City of Fremantle
Coastal Charm
Youth grants support programs that foster social and civic participation, well-being, skills, and resilience in young people aged 12–25 who live, work, or study in Fremantle. They promote leadership, creativity, and community engagement through mentorship, education, and volunteering initiatives.
The Community Grants program supports initiatives that address specific needs, enhance social and cultural well-being, and foster a more inclusive, connected, and resilient Fremantle community.
These grants provide funding for projects that create meaningful opportunities for engagement, improve quality of life, and support long-term community development.
Eligible projects and initiatives must align with one or more of the following objectives:
Applications are submitted via the City’s Smarty Grants portal.
Information sessions are provided, as well as one-on-one meetings, to help people prepare their proposals. It is essential to contact the grant officer via grantfunding@fremantle.wa.gov.au prior to submitting a grant application.
For more information, including eligibility and assessment criteria, please refer to the Community and Youth Grant guidelines. If your grant application includes an event, please read the City’s Access Checklist for Events.
If you need assistance in accessing information, contact us through the Accesshub, and provide the City Fremantle number you want to call. TTY users can also contact us on our direct TTY line 08 9432 9777.
There were two recipients in the March 2025 Youth Grants category:
The Constable Care Foundation will deliver youth programs to address issues like personal safety, anti-social behaviour, road/pedestrian safety and issues around the entertainment precinct.
Armed for Life, a previous grant recipient, will offer their Resilience Program at Fremantle College. The program will empower students to handle challenges with confidence, make positive decisions and nurture healthy relationships.
Gaining Ground WA Inc. will expand their program providing girls soccer mentorship at Fremantle City Football Club. The project addresses the historical lack of women in leadership roles in grassroots sporting clubs through role models and education and aims to reduce player dropout rates in the early teen years.
The Studio School Fremantle, through All Saints College Foundation Inc., will fund their project “Planting Seeds and Sharing Stories & Songs” which is an intergenerational initiative that combines students, Elders and the Friends of Boo Park to produce native plant and weeding guides and have important conversations in the process.
Globe Town Project Inc. will deliver “StoryLab”, a teen writers program at the Fremantle Library facilitated by local award-winning writer, Deb Fitzpatrick. The after-school sessions aim to improve the confidence, self-esteem and resilience of young writers, while encouraging learning and growth.
To improve the cooking skills and food literacy of vulnerable youth in Fremantle, Foodbank of Western Australia has developed a youth-focused nutrition education program called Nom! This grant will help them reach more young people through additional workshops at Foodbank WA’s Health Eating Hub in Fremantle.
Youth Music Therapy Group
The program comprises music interventions in tandem with the latest practices/approaches of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Emotions-Focused Therapy, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in a small group. Participants will learn to discuss, communicate, explore, and grow through music, as well as play and create expressive music, and work toward a collaborative ensemble composition.
Grant: $7494.73 – Includes $904 in-kind support
CoF Skateboarding Community Reinforcement
Fremantle is the epicentre of West Australian skateboarding’ s long history. The project is aimed at bringing about regular engagement and activation of Fremantle’s skateboarding community across all these locations. Through facilitating events across the city, the program aims to reinvigorate and reinforce the current skateboarding community, assist intermediate level skateboarders to broaden their skills and develop confidence, and create opportunities for introductions to the sport for the broader community that are yet to give it a go. Headspace will be in attendance at skateboarding events to provide information and resources.
Grant: $7500
Youth Resilience and Wellbeing Program
The Resilience Program is specifically tailored to develop participants’ capacity to deal with life’s challenges and adversities, ultimately enhancing their resilience and is delivered over 6 weeks at the selected school. The program is delivered by an AFL mentor who has been working with youth for a number of years with the most vulnerable and at-risk youth.
Additionally, the Wellbeing Day is typically a one-day program designed to holistically educate and empower students and staff on how to lead the healthiest possible lives. This program is specifically aimed at enhancing all facets of health and wellbeing, encompassing both physical and mental wellness.
There were five recipients in the March 2025 Community Grants category:
Verges in Hilton will be transformed into native verge gardens through a series of volunteer ‘verge busy bees’ organised by the Hilton Precinct Group’s Gardens, Verges and Trees subcommittee.
A new garden bed in the park adjacent to the North Fremantle Social Farm will grow herbs and vegetables for the community to access at any time.
Imagined Futures will print and distribute informative materials from the ‘Where is the Door?’ campaign for people in the City of Fremantle who need help with mental health, family and domestic violence and financial support.
WA Loves Nature and the Samson community will plant butterfly host and nectar plants in a bare laneway in Samson to attract more native butterflies to the area.
Assistance with a First Nations artist in residence program and art exhibition with East Fremantle Primary School P&C.
The development and production of a radio program focussing on culture and community within the WA disability sector, by community radio station Freocast in collaboration with therapy provider Humdrum.
A fitness program, run by On My Feet, which comprises walking, stretching and strengthening, for people in the Davis Park area.
A multicultural event hosted by the Indian Ocean Dragon Boat Club to introduce the sport to a wider audience.
The Domestic Abuse Resource Training Institute will run a 12-week music and drama therapy workshop at Sullivan Hall in White Gum Valley for women and children who have experienced domestic violence.
Starting in Term 4, the Stephen Michael Foundation will deliver an after school, sports based physical activity program at the Fremantle PCYC in Hilton for at-risk and disengaged youth to increase participation and reduce anti-social behaviour.
