Gippsland Community Foundation

Gippsland Community Foundation We’re a charitable foundation dedicated to creating empowered, resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities in Gippsland.

This week we had the pleasure of joining the Buchan community for the opening of the new Buchan Recreation Reserve Pavil...
18/06/2026

This week we had the pleasure of joining the Buchan community for the opening of the new Buchan Recreation Reserve Pavilion.

This project has been years in the making, with GCF first providing funding in 2021 while plans were still taking shape. Since then, the Buchan community have shown remarkable determination, adapting to changing needs and continuing to move the project forward.

That’s the beauty of Community Foundation funding. Our role isn’t to tell communities what they need, impose immovable funding deadlines, or to fully fund major builds.

Instead, we work alongside to understand community priorities and, where we can, help fill the gaps.

In this case Buchan let us know that included

🚿 Temporary amenities blocks to keep the reserve operating during construction

🏏 Refurbishment of the cricket pitch to enable local competition

📱 Purchase of an iPad for cricket scoring

🚎 Construction of the new Pony Club facility, which also houses the Buchan Community Bus

🏠 Removal of the old pavilion, funded from the sale of those four amenities blocks.

The entire recreation centre is a wonderful example of local vision, collaboration, and community persistence with support from multiple partners including East Gippsland Shire Council, Emergency Recovery Victoria, Darren Chester MP, Tim Bull MP and many others.

Congratulations to every committee, volunteer, and community member who played a part in making this project a reality.

You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved.

Congratulations Mallacoota Tool Library, another brilliant example of why connected communities are stronger, safer, and...
01/06/2026

Congratulations Mallacoota Tool Library, another brilliant example of why connected communities are stronger, safer, and more resilient.

We’re delighted to have been able to support the Tool Library in 2025 with a further $16,700 for refreshing tools and equipment.

Then again in 2026 with $6,600 for security systems to keep their site safe, and a trailer to help transport tools and equipment within the Mallacoota community.

These funds were made possible with public donations to the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfire Appeal.

Well done again Mallacoota Tool Library 👏 👏 👏
(And thanks for the shout-out NEMA!)
National Emergency Management Agency

Tax time is almost here again, and if you’re deep into EOFY planning it may also be a good time to think about giving lo...
28/05/2026

Tax time is almost here again, and if you’re deep into EOFY planning it may also be a good time to think about giving locally.

At GCF we’ve been known as grant makers for years now, but did you know we’re also fundraisers?

A donation to Gippsland Community Foundation helps support community led projects, local initiatives, and programs that help strengthen Gippsland communities.

Big or small, your tax-time donation helps back your neighbourhood volunteers, the locals on the ground, doing the work in your community.

Local giving helps create local impact. Gippsland Community Foundation is a DGR1 registered charity, meaning your donation is tax deductible.

Make an impact at https://www.gippslandcf.org.au/generous-gippsland

It’s National Volunteer Week!We'd like to acknowledge the thousands of people across Gippsland giving their time, skills...
21/05/2026

It’s National Volunteer Week!
We'd like to acknowledge the thousands of people across Gippsland giving their time, skills and energy to strengthen their communities.

Every single one of the more than 500 community initiatives we’ve supported since 2021, and every dollar of the $10 million awarded, has relied on volunteers willing to step forward.

Volunteering in a community project often involves far more than lending a hand. Volunteers are managing projects and budgets, applying for grants and permits, working with trades and contractors, navigating regulations, engaging stakeholders, understanding local priorities and carrying significant responsibility, all while balancing work, family and everyday life.

These are the people behind community halls, local events, skills programs, recovery projects, and countless initiatives that help communities stay connected.

To every volunteer across Gippsland, thank you. Your contribution creates lasting impact right across the region, and we’re honoured to be able to award funding that helps empower your efforts.

We’re proud to be present at this year’s Community Foundations Australia national forum being held at the Abbotsford Con...
19/05/2026

We’re proud to be present at this year’s Community Foundations Australia national forum being held at the Abbotsford Convent.

Executive Officer, Michelle Dowsett and Chair, Lara Caplygin, are networking alongside peers from across Gippsland, Victoria, Australia and globally to connect, learn and share ideas that strengthen community philanthropy.

This important gathering brings together community foundations and supporters committed to creating lasting local impact through collaboration, innovation and a shared vision for stronger, more resilient communities.

We’re looking forward to bringing these insights back to Gippsland and continuing to work alongside our community to support the people, projects and partnerships that matter most.

Gardiner Foundation 2026 Community Development Grants - NOW OPEN!Investing in locally led projects that strengthen the s...
14/05/2026

Gardiner Foundation 2026 Community Development Grants -
NOW OPEN!
Investing in locally led projects that strengthen the social fabric and connectivity of Victoria’s dairy communities.

We’re pleased to once again be working alongside Gardiner Foundation to support the 2026 Gardiner Foundation Community Development Grants.

