registered with Ambulance Victoria and inclusive CPR/defib training.
Japara Neighbourhood House received $9000 for LinkedUp Sports and Recreation Skills Program to support women aged 25 to 55 in Yarra Ranges, particularly Kilsyth, Montrose, Mooroolbark, Lilydale, and Mount Evelyn, to have a go.
$8000 will go towards Discovery Community Care Mount Evelyn’s Seed to Harvest garden, helping expand its current offering.