Conducted at various venues in Fremantle, Reclink Australia will offer free sport, recreation, fitness and art programs for disadvantaged community members to improve physical & mental health and social connectedness.
Always Welcome: Nature meets Nurture
‘Always Welcome: Nature meets Nurture’ aims to address the ongoing community demand for placement and support for people living with all types of disabilities, barriers and backgrounds. The project will improve and enhance workplace conditions and opportunities for community engagement for vulnerable people. It will celebrate and enhance respect for diversity and inclusion. It will enable more people to engage at APACE in nursery, seed bank and community garden environments.
In order to increase the accessibility to volunteers, APACE will upgrade their seed bank facilities with adaptable tools and furniture, expand and convert quiet spaces for people with intellectual or sensory disabilities, purchase furniture and equipment to increase access and comfort for people with physical disabilities, improve pathways for increased mobility and conduct a public event for International Day for People with Disabilities and National Carers Week in 2024. A number of staff will also be trained in first aid to ensure they are prepared to deal with any emergencies that arise.
Grant: $7,500
Friendship Meetings
Ability Heroes is an organisation that aims to empower individuals with disabilities, providing them with the freedom to schedule outings to public spaces, event venues, and community programs. Outcomes include the fostering independence, dignity and respect and allowing everyone to participate meaningfully within caring, inclusive and supportive communities.
The three parts of the grant funded program include:
1. Monthly Friendship meetings in a relaxed atmosphere, inviting a guest speaker to involve individuals with inspiring stories in sport, arts, business, education or other. 2. Identifying what is important to the target group, about community access, inclusion and acceptance and encourage like-minded community members to plan future meetings. 3. Encouraging face-to-face soft skill training in computer skills to gather useful and timely information of community value. Regular community participants will be recognised on the Ability Heroes media platforms and awarded a certificate of completion.
Grant: $3,700
Expression Australia Community Program 2024
Expression Australia’s ‘Community Program 2024’ aims to encourage inclusion, social connectivity, and learning to empower the Deaf and Hard of hearing community to participate in the program and engage with the offerings within the City of Fremantle. The program has a focus on seniors and families with young children. For the younger cohort of children who are Deaf or Hard of hearing Expression Australia will engage in monthly playgroup sessions based in their Market Street premises through Auslan Story Time and they will create appropriate resources for early childhood development in the language of Auslan. This program can extend to playgroups in the suburbs of North Fremantle, Samson, Beaconsfield and O’Connor. Expression Australia will also work with senior community members to bring workshops and informative sessions around cybersecurity, accessing captioning on various technology devices, mental health and wellbeing strategies, and resources. Expression Australia will also encourage participation in sport by working with an external service such as a sporting club to provide accessible sessions encouraging active and healthier opportunities facilitated by our team of Auslan interpreters.
Mental Health First Aid Training
Inspire Community Service’s project is the delivery of two Mental Health First Aid courses, each with up to 24 participants, including a mix of local residents as well as people who work or volunteer within the city boundaries. The organisation will use social media marketing and word of mouth with targeting resident groups, sporting and youth groups and church groups as well as working with the City Community team to identify potential participants.
The project’s main aim is to educate people in the community about the early warning signs and empower as many people as possible to step up and start conversations around mental illness.
Grant: $6,300 including $800 in-kind venue support
The CommUNITY Project
The CommUNITY project is about supporting Fremantle families who are doing tough in the period leading up to Christmas. Families in need will be identified to receive $100 worth of free groceries through PortCare. This will help alleviate the financial stress of families especially going into the festive season and school holidays. Families will be able to self-select $100 worth of groceries specific to their dietary and household needs at our supermarket.
Grant: $3000
Wesley Link
The Wesley Link is a drop-in centre with a commercial kitchen. At present this is open twice a week to provide free hospitality to those who food and social connection. The project is attended by a wide range of people with different ages and ethnicity. It provides a quiet place for shelter and conversation as well as refreshment. Funding will be used to purchase consumables for people who attend the Link.
Grant: $2,000.
Improving awareness, connection and access to Foodbank WA Healthy Eating Hub
Foodbank WA currently run the Healthy Eating Hub – a food education centre located at the James St Fremantle Sunshine Harvester space. The Healthy Eating Hub promotes community inclusiveness and engagement for a broad range of residents, offering valuable education for adults, youth, parents, people living with disability and Indigenous Groups. With this funding, Foodbank WA can enhance the space with dedicated signage and partition walls which will allow for more functional use of our space for cooking classes. Additionally, they will run a targeted social campaign that engages greater awareness of cooking programs available at The Hub. These resources will assist their ability to better connect and collaborate with community groups and individuals in need of nutrition education programs.
Grant: $4,520.00
Four Schools Revegetate Cantonment Hill
The Friends of Cantonment Hill group protects, maintains and advocates for Cantonment Hill. The Group will buy 732 plants, wetting agent and fertilizer from APACEWA so that four local secondary school groups can plant them. The schools involved are CBC, John Curtin College of the Arts (JCCA), The Studio School and Fremantle College.
Grant: $3219.00
Beach St Country Music and Games Night
Global Mission United’s purpose is to provide food, fellowship and support to those in need in Perth and overseas. They serve food at the Beach St car park on Saturday evenings. Global Mission United will run four Country Music and Games nights at the Beach St car park area during their normal service times. The organisation will provide a healthy, nutritious meal, a musician and games to play. The project aims to enhance social connectivity for Fremantle Council residents who are sleeping rough, at risk of homelessness, and/or experiencing food insecurity or loneliness. By increasing social connectedness, the mental wellbeing of this vulnerable group of people will be enhanced.
