What is the Regional Community Events Fund?
The Regional Community Events Fund is a program that seeks to enable the continued operation of public community events in regional Victoria by supporting costs and regulatory requirements of staging COVIDSafe events, and assisting in increasing community confidence in attending these events.
Background
The Regional Community Events Fund (RCEF) has been established by the Victorian Government as part of the Government’s commitment to support regional and rural Victoria to recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.The RCEF will provide funding support for events that can demonstrate the financial impacts on their operations as a result of staging COVIDSafe events.
The Fund will be administered by Visit Victoria, which will consult with Regional Development Victoria on the strength of applications, with final endorsement of funding allocations presented to the Minister for Regional Development.
Objectives
The Regional Community Events Fund aims:
- To support community events with increased costs of running COVIDSafe events;
- To provide marketing support to assist with event promotion and awareness of COVIDSafe compliance to ensure community confidence; and
- To increase economic and social benefits through supporting the continuation of community events.
Funding
Grants of up to $25,000 (ex GST) are available for eligible events from a total funding pool of $1 million.
Eligible Projects
Eligible costs include:
- Support towards additional costs to implement COVIDSafe measures at events, such as, but not limited to:
- Density management/crowd management;
- Record keeping;
- Communications;
- Covid marshals;
- Event temporary fencing; and
- Cleaning and hygiene
- Cost of marketing activities required to increase visitor confidence in attending events.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible community events include, but are not limited to, those falling into the following categories:
- Creative;
- Cultural;
- Festival;
- Sport;
- Culinary;
- Agricultural/country shows; and
- Community public holiday celebrations such as Australia Day or ANZAC Day
Support will be considered for events that:
- Are public community events
- Demonstrate financial and organisational capacity to successfully deliver the event;
- Are inclusive, enhance community wellbeing and social connectedness; and
- Can demonstrate community economic benefit.
Applications will be considered from:
- Private sector organisations;
- Not for profit organisations, including sporting, cultural and community groups that are an incorporated body, cooperative or association;
- Local government authorities;
- Venues;
- Funded organisations must have:
- An Australian Business Number (ABN); and
- A minimum of $20 million public liability insurance and other relevant insurance cover
Timing
Applications close 30 November 2021.