If you’re part of a community group in a dairy region across Gippsland and have a project idea that brings people together and strengthens community connection, we’d love to have a conversation.

Approaches to social fabric and connectivity may include, but are not limited to, initiatives that:
· Promote social interaction and community participation;
· Enhance wellbeing;
· Enable digital inclusion, and/or
· Improve mobility and access to community.

Projects must seek to benefit disadvantaged or marginalised people or groups in Victoria's dairying communities, particularly those that intersect with the dairy supply chain.

Grants of between $5,000 - $10,000 are available to:
· Deliver programs, events, workshops and initiatives that build social connection and/or improve mental health and wellbeing, particularly where cost-of-living impacts participation (e.g. reducing out-of-pocket costs, transport and access support).

· Invest in capacity building that strengthens local leadership, volunteer capability and community readiness, supporting long-term connection and resilience.

· Use the arts and creative practice to help people tell their stories, share lived experience and come together across generations and backgrounds.

· Strengthen food and fibre connections by bringing people closer to local stories, producers and the dairy supply chain; supporting understanding, pride and stronger community engagement (not only on-farm impact, but whole-of-community benefits).

· Purchase equipment and materials that enable community connection (e.g. resources that make it easier for people to gather, create, participate, or access services).

Applications are OPEN NOW until 30 June. Community groups can find program guidelines, eligibility information and contact details on the GCF website https://www.gippslandcf.org.au/current-grant-opportunities/gardiner-grants

If, after checking eligibility, your project looks like a good fit, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss next steps and be invited to apply.

Who we are - Gippsland Community Foundation (GCF) is a community-owned, locally governed, not-for-profit organisation de...
11/05/2026

Who we are -
Gippsland Community Foundation (GCF) is a community-owned, locally governed, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening Gippsland.

We empower local communities to lead their own change by unlocking generosity, keeping resources in the region, and supporting projects that make a lasting difference across Gippsland.

We exist for the whole of Gippsland. Connecting people, organisations, and resources so communities can deliver what matters most to them.

What we do -
🏡Raise funds for community-led projects across Gippsland's towns, communities and neighbourhoods.
📈Invest in building long-term community funds so support continues now and for future generations.
💲Distribute grants that support community organisations, local initiatives, and long-term resilience efforts.
💟Connect donors, partners and community groups to shared opportunities that create local impact.
🤝Support local donors to make a difference in the place they call home.
🎤Advocate for community priorities and strengthen local capacity across the region

In short: We help Gippsland complete the projects that are important to our communities.

We’re always looking to have great conversations with potential funding partners and upcoming community projects. Get in touch at [email protected] or learn more about us at www.gippslandcf.org.au

We’ve quietly just passed a pretty special milestone.Over $10 million has now been directed into community-led projects ...
08/05/2026

We’ve quietly just passed a pretty special milestone.

Over $10 million has now been directed into community-led projects across Gippsland since we began awarding funding in 2021.

That’s $10 million supporting things like local gathering spaces, youth programs, community initiatives, and the many small but important ideas that help people feel connected and supported where they live.

What matters most is that these important projects weren’t decided from a distance. They came from communities themselves, with local people shaping what was needed, how it would work, and then putting in the hard yards to make outcomes happen.

At GCF, our volunteer Board of Directors and our staff are really proud of what’s been supported so far. We’re grateful for the trust placed in us by community and in our role to help carry those outcomes forward.

And we’re not done. There’s more to listen to, more to support, and more community-led work still to come.

If you’d like to see what’s been happening across Gippsland, you can take a look here,

www.gippslandcf.org.au

If you’re in a position to give at scale, as a business, foundation, or individual, where your money sits matters.Becaus...
05/05/2026

If you’re in a position to give at scale, as a business, foundation, or individual, where your money sits matters.

Because where it sits determines how it’s used.

When funding is held outside a region, decisions are often made without full visibility of local context. When it’s held locally, and with the right structure, it’s guided by lived knowledge, trusted relationships, and real need.

That’s exactly what Generous Gippsland provides. Delivered by Gippsland Community Foundation, Generous Gippsland is a locally held, professionally governed fund that:
• Receives and manages funding contributions
• Works with communities at a ground level to understand regional priorities
• Awards grant funding to community-led projects across Gippsland

We’ve already awarded $10.4 million into Gippsland communities since 2021. Now we’re building a fund that continues to give back, year after year.

If you’re looking to create meaningful, accountable impact in Gippsland, we welcome a conversation. Potential supporters can call Executive Officer, Michelle Dowsett, on 0499 241917 or [email protected]

www.generousgippsland.org.au

A beautiful Gippsland autumn day for the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience gathering hosted by on country. Show...
05/05/2026


A beautiful Gippsland autumn day for the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience gathering hosted by on country.
Showcasing both international and local projects being led by our traditional owners.
A wonderful way to spend the day.

Address

PO Box 1403
Bairnsdale, VIC
3875

Telephone

+61499241917

Website

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