Grant: $4000
Signage – North Fremantle Social Farm
The North Fremantle Social Farm is a community farm initiative by members in North Fremantle. This project is intended to raise the profile of the North Fremantle Social Farm and to inform local residents and members of the Farm of upcoming events. An enclosed lockable, weatherproof noticeboard will be installed on the street front for posting hardcopy announcements, and four permanent signs identifying the Farm will be installed on the perimeter fence with good lines of sight to neighbouring streets. The group will also purchase two teardrop banners to be displayed on the day of events at the Farm and to be used at workshops and offsite promotional events. This initiative is part of the commitment to engage with local North Fremantle residents and the wider community to both inform and to encourage participation in activities at the Farm.
Grant: $2,431
Fremantle Fun and Games for Autumn Years in Spring
The Fremantle Park Sport & Community Centre Centre provides sporting, social and health-promoting activities for Fremantle residents and visitors. The a Fremantle Fun and Games for Autumn Years in Spring will offer activities to improve knowledge and inspire behaviour in healthy ageing for residents of Fremantle and members of Fremantle Park Sport and Recreation Centre. Games address nutrition, personal physical activity, social physical activity, other social activity, mindfulness and meditation, altruism, skills and self-efficacy, hygiene and medical matters. A minimum of 20 activities will be offered over a 9-week period at the Centre. A regular feature will be BEA VEAYN BINGO© (pronounced Bare Vane, Manx Gaelic for Long Life), based on a traditional bingo game but with 90 images in the 8+2 healthy ageing categories, identified from peer-reviewed scientific literature and the World Health Organisation, of behaviours found to promote healthy ageing.
Grant: $5,000
Hazel Orme 100 year Jubilee Fair and Book
Hazel Orme ‘s 100 year Jubilee Fair and book will commemorate the 100th year of the Kindergarten in 2023. The book will be authored by an artist connected with the kindergarten and the story authored by two parents of children at the kindergarten. The book will be created through community workshops open to all children aged 4-5 in the City of Fremantle and their parents. The Kindergarten will celebrate the 100 year Jubilee with a community fair on the grounds and engaging local food providers and musicians. They also plan to hold a similar activation at the City of Fremantle library.
Wisdom Project Australia
Wisdom Project Australia is an eight week, two hours per week group program, designed to assist people over sixty to review their lives in safe and supportive ways. The project aims to assist in clearing out old beliefs, patterns of behaviour and ideas, and to enable them to make positive decisions about their future.
Grant: $4,288
The CommUNITY project is about supporting Fremantle families who are doing tough in the period leading up to Christmas as well as celebrating the contribution of Fremantle residents who volunteer at PortCare. The project includes two components:
The Wesley Link is a drop-in centre with a commercial kitchen. At present this is open twice a week to provide free hospitality to those who are in need of food and social connection. The project is attended by a wide range of people with different ages and ethnicity. It provides a quiet place for shelter and conversation as well as refreshment.
The Wesley Link has recently been refurbished to provide a more welcoming and attractive environment. Weekly attendance stands at around 60. The grant funding will provide assistance with the provision of food supplies.
Grant: $2,500
A Buzz in the Garden
‘A Buzz in the Garden’ is a program aimed at getting people involved in learning about and caring for bees through being able to safely participate in the opening and management of an active hive located in the East Freo Farm Community Garden. The grant will allow the Farm to buy six sets of protective clothing (bee keeping suits and gloves) for a range of participants (children, youth to mid-teens, and adults).
Grant: $950
Meals for Homeless and Children at Risk
Through the community grant funding, the Rotary Club of Fremantle has offered to provide breakfast to children at Fremantle College on a weekly basis. Studies have shown that good nutrition aids concentration and learning, hence children in this group who are not currently eating breakfast are at risk of not achieving their full potential.
In addition to this new initiative,the Rotary Club has recently provided and served an evening meal at 100 Hampton Road community housing facitlity. The group would like to increase participation by providing and serving a meal just prior to Christmas.
Our Local Plan for Connecting Aboriginal Children in Care with Family, Community, and Culture
This project sets out a range of impactful measures to articulate ways of deepening connections for Aboriginal children in care with enduring natural supports and harness the resources that exist in the community to:
These initiatives have been informed and developed by Aboriginal people who see, on a daily basis, the disconnect Aboriginal families and children are facing with the crisis in care, health and wellbeing of Aboriginal families.
School Holiday Program
Fremantle PCYC received funding to hold four school holiday activities over a four-week period during January. The activities are aimed at 8-14 year olds.
Fremantle PCYC school holiday programs are specifically designed to engage at-risk young people to reduce idleness, boredom, and the number of street present young people in the City of Fremantle. Through discussions with participants PCYC staff have been able to design a program that will draw in at-risk young people to a safe and inviting environment with activities that will keep them engaged. Each session will include a life skills/educational workshop, healthy meal and a physical activity.
The Fremantle PCYC school holiday program will aim to improve overall wellbeing for young people and will also offer a safe space for connection between young people which youth within the City of Fremantle have specifically requested.
Grant: $2,800
The Fremantle Audiowalk is a self-directed walk that begins near the E Shed and follows the pedestrian path to the fishing harbour and around Esplanade Park. Participants download an MP3, at no charge, wherein noted actor Monica Main, whose performance of The Swashline Secret at the Shipwreck Museum was nominated for the Performing Arts WA award, narrates the social and natural history along the path. Unlike walking tours, this audiowalk is free to use and allows listeners to leave and pick up again when they want.
