Victoria expands support for small towns with new funding round

The Victorian government has announced a new round of funding for its $20 million Tiny Towns Fund, aimed at supporting communities with populations up to 5,000 people.

Premier Jacinta Allan said applications for grants between $5,000 and $50,000 will open on Monday, 26 August.

“Supporting projects that make small communities great is one of the ways we encourage their vibrancy, making them even better places to visit and live,” Allan said.

The fund supports a range of community projects, including:

New barbecues and bike tracks
Walking trails
Club and community hall upgrades

Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney highlighted the economic benefits of the program.

“Now we’re giving more tiny towns a chance to make their own projects a reality – creating local jobs, boosting economies and attracting more visitors to experience our great regional towns,” Tierney said.

The first round of the Tiny Towns Fund has already supported over 200 projects in 181 towns across regional Victoria and interface councils. Examples include:

Restoration of the Thomas Montgomery Pavilion in Mortlake
A $50,000 grant for an augmented reality experience in Glenrowan, complementing the Ned Kelly Discovery Hub

The government has made updates to the application process to make it easier for smaller, volunteer-run community groups to apply.

Minister for the Suburbs Sonya Kilkenny emphasized the importance of these investments for outer suburban areas.

“Whether it’s upgrades to local sporting facilities, playgrounds or halls – we’re investing in the projects that communities are asking for to ensure our outer suburbs remain great places to live, work and play,” Kilkenny said.

The Tiny Towns Fund is part of the Victorian government’s $45 billion investment since 2014 in projects supporting regional and rural Victoria.

Communities that have not yet received a Tiny Towns grant or have new project ideas to boost community resilience, recovery and economic growth are encouraged to apply in this second round.

For more information, interested parties can visit rdv.vic.gov.au/tinytownsfund or suburbandevelopment.vic.gov.au/grants/tiny-towns-fund.