$200K for ageing, disability and mental health support

State Trustees Australia Foundation has awarded over $200,000 to 22 organisations for projects that aid individuals disadvantaged by ageing, disability and/or mental health as part of its annual Grassroots Grants program.  The Grants program aims to help people live independently and build and maintain physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and resilience, as well as reduce the incidence of adverse health issues that can limit their ability to live well.

A project to enable individuals with a disability to experience fishing and a project to provide help for older and disabled people to regularly purchase groceries, were amongst the grants awarded under the State Trustees Australia Foundation Grassroots Grants program.

Fishers with Disabilities received a grant of $7,050 to extend their existing volunteer program to create additional recreational fishing opportunities for children and adults living with disabilities in a safe and welcoming environment.

Link Community Transport was awarded a grant of $9,325 to provide further opportunities for people who were unable to do their regular shopping due to age or disability.  Help with regular grocery shopping will enable people to maintain healthy eating and stay socially connected.

State Trustees Executive General Manager Melanie Lewis said that the Foundation received many applications from organisations with a focus on promoting living independently and supporting self-management and self-care.  “State Trustees Australia Foundation has a long history of supporting local community organisations and is excited to announce this year’s Grassroots Grants recipients. The Grassroots program is aimed at projects that are responsive, designed by or with input from, affected people who may also be part of the delivery.”

In the last twenty years, State Trustees Australia Foundation has provided more than $2 million to over 250 projects through grants. A further $10 million has also been provided directly to charitable organisations.

Organisation Name	Project Title	Grant
Amaze Incorporated	Spectrospective: Stories of Autism	$10,000
Arts Access Society Inc	Open Your Mind: Mental Health Awareness Training	$10,000
C Care Inc	Pantry Pack Program (PPP)	$10,000
Christie Centre Inc	Enhanced Living Respite	$8,901
Citizen Advocacy Sunbury & Districts Inc	Pop Up Meeting Place	$5,644
Fishers With Disabilities Association Incorporated	Fishability Volunteer Capacity Building Project	$7,050
Gateway Social Support Options Inc	Caring for Carers	$10,000
Good Cycles Limited	Shifting Gears	$10,000
Guide Dogs Victoria	Electronic Aids for Independent Mobility	$9,794
Jewish Care (Victoria) Inc	Tuesday Schmoozeday: Enhancing the mental wellbeing of Jewish men through social connection	$9,850
Kalparrin Early Childhood Intervention Program Inc	Mums Can: A mental health capacity building program for mothers of children with a disability	$10,000
Link Community Transport Incorporated	Community Assisted Shopping	$9,325
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute	Improving management of saliva control problems	$9,878
National Trust Of Australia (Victoria)	Making Heritage Accessible – Providing Disabled Access Using Virtual Reality Technology	$9,810
Royal District Nursing Service Limited	Living well with dementia: a talking-book resource in plain English	$10,000
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia	Establish SCIA’s NeuroMoves full suite of exercise services in Melbourne	$9,872
Technical Aid To The Disabled	Riding to Freedom	$10,000
Tweddle Child & Family Health Service	Circle Of Security	$9,638
Urban Communities Limited	Healthy Living and Learning	$10,000
Victorian Aids Council Inc	Positive Connection – Peer Support for People Ageing with HIV	$9,180
YMCA Camping Limited	Purchase of Sandcruiser Beach Wheelchair & Universal Harness	$8,000
Yooralla	Enabling choice though learning and employment pathways for people with disability	$10,000

For more information on the State Trustees Australia Foundation visit: https://www.statetrustees.com.au/state-trustees-foundation/