The walks are designed with diverse mobilities in mind, the walks are also accessible for community groups and health organisations to take members and clients.
Building 18 single occupant homes on land owned by the PTA and leased to “My Home” at a long-term peppercorn lease. The project is underpinned by Housing First principles, providing homes and wrap-around support services to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Focusing on Women over 55 who are homeless or at risk or becoming homeless.
Grant: $4,976.06
This project will establish an efficient reticulation system and hold an event to celebrate the Annie St Community Garden in Beaconsfield that includes a bush tucker garden, orchard and vegetable beds. This event aims to encourage wider community and local business participation in the garden. Their garden committee consists of a group of local residents who meet at the garden monthly without fail over the last 2 years. Once of the goals of this project is to raise awareness, increase volunteering and involvement in the garden from members of the local community to counteract social isolation and provide a safe, outdoor meeting place for gardening and sustainable living events.
The Winterfold Primary School is also excited to see the garden well managed and are supportive of the project. They envisage more involvement with local parents and the broader community once the Annie St Community Garden is able to run productive gardening sessions.
Grant: $4,800
The ‘Youth Place Drop-In’ program is designed to create a safe space where young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness can be taught vital skills to help them live securely and independently as valued and connected members of the Fremantle Community. The first of its kind in Fremantle, the program will be aimed at young people aged between 15 and 25 who are experiencing hardship due to relationship breakdowns, family and domestic violence, mental health and drug and alcohol challenges.
Delivered as a series of 12 free workshops over a 12-month period, by the Youth Place team, it will include neighbouring support networks and volunteers from across the Fremantle community. Each workshop will combine education and practical skills development with positive, social engagement in a welcoming and accessible group setting in Fremantle, to help young people overcome barriers which prevent them from accessing safe support services in the community. The projects workshops will cover; Family Domestic Violence, Sexual Health, Support Networks in Fremantle for Young People, Financial Information, Employment skills such as resume building or interview preparation, Meal preparation and cooking skills, Skate Session at the skate park at Montreal Street, White Gum Valley, LGBTQI+ Safe Space session, Art Therapy Session, Parenting Sessions.
Each workshop will be incentivized to boost participation with food vouchers, SmartRiders, journals and other prizes. The workshops will also cater to young people with families and couples, and take place in accessible and inclusive locations such as 3 Beach Street, Fremantle. One of the key goals of the Youth Place Drop-In program is to connect with young people unfamiliar with – or who have previously faced barriers to – safe, local support services and to integrate them with service providers such as Youth Place.
Grant: $4,088
Indian Ocean Dragon Boat Club is a social and competitive dragon boat paddling club with over thirty members and growing. The club has two shipping containers and an erect a fence as storage space to help with the expanding club and alleviate ongoing issues the club have faced due to the space becoming a hotspot for vandalism and burglaries, with the sheds broken into numerous times. The club is aware that shipping container may become a hotshot for graffiti and have applied for this Community Grant to install better security so that this does not happen through a community project.
This project will collaborate with the local primary school and community to paint a mural on the shipping container, erect a security fence and install security lighting. All volunteers involved from the school and community have an opportunity to try dragon boating and the Indian Ocean Dragon Boat Club are hosting a BBQ.
Fremantle Choir Incorporated a.k.a. Fremantle Women’s Choir has existed as a community group for over 30 years! They are made up of mostly retirees but do have a few younger members. They are currently canvassing for additional members and would be delighted to welcome anyone who is interested. They hire a musical director and an accompanist to train and support us in our rehearsals and concerts. In previous Fremantle concerts, they had equipment, technical and acoustic failure. Through the Community Grant we were able to purchase new equipment and you can see them in action for the Christmas concert 2022, we have booked the Fremantle Town Hall.
Grant: $2,753
Hilton Primary School is located at the heart of Hilton in the City of Fremantle, and nurtures the future community members of Hilton, the children! The school community is growing, thanks to the increasing number of young families settling into the garden suburb. Currently the upper school children Years 3-6 only have a choice of playing in the playground (which is in full sun during recess and lunch), or playing sport on the oval or ball courts (full sun). The proposed project aims to offer alternative play and connection opportunities under the tree-lined space adjacent to the oval (on the outside of the school’s perimeter fence – accessible to the general public).
The Community Grant supports the incorporation of the cultural and environmental history of Walyalup, the Whadjuk people as the traditional owners; and the cultural significance of the Derbal Yerrigan. Therefore, Nature Based Play’s design will incorporate educational opportunities (through subtle carvings, murals and signage) for users to learn and connect. All of which will work towards creating a strong sense of place, and reflect the Fremantle Port environment as part of WA’s unique and diverse culture and environment. Local Indigenous Artist (and past Hilton Primary School student) Turid Calgaret will facilitate 2 consultations with students and interested Hilton Community members, with a view to incorporate ideas/artwork into the space (e.g. murals, wood carvings).
Grant: $1,000
Nannine Common community garden aims to provide a safe inclusive space for the White Gum Valley community to connect, grow, share food, and provide habitat for local wildlife. The community garden will be located in the currently vacant block immediately south of Sullivan Hall adjacent to the Sustainable Housing Artists Collective on Nannine Avenue in White Gum Valley. A concept diagram has been developed after several meetings of interested community members in 2021 and 2022.
The nature biodiversity strip (community garden) will connect existing native landscaping in the White Gum Valley development with Booyeembara Park and verge plantings in White Gum Valley to provide habitat for local wildlife. The nature biodiversity strip will feature local endemic plants with large tree canopy and layered planting of shrubs and ground covers. Species selection will encourage pollinators such as native birds and insects, as well as food and habitat trees for endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos.
Grant: $2,000
In our climate and on Whadjuk Boodja, we see the Winter Solstice as a chance to welcome the Noongar season of Makaru – our wet rainy season which revives and nourishes our habitats, gardens and replenishes our water sources. It is an opportunity to come together around fires and ‘crafting’ activities.
The event objective is linked to the White Gum Valley Community Orchard mission to provide events which celebrate the seasons and bring people together for play and community celebration. This event connects the community to these winter / Makaru seasonal activities. This has grown from a small celebration initiated by a few families in the White Gum Valley playgroup, to an annual event that involves the local school and kindergarten, and a broad cross-section of the community through the event activities and Lantern walk. In 2022 it be the 9th year the Winter Solstice has been celebrated in White Gum Valley.
Grant: $1,850
The Rottnest society will Collaborate with local Whadjuk Noongar William Hayward who is an esteemed Aboriginal consultant and Curtin University Lecturer who conducted the Roundhouse Smoking Ceremony with Dr. Brad Pettitt. William’s extended family will also be apart of the interpreted nature walk / island hike that shares the stories and connection of our first nations people with Wadjemup. Enabling us to connect to the stories and spiritual importance of this place for the Whadjuk Noongar, the wider Western Australian aboriginal community and with the integrity, beauty and biodiversity of the land.
Creating a hike along one of the bidis towards the West End of Wadjemup to Rottnest on September 18, 2022. Tickets are free for all people of aboriginal decent and Rottnest Society Members.
Grant: $2,798
Institute 361 facilitates Go classes for libraries, communities and maker spaces. Introducing strategic board games to your Library is a wonderful way to engage community in a fun and meaningful way. Playing Go contributes to sustainable, connected, safe and diverse places for everyone. The “GO Community” project is of significance, as it will be the first project of this kind in Australia, and the first ever project to include formal Go programs.
Go fosters innovative thinking, and adds a playful element in creating inter-cultural and inter-generational socially cohesive society. The long term goal is to create a GO Community in the City of Fremantle that is inclusive for everyone to socialise, learn and most importantly, have fun!
Grant: $4,990
Forget-me-not cafe’s encourage carers and their partners, living with dementia, to coexist in a social atmosphere, with no fear of embarrassment, misunderstandings, or judgement, as they share a morning with others who are travelling down the same road. With the Community Grant the Forget-me-not cafe is able to provide therapeutic but fun activities for its visitors.
Pet Therapy Library
This grant will allow for the purchase of doll and pet therapy supplies for member’s use while visiting the Forget-Me-Not Cafe. Members can loan these items and take them home with them for the month between visits. Doll Therapy is a recognised therapeutic intervention for people living with dementia and is regularly recommended by occupational health professionals to assist with the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Unfortunately, many members who attend the Cafe do not have the means to purchase the items themselves. The Therapy Library will provide a free service and assist community participation and engagement.
Wishing Wall
The Wishing Wall, allows people living with Dementia and their carers to write wishes on the leaves provided which are then placed on the wall. When the wall is full with leaves a book will be created made of wishes along with a variety of photos taken throughout the year at the memory café. Funding from this grant will assist in publishing this book and help create memories for the community who attends the Cafe.
Grant: $4,560
Connect, Move and Play Project
The Connect, Move and Play (CoMaP) program aims to engage people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in sport and physical activity as a means not only to improve health, but to enhance a sense of social connection and belonging. We have identified a need within CaLD communities in the City of Fremantle’s who have been disconnected from the wider community and aren’t participating in anything involving other communities groups so we plan on connecting communities together and making for a more inclusive wider community.
Project timeline: 15 November 2021- 01 July 2022 | Grant: $4000
Youth Week WA KickstART Festival: Walyalup Day
Since 2011, the KickstART Festival has been the flagship metropolitan event for Youth Week WA and is held during the April school holidays each year. KickstART is a large-scale youth festival offering young people in WA –aged between 12 and 26 – free opportunities to be creative, develop their skills, showcase their work to the community, advocate and connect on the issues that matter to them, and to find out about the arts organisations, cultural institutions, and service providers available to them.
Project timeline: 13 April- 14 April 2022 | Grant: $5,500
The Wesley Link is a drop-in centre with a commercial kitchen. At present this is open twice a week to provide free hospitality to those who require tea, coffee, toast, cheese and cup of soup etc. The project is attended by a wide range of people with different ages and ethnicity. It provides a quiet place for shelter and conversation as well as refreshment. The link is run entirely by volunteers, and we are constantly seeking to increase volunteer numbers to enable increasing opening times. The grant sought is specifically to assist with the provision of food supplies and some of the running costs of the link.
Project timeline: 01 October 2021- 30 September 2022 | Grant: $2000
Bush Tucker Garden Planting Day
The North Fremantle Social Farm conduct a community planting day for the bush tucker garden bed, combined with a talk about bush tucker, followed by a catered meal. We will engage a local Nyungar bush tucker expert and procure catering services from a local Indigenous business. We have already identified an appropriate Nyungar expert and also two Indigenous catering businesses in the Fremantle area.
Project timeline: 01 December 2021- 31 July 2022 | Grant: $2,750
Noongar Language and Culture for the Buds n Blooms Program
The purpose of this project is to engage with the local Noongar Community to bring local language and culture into the program. This initiative will seek to embed Noongar seasonality, knowledge of flora and fauna, food and cycles into the weekly program, through language, song and rhyme. Through the guidance and support of the Noongar educators, we will create a series of language posters and songs for the BnB program. Language books and song books will be purchased for the program, and will be shared with the BnB and wider Hilton Harvest Community.
Project timeline: 02 February- 30 November 2022 | Grant: $5000
Belonging Through Sport and Recreation
This program not only create a safe space for the participants to exercise, but to help change their perspective by improving attitudes towards physical activity and social connection. This was achieved by the provision of uniforms and merchandise for our Fremantle sporting program participants to provide them with a sense of belonging.
Due to the isolation impacts of COVID 19, many people, particularly vulnerable groups, have become despondent and feeling alone. The programs provided opportunities for people to socially connect for their mental and physical wellbeing.
Project timeline: 28 July- 8 December 2021 | Grant: $5000
Post COVID-19 Restart Face-to-Face Mental Health Support Groups
BlueBird Mental Health’s mission is to build the confidence of individuals over 25 to manage anxiety and depression by providing access to professionally facilitated peer support networks, educational events and information resources.
This project aims to re-commence delivery of face-to-face group sessions in the Fremantle community for our attendees. Facilitator led face-to-face group meetings run fortnightly for two hours in duration in a venue that supports the ability for participants to share of their personal thoughts and feelings in a safe and secure environment.
Project timeline: 7 July- 10 November 2021 | Grant: $3500
Liberation Theatre Women’s Mental Health and Wellbeing for Family and Domestic Violence
This project is a participatory theatre project using embodied, playful games, storytelling and safe space to create performance for aboriginal women and women in Fremantle community who have lived experience of Family & Domestic Violence (FDV). This work honours lived FDV experience. This project uses Theatre for Living (TFL). TFL is not therapy, but it is therapeutic.
Project timeline: 13 May- 17 June 2021 | Grant: $2500
Women’s Yarning Club
Yarning circles have been used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years to discuss issues in an inclusive and collaborative matter. It is important to be present, to have respectful interactions, to be open and honest, to listen deeply, acknowledge others and offer your own thoughts and feelings in turn. The Women’s Yarning Club encouraged this sense of community through their project. Participants were encouraged to bring their young children as the Yarning club offered children’s activities and an Aboriginal Creche Worker. These activities fostered accountability and provided a safe place to be heard and to respond.
Project timeline: 28 April-15 December 2021 | Grant: $3000
Orchard Accessibility and Places for Resting and Making
The WGV Community Orchard has been creating a local community space over the last six years which is used daily by people walking, enjoying the orchard produce, or playing with children, as well as regular seasonal events to encourage people to connect, volunteer and participate around growing, harvesting and sharing of food from all cultures. However, they noted several gaps which are reducing access to all the community and reducing opportunities for people to rest and connect socially and with green space, to extend the value of the orchard as community space – even more important to support COVID19 recovery.
The project focused on:
1. Constructing the missing section of path from Samson Street entrance
2. Installing timber seating benches
3. Installing a washing trough
Project timeline: 1 June 2021- 31 March 2022 | Grant: $3000
FremantleMind Inc. Life Skills Groups
MyLocalMind Inc. Is a grassroots initiative focused on changing the way mental health is viewed and treated in a community setting. The project ran two of the Life Skills Groups each lasting a period of nine weeks with the aim of decreasing social isolation, enhancing self-esteem, and providing specific information and skills development around mental health. Topics covered during the nine weeks will include mental health, emotions, communication and conflict resolution, problem solving and goal setting, relationships and domestic violence.
These believe these sessions will assist participants to better manage challenges in their lives, including but not limited to mental health issues, and levels of distress. The sessions will also encourage participants to develop support networks and connect with their community.
Project timeline: 15 June- 21 August 2021 | Grant: $2500
Colourful Cultures Runway and Marketplace
Colourful Cultures Runway & Marketplace was a Fremantle-based event working to amplify the diverse voices, capabilities and talents of people with disabilities. People with a disability are disproportionately isolated and face reduced access to community support, as a direct result of COVID-19. COVID-19 restrictions across 2020 and into 2021 have financially and socially impacted our Microenterprise owners. The cancellation of markets and other community events that our Microenterprise owners attended regularly and freely has limited their opportunity to make sales and perhaps more importantly, engage with their peers.
Ultimately, Colourful Cultures Runway and Marketplace celebrated and showcased the unique passions, skills, and capabilities of local people with disabilities, which we believe is sorely needed and would create overwhelmingly positive outcomes.
Project timeline: 18 September- 18 September 2021 | Grant: $5000
Message in a Teacup – Pilot Project
The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant impacts across all aspects of our community and led to many people feeling disconnected, stressed and unsure about the future. This project offers a simple non-threatening activity offering hope, kindness and inspiration to vulnerable people and others who live in our community as well as a positive boost to project participants. The project also includes a useful training opportunity from a mental health professional on how to offer mental health support to people in our neighbourhoods.
Project timeline: 1 July- 31 October 2021 | Grant: $3000
Florescence Project
The Florescence program is about championing the mental health of our young people and creating a safe space where youth can feel free to express themselves creatively and connect meaningfully with other young people. There is a wealth of evidence that supports art therapy as a powerful tool for individual and community mental health and wellbeing. In 2019 the World Health Organisation published a report based on over 900 publications and 3000 studies that supported the benefits of arts in relation to mental health and wellbeing.
Project timeline: May 2021- February 2022 | Grant: $3500
Seven projects were awarded funding in the City of Fremantle’s Arts and Community Grants September 2020 round. The community grants program supports projects and initiatives that make a positive contribution to Fremantle’s community.
Indigenous Spirituality – Wayapa Wuurrk
Described as a form of Indigenous yoga/tai chi, Wayapa Wuurrk teaches mindfulness by incorporating Indigenous philosophy with a series of coordinated movements. The practice emphasises the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with one’s surroundings, most notably nature. Wayapa Wuurrk uses a variety of techniques by focusing on breathing and a series of gentle physical movements. Workshops will be held at Fremantle Women’s Health Centre, Manjaree at the University of Notre Dame and Replants.
Project timeline: February–August 2021 Grant: $3750
PorchFest
Planned for Harbour Street in South Fremantle, PorchFest will see local musicians performing on neighbour’s porches for free.
Project timeline: 9 May 2021 Grant: $5000
Repair Cafe Fremantle
Repair Cafe Fremantle (RCF) is a community facilitated waste management initiative aiming to reduce landfill by offering free repairs to household items whilst simultaneously encouraging the retention of repair practice and waste minimisation in the community.
RCF aims to assist with community recovery from COVID-19 by encouraging volunteer participation and improving community inclusiveness.
RCF is held on the first Sunday of each month. The repair session lasts for two hours and all community members are welcome to attend. Normally, RCF facilitates 10 repair sessions per year (no repair session in January or July due to school holidays).
Project timeline: 11 November 2020–11 November 2020 Grant: $1500
Wesley Link Project
The provision of a meal and a safe place to meet in the City of Fremantle. The project provides conversation and an opportunity to share and receive some personal help with respect and understanding.
Project timeline: 30 October 2020–30 June 2021 Grant: $2160
Leighton Community Action Network Sustainability Program
Leighton Beach Repair Program Stage 1: In association with the City of Fremantle, Cottesloe Coastcare and other Perth coastal land management and natural resource management experts, LCAN Inc will establish a team of interested community members to undertake a series of dune restoration works across the Leighton Beach zone. It will include dune weeding and the strategic replanting of suitable plant species across the fore and secondary dune areas. Much of the Leighton Beach zone needs urgent protection, restoration and general ongoing maintenance.
Project timeline: 1 June–31 August 2021 Grant: $2000
The Festival of Remembrance and The River of Ribbon Project
White Gum Valley residents will be invited to participate in The River of Ribbon Project by tying a ribbon around a tree in their front yard, front door, or letterbox. The ribbons will be hand delivered over the month January. This ribbon represents the legacy of their loved one who has died. The ribbons also represent the connectivity of our neighbourhood, the universality of loss and remembrance and a physical motif to connect strangers to neighbours and neighbours to community. The River of Ribbon Project will be the first step residents take to participate in the Festival of Remembrance held the following month.
The Festival of Remembrance will be held on 7 February 2021 at Sullivan Community Hall. The Festival is a multigenerational, family friendly event promoting death literacy education, interactive workshops, creative and artistic installations, children’s literature on death and dying, information sessions on Compassionate Communities and much more.
Project timeline: 16 November 2020–8 February 2021 Grant: $4000
Women’s Informal Network (WIN)
The Women’s Informal Network (WIN) promotes positive outcomes for the at-risk group of women over 50 in the Fremantle area. Women over 50 are at risk of high levels of un(der)employment and homelessness, which makes them increasingly vulnerable to depression, isolation and alienation, drug and alcohol abuse, and all forms of violence. COVID-19 has added greater severity to these issues and exacerbated social isolation. Meaningful social connection is the antidote.
The project offers a comprehensive and highly participatory 26-week Women’s Informal Network Program to be run from 25 November 2020 to 24 May 2021 to provide a safe place for women to meet other women to strengthen their social support networks, levels of resilience, participate in activities and events and access community resources.
Project timeline: 25 November 2020–27 May 2021 Grant: $4030
Project: Wellbeing for Youth | Making Mindful Movement Matter
Making Mindful Movement Matter is a comprehensive six month program addressing Fremantle’s youth and their future health and wellbeing. The program consists of free physical and mental wellbeing classes and workshops for youth with a fun engaging program supporting physical fitness and learning tools to support self-regulation, self-care and social emotional learning opportunities. The program also offers free access to evidence-based training and skills development for carefully selected adults who are passionate about youth wellbeing, such as a Fremantle youth worker, community hero, parent, volunteer, educator or social worker with the goal to establish a sustainable program in the community.
Project: Experience Fremantle from the Inside
A publicised event that generates community pride for Fremantle, helping locals and businesses understand Fremantle’s hidden treasures and build the desired community that visitor’s sense at every touch point. It will include a series of walking tours; open house style meets and special offers to try first hand our best experiences. It will engage young people, retail businesses that are struggling and Fremantle families to view their City through different eyes.
Project: Free community mental health and wellbeing services
Delivery of an ongoing range of free, evidence-based activities to the community that is beneficial to mental health and wellbeing. These include mindfulness, creative expression, yoga, life skills workshops, group fitness, DRUMBEAT®, and discussion forums around mental health topics. All are supervised by a registered mental health clinician.
Project: St Pats and UCW – Client Christmas Party
For many years, St Pats and Uniting Care West Fremantle have held individual Christmas parties for its clients. Christmas can be a difficult time for vulnerable people, and both organisations have worked hard to put together a joyful event that celebrates the year past and hope for the year ahead. This year, the organisations are working together on a joint event in Princess May Park on 18 December. Combining the best of UCW and St Pat’s approaches, it will be a picnic-style cold lunch. There will be a range of entertainment, including a visit from Santa. Given the resource constraints affecting all not-for-profits, collaboration between services is increasingly important. A joint event will not only allow them to deliver a better event for clients, it will also help develop and cement relationships between staff of the agencies.
Project: Spinnaker HRF Annual Awards Night
Spinnaker Health Research Foundation was established as an independent charitable entity Fremantle Hospital Medical Research Foundation in 1996, and later re-branded Spinnaker in an homage to its founding Chair Warren Jones under an expanded agreement with Fiona Stanley Hospital. Its Annual Awards Night event is an opportunity to celebrate the beginning of new research projects, in the knowledge that they will have an impact on the health and wellbeing of our community. 2019 marked a record number of grant applications, and it is our aim to award as much of our budget as possible to research projects.
Project: North Fremantle Football Club Centenary – ‘We Shall Never Forget Your Sons’
North Fremantle Football Club (NFFC) is one of the oldest football clubs in Western Australia and will be celebrating its centenary in 2020. To commemorate the milestone the club is looking to preserve its rich history by digitising club records, photographs and memorabilia as well as collecting oral history and video records from significant club contributors. This will then be used to develop an eight-page printed publication which tells the significant stories of North Fremantle Football Club and its community. The publication will be developed by a life member Baden Pratt who is a historical author and ex journalist.
Published every two years, Fremantle Studies is a publication comprising articles and research focusing on the history and heritage of Fremantle. This 10th volume will contain papers from a diverse range of topics including institutional histories (Fremantle Library, Fremantle Art Collection, Deckchair Theatre), Fremantle links to the Crimean War, analysis of the history of the conservation movement in Fremantle and a window onto two local areas (Hilton and South Beach).
Cycling Without Age is an international, not-for-profit organisation which connects elderly (and less mobile) people to their community and local environment. The Australian arm promotes active citizenship across all ages and facilitates volunteering participation and social inclusion. It has recently raised funds for a trishaw bike to use in the Fremantle community.
Hilton Harvest Community Garden is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a number of community events. The events will acknowledge the achievements and the dedication of its volunteers throughout the years, while strengthening its sustainability into the future and encouraging people to actively participate in the community and foster a sense of place.
The idea for Craft For Life came from two local business owners (Leah Vlatko of Sun and Flower Studios and Charlotte Kenyon of Cirqlate) who wanted to give back to the community in a way that utilised their craft skills. The project will see like-minded people in the community come together and make craft in a free, non-prescriptive, friendly environment.
The group is celebrating Sullivan Hall’s 60th anniversary and promoting the role it has played over the years in creating ‘community’. It will also develop awareness of Aboriginal history and connection to the local area and honour community spirit legacy which is still strong today.
Bike Budz is a community group that will provide people in the greater Fremantle area with regular access to a bicycle workshop space, and the training and support to teach participants to fix and maintain bikes themselves. Donated bikes will be provided to participants from the workshops and outreach programs via partnership with the Fremantle Recycling Centre, with priority given to people in need. The workshop will be open to everyone, specifically targeting lower income earners who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to buy or maintain a bike.
Fremantle Women’s Health Centre are looking to transform a cramped and under-utilised urban space into an inviting and healthy green space to be enjoyed by clients, staff, the neighbourhood and wider community. The group aims to create a productive, sustainable and inclusive garden environment, providing access to low income and at-risk women who may not otherwise be accessing community gardens and other healthy food suppliers.
Project description: Introducing Dance for Parkinson’s Classes in Fremantle at DADAA (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts). September to December 2018.
Project description: Community singing workshops in Nyoongar language facilitated by Madjitil Moorna: Kobi Morrison and Leonie Wilkes with special guest Aunty Josie Wowolla Boyle at the Fremantle PCYC, Hilton. May to September 2018.
Project description: Boxing and personal development for girls and young women at Fremantle PCYC, Hilton. May to December 2018.
Project description: Maladjiny events. 3 on 3 basketball competitions alongside Nyoongar cultural activities to bring young people together and build cross-cultural relationships. South Beach Sports Hub, South Fremantle. Summer 2018/2019.
Event Description: Christmas lunch in Princess May Park for up to 150 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness as well as socially and economically disadvantaged. Community members encouraged to volunteer for the event and enjoy entertainment provided by St Patrick’s clients.
Project description: Wu Tao relaxation and movement sessions for people with dementia and their carers. July to September 2018.
Event Description: NAIDOC week fashion event in collaboration with ‘City of Fremantle NAIDOC Week 2017’ launch at WAPCYC – Fremantle branch, Hilton. Partnered with Hannah Collard modelling to provide for coaching classes and capacity building with Aboriginal youth at Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
Project Description: ‘Targeted anthropological support and intervention for migrant and refugee children at risk’. Young children, their siblings and families supported through individual “anthropology of play” intervention sessions, home visits and development and wider involvement with the neighbours and the community.
Project Description: Free ‘Safe Space Hip Hop 4 Health workshops’ for 6 to 15 year olds. The Hip Hop 4 Health project uses music that young people like and teaches dance moves in a creative environment that enables young people to feel positive about their ability to achieve something that is meaningful to them. The workshops also encourage positive messages of good physical and mental health.
